[{"id":6955,"date":"2026-04-08T05:18:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T05:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6955"},"modified":"2026-03-24T20:24:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:24:32","slug":"overthinking-this-will-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/04\/08\/overthinking-this-will-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Overthinking? This will help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Overthinking is something we all do\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 replaying the past, catastrophising the future\u00a0or getting stuck in loops of doubt and analysis. It feels like problem-solving, but usually just leaves us anxious, overwhelmed and stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How To Stop Overthinking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In today&#8217;s podcast&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actionforhappiness.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=38ea3e7c0a12909b5f17eb1ed&amp;id=3a2c54c81e&amp;e=05f23204b6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr Jessamy Hibberd<\/a>&nbsp;shares&nbsp;a five-step plan to help you recognise overthinking, shift your focus and move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: How To Stop Overthinking with Dr. Jessamy Hibberd\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/7F6iMhzMvEFDIa7Guh2sy1?si=EsQ63EyVSrGqK8-YUsfimA&amp;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this episode you&#8217;ll learn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why\u00a0<strong>overthinking feels helpful\u00a0<\/strong>&#8211; but usually makes things worse<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>hidden thinking traps\u00a0<\/strong>that keep so many of us stuck<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A simple\u00a0<strong>five-step method\u00a0<\/strong>to break out of spiralling thoughts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Practical\u00a0<strong>ways to feel calmer\u00a0<\/strong>and more in control.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>Whether you struggle with indecision, worry, self-criticism or just want to feel more in control of your mind, this session offers practical strategies you can start using right away.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Listen now&nbsp;<\/strong>on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actionforhappiness.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=38ea3e7c0a12909b5f17eb1ed&amp;id=cc6acdefda&amp;e=05f23204b6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actionforhappiness.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=38ea3e7c0a12909b5f17eb1ed&amp;id=06b95667de&amp;e=05f23204b6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spotify<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actionforhappiness.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=38ea3e7c0a12909b5f17eb1ed&amp;id=3a4d0ec030&amp;e=05f23204b6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amazon Music<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actionforhappiness.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=38ea3e7c0a12909b5f17eb1ed&amp;id=34c1a7dabf&amp;e=05f23204b6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Podbean<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"694\" height=\"103\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-8-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6956\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-8-26.jpg 694w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-8-26-300x45.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 694px) 100vw, 694px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>Alternatively you can\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/actionforhappiness.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=38ea3e7c0a12909b5f17eb1ed&amp;id=5229df8112&amp;e=05f23204b6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">watch the video<\/a>\u00a0of Jessamy in conversation with Mark.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How To Stop Overthinking with Dr Jessamy Hibberd\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/npx1bn3V4f0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Watch now<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actionforhappiness.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=38ea3e7c0a12909b5f17eb1ed&amp;id=2044e0324f&amp;e=05f23204b6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How To Stop Overthinking<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overthinking is something we all do\u00a0\u2013 replaying the past, catastrophising the future\u00a0or getting stuck in loops of doubt and analysis. It feels like problem-solving, but usually just leaves us anxious, overwhelmed and stuck. How To Stop Overthinking In today&#8217;s podcast&nbsp;Dr Jessamy Hibberd&nbsp;shares&nbsp;a five-step plan to help you recognise overthinking, shift your focus and move forward. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6955\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6927,"date":"2026-04-07T03:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T03:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6927"},"modified":"2026-03-19T15:45:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:45:26","slug":"which-country-is-the-happiest-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/04\/07\/which-country-is-the-happiest-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Which country is the happiest in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Recently the <a href=\"https:\/\/actionforhappiness.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=38ea3e7c0a12909b5f17eb1ed&amp;id=1ba5b8d282&amp;e=0e5e6f655c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2026 World Happiness Report<\/a> launched, and\u00a0this year&#8217;s theme is <strong>Happiness and Social Media<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"577\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-7-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-7-26.jpg 577w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-7-26-300x176.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldhappiness.report\/?mc_cid=6aef9b4f52&amp;mc_eid=0e5e6f655c\">https:\/\/www.worldhappiness.report\/?mc_cid=6aef9b4f52&amp;mc_eid=0e5e6f655c<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year&#8217;s findings include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Nordic\u00a0countries<\/strong>\u00a0retain the top spots in the world happiness rankings,\u00a0<strong>Finland is No.1 (again!)