For all of you music fans out there – yes, the article title is also the title of that Eel’s song we loved back in the 90’s. Yes, even rock stars have a hard time sleeping.  And yes, that song might as well be the anthem of all insomniacs everywhere as they sing “I need some sleep/ It can’t go on like this/ I tried counting sheep/ But there’s one I always miss.”

At some point in our lives, we all had to struggle with getting quality sleep. There are multitude of reasons for not being able to get the required amount of shut eye we need – life changes, age, health problems, changes in diet, over zealous caffeine consumption, and stress are some of the more common reasons.

The  Mayo Clinic defines Insomnia as “a persistent disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep or both, despite the opportunity for adequate sleep.” So whenever you think you’ve rested but wake up feeling unrefreshed, that’s a bout with Insomnia right there. Rinse and repeat everyday and you’ve got impaired judgement and chronic tiredness, which takes a major toll on your ability to function and/or make sound decisions. That kind of sleep deprivation can really negatively impact your health and affect your mood, work performance, and quality of life.

We all long for restful sleep. And for some, it’ a dream to blissfully dream the night away. Here are eight tips to hopefully help you sleep better at night:

1. Sleep Hygiene – This doesn’t mean scrubbing yourself clean before going to bed, but yes, a nice warm bath would help (more on that later). Sleep Hygiene means developing habits that are conducive for restful sleep later. Building better bedtime rituals can help you manage your sleeping schedule. Start putting yourself in a sleep mindset. An example of this could be: A nice warm bath, then brushing your teeth, changing into pajamas, turning off all the lights, and crawling into a nice warm bed.
2. Sleepy Time – whatever you do, keep to a sleep schedule. I know, I know! We all like to  sleep in during the weekends. But for the sake of battling insomnia, let’s all try to stick to a sleep schedule people! Why? Well for one, it trains your mind and body to expect sleep, like reprogramming your brain that’s hardwired to resist sleep.
3. Keep Other Light Sources Off and Out – yep, I’m talking about your phone. Yes, no exceptions. Put the screen down and step away from the phone with your hands up! Yes, kindles, ebook readers, and tablets count. Also, be on the lookout for other light sources like alarm clocks,  light streaming in from the lamppost, your glow in the dark pajamas…
4. Keep It Dreamy – invest in quality bedroom pieces: a good  bed, great sheets,, lots of pillows, black out curtains, a humidifier. You can also try a white noise machine. For me, the background noise a fan makes is white noise enough.
5. Stop Taking Long Naps – most of the time,  naps are very healthy and helpful. It boosts our productivity and makes us less grumpy and more tolerable/tolerant. However, if  you have chronic insomnia, taking long naps is a bad idea. Long naps reset your sleep cycle and you’ll find yourself having a hard time falling asleep at night.
6. Check Your Food and Drinks – coffee is not the only culprit. There is hidden caffeine from everyday food sources. Tea, chocolates, even that brownie can have caffeine. If you can, eliminate caffeine from your diet altogether. If you’re like me, you’re going to find it very hard to function without caffeine. But if you must, limit your caffeine intake to 3 cups a day, and never after 2pm.
7. Easy Does It – stay away from stress triggers. This will be extremely hard if the stress trigger is a). A family member b). A boss or coworker c.) generally someone you need to interact with everyday.  If you can, try to manage stress. Stress is one of the major culprits of sleep deprivation in so many people. If we can all manage stress, fewer people would have insomnia… if you’ve found something that works for you and you’ve managed to do away with stress, please, share your tips.
8. Exercise – Final tip, and one that would do wonders for insomniacs everywhere: Exercise! Physical activity (just not so close to within 4hrs before bedtime) will  boost endorphins and serotonin. Both of which, you’re going to need to get restful sleep. It doesn’t have to be crossfit olympic level exercise. You can start off with a brisk walk or a light jog –  both  count  and can help you greatly.

There, hopefully these tips help you get some well  deserved shut eye. I’m still trying to figure out the combination that works for me. Let me know what works for you!

Remember: Stay Humble, Hustle Hard. Good luck!

Written by Jaie O. – The Help

The New Year is when we all make promises to be kinder to ourselves. Gym memberships sign-ups are at an all time high, hobbies flourish, craft lessons thrive, and language lesson enrollments soar.

We all set out to start the year with a clean slate. And everyone’s favorite day of the year to make promises is, of course, New Year’s day when everyone’s buttons are pushed to reset. Think of it as a yearly OS upgrade. We all want that upgrade.

But the problem isn’t making the promise to be better, the problem is keeping the promise.

Very few people have the strength to stick to their pledges for the  rest of the year. We all start off bright eyed and optimistic on the path to self improvement and somewhere along the way, we  falter. It might be due to lack of motivation, or we get lazy and just revert to our old habits because it’s easier to go back to familiar things than create new ones.

