I’ve noticed a theme in my conversations with fellow parents this time of year – child water safety.

Parents are often worried their child is not a proficient swimmer or as far along as their peers. Parents are primarily concerned about safety, but also about their child not being able to join in at pools, playing at the lake or at water theme parks. Many newer community pools have a “gradual entry” where the water level is low for young children to splash, get wet, but don’t have to “swim.” These are great spaces, but my friends have legitimate concerns their children have grown up splashing around in these types of pools and never had to learn to stay afloat...

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.

-Lily Tomlin

July is UV (Ultra-Violet) Safety Awareness Month, and there is no better time to address the impacts of UV sunlight than in the middle of the summer. No matter where you live, or how much time you spend outside, your skin will be exposed to UV sunlight if you venture outdoors.  During the summer months one of the most popular ways to spend time, for both children and adults, is playing outside. 

I am a firm believer in people getting fresh air and Vitamin D, and often times the act of “getting outside” is enough to improve one’s mental well-...

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.

-Steve Martin

As this holiday approaches, here are  some little known facts you can share with family and friends. Have a safe holiday celebrating our independence!

The Declaration of Independence wasn’t signed on July 4, 1776. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4^th, but most delegates didn’t sign the document until August 2, 1776. July 2nd, was the actual day the Continental Congress voted for independence from British Rule!

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Getting along with others is critical. It’s important for career success, health and happiness, but it isn’t always easy. Please join us for a free webinar on Thursday, July 13 at 2PM EST/ 1 PM CST/ 12 PM MST/ 11 AM PST to learn how to remain calm under pressure, resolve conflict effectively and be empathetic with others.

To register for this webinar, click on the link below: 

http://bit.ly/2sJeBp0

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It is the month of June, The month of leaves and roses, When pleasant sights salute the eyes and pleasant scents the noses.

Nathaniel Parker Willis

Let’s face it. Trying to keep work life separate from family, social and personal life, and vice versa, can be challenging. With the advent of “always on” mobile, connecting technology (emails, IMs, Facebook, Snap Chat) blurring the natural separation between work, play and socializing, it’s no wonder that requests for employee behavioral health conditions (depression, stress and anxiety) have almost doubled in the past 4 years.  Where “multitasking” and “flexing” were heralded as desirable life skills to cultivate in this modern age, they are now recognized as potential gateways to developing stress related illnesses including high blood...

"The spring rains woke the dormant tillers, and bright green shoots sprang from the moist earth and rose like sleepers stretching after a long nap. As spring gave way to summer, the bright green stalks darkened, became tan, turned golden brown. The days grew long and hot. Thick towers of swirling black clouds brought rain, and the brown stems glistened in the perpetual twilight that dwelled beneath the canopy. The wheat rose and the ripening heads bent in the prairie wind, a rippling curtain, an endless, undulating sea that stretched to the horizon."

―Rick Yancey, The Infinite Sea

We are genetically programed to attend to and assess the potential for harm in our immediate surroundings. It’s our survival instinct at work. But in our media drenched world, is there such a thing as being exposed to too much violence? Can too much exposure be harmful? Current research in this area points to some not so surprising negative effects.

Every single day, whether we realize it or not, we are visited by, witness, and are affected by violence. At times the media overload is what is portrayed on the local news; an auto accident and death, a robbery, a noteworthy story of a murder and suicide. At other times, the violence is extraordinary and pervasive, breaking into all communication...