<\/strong>, followed by Iceland then\u00a0Denmark;\u00a0Costa Rica has jumped to 4th place.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Young people\u2019s happiness is falling in English-speaking countries<\/strong><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>In places like North America and Western Europe, young people are significantly less happy than 15 years ago, unlike most of the world, where youth wellbeing has improved.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Heavy social media use is linked to lower wellbeing<\/strong><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>On average, those\u00a0who use social media for longer periods\u00a0report\u00a0lower life satisfaction than light users.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Not all screen time is equal<\/strong><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Activities like messaging, learning, and creating content are linked to <em>higher<\/em> wellbeing, while passive scrolling, gaming, and \u201cbrowsing for fun\u201d are linked to <em>lower<\/em> wellbeing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How social media is designed really matters<\/strong><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Platforms that encourage connection tend to support happiness, while those driven by algorithms, influencers, and comparison tend to harm it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Many\u00a0people feel \u2018trapped\u2019 using social media<\/strong><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>A lot of users say they\u2019d actually prefer social media didn\u2019t exist,\u00a0but they keep using it because everyone else does.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Connection in real life matters far more<\/strong><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Feeling a sense of belonging (e.g. at school or in community) has a <em>much bigger impact on happiness<\/em> than reducing social media use alone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently the 2026 World Happiness Report launched, and\u00a0this year&#8217;s theme is Happiness and Social Media. https:\/\/www.worldhappiness.report\/?mc_cid=6aef9b4f52&amp;mc_eid=0e5e6f655c This year&#8217;s findings include:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6927\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6904,"date":"2026-04-06T04:02:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T04:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6904"},"modified":"2026-03-10T16:03:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:03:16","slug":"motivational-monday-153","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/04\/06\/motivational-monday-153\/","title":{"rendered":"Motivational Monday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"652\" height=\"652\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/april-6-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6905\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/april-6-26.jpg 652w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/april-6-26-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/april-6-26-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6904\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6957,"date":"2026-04-03T04:09:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T04:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6957"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:10:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:10:41","slug":"funny-friday-274","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/04\/03\/funny-friday-274\/","title":{"rendered":"Funny Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"531\" height=\"529\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-3-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-3-26.jpg 531w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-3-26-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-3-26-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 531px) 100vw, 531px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6957\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6925,"date":"2026-04-02T03:28:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T03:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6925"},"modified":"2026-03-19T15:30:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:30:02","slug":"shopping-best-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/04\/02\/shopping-best-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopping Best Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Shopping for many of us can be difficult. Not because we don\u2019t like it or that it is such a hassle but because we don\u2019t know the best practices for shopping practically and responsibly. Here are some important best practices when looking to shop<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"587\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-2-26-1024x587.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6926\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-2-26-1024x587.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-2-26-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-2-26-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/apr-2-26.jpg 1222w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shopping for many of us can be difficult. Not because we don\u2019t like it or that it is such a hassle but because we don\u2019t know the best practices for shopping practically and responsibly. Here are some important best practices when looking to shop<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6925\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6959,"date":"2026-04-01T04:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T04:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6959"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:12:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:12:53","slug":"how-to-relieve-stress-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/04\/01\/how-to-relieve-stress-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"How to relieve stress at work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If the emails are stacking up and you feel like it&#8217;s all getting too much, take some advice from Physiologist Marcus Herbert on how to relieve stress at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practice mindfulness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nuffieldhealth.com\/local\/5b\/dc\/548426ef4898aa6d5ebbf492dc07\/workplacestress500x300.jpg\" alt=\"Workplace stress\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Being \u2018mindful\u2019 is about being focused on what is happening in the present moment. Research suggests that on average up to 45% of our time in a day may be spent \u2018mind-wandering\u2019, which is when we are thinking about something that we are not currently doing. Being able to focus on the present moment is often difficult in the workplace due to our workload and task lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many forms of mindfulness. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nuffieldhealth.com\/article\/mindfulness-audio-body-scan\" class=\"\"><strong>Sense checking<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0&#8211; dialling into each of your senses and focusing on what each can detect;\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Heart-focused breathing &#8211; taking slow and controlled breaths whilst focusing on the feeling of the heart;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nuffieldhealth.com\/article\/enjoy-food-more-with-these-mindful-eating-tips\" class=\"\"><strong>Mindful eating<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0savouring the taste of the food you are eating but doing so in a relaxed environment i.e. not whilst doing work or checking emails.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>People respond to different forms of mindfulness in different ways so aim to find one that works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Break down big tasks into manageable targets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes your work can seem insurmountable. Not knowing where to start, or feeling overwhelmed by the volume of work is a fast track to stress. One thing you can try to prevent this is to break larger tasks down into smaller targets or stages. This will help you to focus on the task in hand step by step. Each step you complete will feel like a small victory, turning a negative into a positive and helping your brain to process the overall project easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although it may not fit every scenario, you can also look at making your objectives SMART (specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and with a set timeframe). This may help to break your workload down into a manageable format. Being realistic with what you can do in the time that you have may help to lighten the perceived burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leave your desk regularly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea of taking a break from a busy work schedule can be a difficult thing to comprehend. An analogy that demonstrates the value of taking a break is that of \u2018sharpening the saw\u2019; you see a person trying to cut down a tree with a blunt saw and you suggest to them to sharpen their saw to help complete the task quicker, however they tell you that they cannot stop to sharpen the saw because it takes time. By making time to take a break and re-channel your focus you may actually get your work completed quicker and to a better standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Go to the gym first thing or at lunch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Exercise is a great way to start the day positively and give you energy. You can also use your lunch break to go to the gym, which will give you a real energy boost and relieve stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we get stressed, we often create tension in our upper back and neck. By completing aerobic exercise as well as resistance training, we increase our body\u2019s physical awareness of what muscle tension feels like and when the body is more aware of this feeling, it becomes a physical cue to take a moment to breathe and actively relax the muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Physical exercise also uses the stress hormones that we build up as a fuel source so can be a great way to release tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some specific exercises such as Yoga have been found to increase the activation of the body\u2019s internal relaxation system due to the deep breathing involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep sugar levels balanced<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Having big spikes of energy followed by lows (due to our body&#8217;s homeostatic system trying to bring the blood sugar back to normal) promotes irritability and lethargy, which are also signs of stress. So controlling energy throughout the day would be a useful strategy to help better manage stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prevent energy lows by balancing your blood sugar. Do this by never skipping a meal, avoiding sugary snacks (which give you an instant energy peak that is followed quickly by a trough) and combining carbohydrates with plenty of protein such as eggs or meat.&nbsp;<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nuffieldhealth.com\/article\/finding-the-sugar-balance\">Find out more about how to maintain your sugar balance.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Limit caffeine intake<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Caffeine is a stimulant which can feel like it\u2019s giving you energy, but as it increases your heart rate it can increase your feelings of anxiety and stress. Caffeine consumed in the afternoon will also likely have an impact on sleep quality as it affects the areas of the brain responsible for recognising the need to sleep. A poor quality sleep (even if you have slept for 7-8 hours) will make relieving stress all the more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try swapping coffee for red bush tea, which contains antioxidants that help to provide you with energy without the stimulants in caffeine. Green tea is a healthy option too but it does still contain caffeine so the naturally caffeine-free red bush tea may be a better option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nuffieldhealth.com\/article\/mental-health-support?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">https:\/\/www.nuffieldhealth.com\/article\/mental-health-support?utm_source=chatgpt.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If the emails are stacking up and you feel like it&#8217;s all getting too much, take some advice from Physiologist Marcus Herbert on how to relieve stress at work. Practice mindfulness Being \u2018mindful\u2019 is about being focused on what is happening in the present moment. Research suggests that on average up to 45% of our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6959\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6923,"date":"2026-03-31T03:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6923"},"modified":"2026-03-19T15:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:28:10","slug":"learn-something-new-at-the-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/03\/31\/learn-something-new-at-the-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn Something New at the Library"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;been a while since you last visited your local library, stop in and see&nbsp;what\u2019s&nbsp;new. Did you know that many public libraries offer a \u201cLibrary of Things\u201d collection, which can include anything from household items to electronics and toys? A library card is free in most communities and there are a ton of things to explore.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check into what your branch has (and&nbsp;maybe even&nbsp;the neighboring town) and see what appeals. Start by visiting their website and looking for \u201cLibrary of Things\u201d.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few things to seek out:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Musical Instruments like\u00a0ukuleles,\u00a0guitars,\u00a0and\u00a0banjos.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tech and makerspaces like\u00a0Wi-Fi hotspots\u00a0and\u202fscience\/STEM kits,\u00a03D printing,\u00a0and Memory Depots to digitize old formats like VHS.\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Family activities like\u00a0board games\u00a0and puzzles.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cakepans and other baking tools with more cookbooks than you could ever cook your way through.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outdoor gear like\u00a0pickleball sets, gardening tools, seed exchanges,\u00a0and\u00a0camping\u00a0and fishing gear.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>State Park backpacks with parking passes.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Healthcare items like\u00a0blood pressure kits.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Let your local library give you the hands-on experience to try something new (without the investment).\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"645\" height=\"657\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/mar-31-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/mar-31-26.jpg 645w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/mar-31-26-295x300.jpg 295w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 645px) 100vw, 645px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Also, did you know that VCU libraries offers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.library.vcu.edu\/research-teaching\/vcu-faculty\/#:~:text=Yes%2C%20VCU%20faculty%20and%20staff%20members%20can,formal%20notification%20is%20received%20by%20VCU%20Libraries.\">Services for VCU Faculty and Staff?<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>VCU faculty and staff have full access to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.library.vcu.edu\/research-teaching\/vcu-faculty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">VCU Libraries<\/a>\u00a0resources, including borrowing materials, accessing online databases (e.g., PubMed, Web of Science), and using research guides. Employees can use their VCU ID card at both the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.library.vcu.edu\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">James Branch Cabell Library<\/a>\u00a0and Health Sciences Library and can authorize up to five people, such as partners, to borrow materials in their name<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Access and Services for VCU Employees:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Borrowing:<\/strong>\u00a0Access to physical collections and interlibrary loans.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Online Resources:<\/strong>\u00a0Remote access to journals, databases, and digital collections via VCU credentials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proxy Borrowers:<\/strong>\u00a0Faculty\/staff can designate a partner to receive borrowing privileges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Special Collections:<\/strong>\u00a0Access available on-site with self-service scanning options.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Support:<\/strong>\u00a0Research assistance and Course Content services are available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information, employees can visit the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.library.vcu.edu\/resources-for\/faculty-staff\/\">VCU Libraries Faculty\/Staff page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">VCU Employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Included are the following groups:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Full-time, part-time, staff, administrative, interns\/residents, retired and emeritus (EMER) faculty<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Faculty not employed full-time at the University who participate in educational, research and\/or clinical programs and are affiliated with the INOVA Health System (INOVA).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Employees of the Hunter McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) who have been granted full-time academic appointment with the University.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students, staff and faculty participants in the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/guides.library.vcu.edu\/ipas\">International Programme in Addiction Studies (IPAS)<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preceptors, clinical faculty, clinical affiliates, field instructors, or coordinating teachers are all names referring to experts in various fields who provide teaching, training, supervision and mentoring to VCU students in an on-the-job, apprenticeship-type environment for a specified length of time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Employees of the Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill, Virginia.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Services include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Retrieval and delivery of loans (books, CDs, DVDs, etc.) to your campus box address or held for pick-up at one of the libraries.\u00a0This includes items from the VCU Libraries circulating collections such as storage and the general collections (document delivery) and items borrowed from other libraries on your behalf (interlibrary loan).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Electronic delivery of copies (articles, chapters, etc.) of items located in VCU Libraries collections as well as items borrowed from other librariess.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;been a while since you last visited your local library, stop in and see&nbsp;what\u2019s&nbsp;new. Did you know that many public libraries offer a \u201cLibrary of Things\u201d collection, which can include anything from household items to electronics and toys? A library card is free in most communities and there are a ton of things to explore.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6923\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6902,"date":"2026-03-30T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6902"},"modified":"2026-03-10T16:01:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:01:22","slug":"motivational-monday-152","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/03\/30\/motivational-monday-152\/","title":{"rendered":"Motivational Monday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"663\" height=\"556\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/marc-30-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6903\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/marc-30-26.jpg 663w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/marc-30-26-300x252.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6902\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6906,"date":"2026-03-27T04:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T04:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6906"},"modified":"2026-03-10T16:05:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:05:55","slug":"funny-friday-273","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/03\/27\/funny-friday-273\/","title":{"rendered":"Funny Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/mar-27-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6907\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/mar-27-26.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/03\/mar-27-26-292x300.jpg 292w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6906\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6864,"date":"2026-03-26T05:27:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T05:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/?p=6864"},"modified":"2026-01-29T21:29:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T21:29:22","slug":"3-ways-getting-outside-into-nature-helps-improve-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/2026\/03\/26\/3-ways-getting-outside-into-nature-helps-improve-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"3 ways getting outside into nature helps improve your health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"655\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/01\/mar-30-2026.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6865\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/01\/mar-30-2026.jpg 655w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/01\/mar-30-2026-300x244.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Need an excuse to get out of the house? Research continues to show that being outside and experiencing nature can improve our mental health and increase our ability to focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of us are in front of a screen for much of our day \u2014 whether that be a computer, TV, or smartphone. As a result, we spend less time outside experiencing the natural world. Here are some reasons why we all can benefit from taking a nature break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"718\" height=\"447\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/01\/mar-19-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/01\/mar-19-26.jpg 718w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2026\/01\/mar-19-26-300x187.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Nature can help us improve our thinking, reasoning, and other mental abilities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When we&#8217;re in urban environments or the office all day, we can experience sensory overload, resulting in tension and mental fatigue. Studies have shown that our minds and bodies relax in a natural setting. This increases feelings of pleasure and can help us concentrate and focus more effectively,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4204431\/\">according to studies in the National Library of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being outdoors can also have relaxing effects on our minds. Nature can provide a mental break by allowing us to temporarily escape the demands of everyday life. It can also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/balance\/ss\/slideshow-health-benefits-nature\">boost your creativity and problem-solving abilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you&#8217;re having a mental block writing a paper or can&#8217;t seem to solve a problem at work, step outside for a breath of fresh air. Take an easy walk around your neighborhood or office. You just might find the answers you were looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Nature can improve physical wellness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting out into nature can lead us to want to walk, bike, hike, or kayak more often. People typically engage in regular physical activity when they&#8217;re in nature. So, stepping outside can help you keep a healthy weight or even lose weight by increasing activity levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies also show that being in nature has a positive effect on our bodies by reducing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/articles\/22187-cortisol\">cortisol levels<\/a>, muscle tension, and demands on our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/cardiovascular-system\">cardiovascular systems<\/a>&nbsp;(lowers heart rate and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/bloodpressure\/about.htm\">blood pressure<\/a>). Being out in nature often may lead to lower rates of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/health.ucdavis.edu\/blog\/cultivating-health\/7-steps-you-can-take-to-help-prevent-heart-disease\/2023\/04\">heart disease<\/a>. The great outdoors can also help you increase your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/nutritionsource\/vitamin-d\/\">vitamin D<\/a>&nbsp;level, which is important for your bones, blood cells, and immune system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Being outside can improve your mental health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nature can help decrease your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/health.ucdavis.edu\/blog\/cultivating-health\/symptoms-of-anxiety-and-how-to-know-when-you-need-help\/2024\/08\">anxiety<\/a>&nbsp;levels and can help lessen stress and feelings of anger. Exercise can also help this, but it&#8217;s even better when you&#8217;re outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regular access to green spaces has been linked to lower risks of depression and improved concentration and attention. Being outside allows us to be social and come together with family, friends, or even people you don&#8217;t know while on a hiking trail, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, you may find that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/health.ucdavis.edu\/blog\/cultivating-health\/better-sleep-why-its-important-for-your-health-and-tips-to-sleep-soundly\/2023\/03\">you sleep better<\/a>&nbsp;when you are regularly outside. Daily exposure to natural light helps regulate sleep\/wake cycles. By making sure that you get outside in sunlight every day, you can improve your ability to sleep at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nature can also have benefits for children.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.1807504116\">One study in Denmark<\/a>&nbsp;examined 900,000 residents born between 1985 and 2003. They found that children who lived in neighborhoods with more green space had a reduced risk of mental disorders later in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other benefits to being in nature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some positive health impacts related to getting outdoors. You can learn more about these in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/arboretum.ucdavis.edu\/sites\/g\/files\/dgvnsk1546\/files\/inline-files\/urbannatureforhumanhealthandwellbeing_508_01_30_18.pdf\">research summary from the U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/a>. They include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>People who live near parks and green space have less mental distress, are more physically active, and have longer life spans.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exposure to nature may decrease death from chronic disease.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When people exercise outdoors in nature, they do so for longer periods of time and at greater intensities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Positive health effects are enhanced when green space includes water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Simple outdoor exercises if you&#8217;re short on time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a busy schedule and don&#8217;t have much time to get outside, these may help you get a quick nature fix:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>5 minutes: Stand outside with the sun on your face or take off your shoes to feel the grass in between your toes. If the weather isn&#8217;t great, take a few minutes to gaze out a window at the scenery outside.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>25 minutes: Go out for a stroll and take some deep breaths. You could even eat your lunch outside or take a phone call or meeting outdoors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other fun ideas to experience nature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Plan a picnic with friends or family. Find a park or green space to enjoy a meal and maybe take a frisbee or soccer ball.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rent a kayak or canoe on a nearby waterway.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find a hiking trail you&#8217;ve never been to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dust off your bicycle and go for an easy ride around the neighborhood.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take your dog for a walk to a nearby park \u2014 they&#8217;ll enjoy it just as much as you will.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grab a book and find a shady tree to sit under.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plant a vegetable or flower garden in your yard or on your patio.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take up golfing with a friend or family member.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meet up with a neighbor or friend to walk daily or weekly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go bird watching at a nearby state park or wildlife habitat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More articles on why the great outdoors is good for your health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/health-benefits-of-being-outdoors\">8 health benefits of getting back to nature and spending time outside<\/a>\u00a0(Healthline)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/features\/wellness-benefits-great-outdoors\">The wellness benefits of the great outdoors<\/a>\u00a0(U.S. Forest Service)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/balance\/ss\/slideshow-health-benefits-nature\">Health benefits of getting outside<\/a>\u00a0(WebMD)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/monitor\/2020\/04\/nurtured-nature\">Nurtured by nature<\/a>\u00a0(American Psychological Association)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8125471\/\">Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence<\/a>\u00a0(International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Read the article <a href=\"https:\/\/health.ucdavis.edu\/blog\/cultivating-health\/3-ways-getting-outside-into-nature-helps-improve-your-health\/2023\/05\">here<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Need an excuse to get out of the house? Research continues to show that being outside and experiencing nature can improve our mental health and increase our ability to focus. Many of us are in front of a screen for much of our day \u2014 whether that be a computer, TV, or smartphone. As a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":640,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6864\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/hr-worklife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]