Most of the time people just lose wind and give up. It’s very easy to fall back into old patterns and go back to habits that are less than ideal. Nasty habits are developed out of convenience anyway. The trick is to strengthen your resolve so that you can see it through.

Here are a few motivational tips to help you stick to your resolutions:

1. Measurable and Achievable Goals

Create achievable goals. Don’t just go and write down “lose weight” on your resolutions list. Write something that can be measured and be broken down into achievable goals. For example, instead of writing “lose weight,” you can write: Lose 15 lbs. And then you can break that down further into achievable goals.

Here’s an example:

Resolution #1: Lose Weight: Lose 15lbs

• Lose 5lbs from Jan to  Apr
• Lose 5lbs from May to Aug
• Lose 5lbs from Sep to Dec

This provides you with a more measurable goal tracking system. In a few months, you can see how far you’ve come  and how close you are  to achieving your goal. Its easier to adjust and stay on track.

2. Accountability

Talk about your goals to someone who can keep you accountable for sticking to your resolutions. If you mean to make healthier food choices, talk to an office friend. That way, if you slip and order that big, double cheese, double patty, beef burger with extra  large fries for lunch, she can call you out and remind you to order a salad for dinner.

3. Perfect is the enemy of good.

How many times have we made excuses for ourselves for not even starting on our New Year’s  Resolutions. We tell ourselves things like: “I don’t have the perfect  running shoes” or “I’m waiting for those yoga pants to go on sale” or the classic “I’ll start my diet tomorrow.” It doesn’t have to be perfect. You just have to make an effort to start. Starting is good, try it sometime. You don’t need perfect running shoes,  your old pair would do fine. Buy those yoga pants now and think of it as an investment in yourself. Start your diet now, even if it’s just passing up on the soda and dessert.

4. Inspiration and the right reasons

Speaking of investing in yourself, make resolutions for the right reasons. Pick an inspiration that will last you for however long you need to stick to your resolution. Which means, if you were to pick “fit into that little black dress” over “be stronger and healthier”, pick the latter.

5. The End Game

We make resolutions because nobody is perfect. There will always be room for improvement. When we make resolutions, it just means that we want to strive to be better versions of ourselves – kinder, healthier, fitter, stronger, wealthier, better versions of ourselves. It’s a noble goal and one we should always strive for. Our end game should always be improvement and resolving to achieve our goals within the year so that we can focus on being even more awesome versions of ourselves next year.

Whatever you hope to achieve for the year, may you find that the stars align for you to always help you achieve your goal. Help the universe help you by pulling your weight and working for it. Remember: Stay Humble, Hustle Hard. Good luck!

Written by Jaie O. – The Help

Have you read the book “The Perks of being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky? The line that resonates most with everyone who has read the book or has seen the movie adaptation is this:

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

This line says so much about self worth, individuality, emotional well-being, and value. But more than relationships, this quote stands for all the things we accept in our lives: the kind of jobs we get, the friendships we form, the behaviour we put up with from people around us.

As we grow older, we learn more about ourselves: what we like, what we don’t, what other people like, what other people don’t. Most of the time, people focus on finding out what other people like and don’t like. We spend so much time trying to figure other people out when we should be trying to figure ourselves out. Being unsure of yourself is a very dangerous thing. When you don’t have yourself figured out, you become susceptible to fads, trends, and bad advice – sometimes from people who mean well but don’t know what they’re talking about and sometimes from people who are downright out to hurt you. Having no conviction is not much of a way to live. Like they say “stand for nothing, fall for anything.”

Having a list of personal non-negotiables in your life predetermines what kind of principles you have and how much value you put on yourself; which means never having to stand for any kind of inferior treatment. We all have ideas about what we want in life – loyalty, respect, sincerity, love. This list goes on and may sometimes change as we grow and learn about our wants and needs.

So, at the risk of having to sound like an advice column, let me share my two cents. From where you are right now, start building your list of non-negotiables. Take the time to learn more about yourself. What are your skills? What are you good at? What are the areas for improvement? What talents/ gifts can you share with others? What kind of treatment do you expect from them?

It’s time to take a long hard look in the mirror and to start being honest with yourself. None of us are perfect and that is our edge. We survive the competition because none of us are alike. Take comfort in this. Take comfort in the fact that some are better at things than others. It means you have a chance to find out what you are better at and improve on that. Alternatively, find out what you are not good at: take lessons, read, or get a mentor.

That long, honest look in the mirror will hopefully let you discover your true value. Know your worth, even if it takes longer than usual and don’t downplay your strengths. Learning to value yourself means that you learn to prioritize your well being over other people. It may sound selfish but answer this: what good are you to people you love if you don’t think of yourself that much to even take care of yourself first? It goes without saying that if you take care of your business first, the rest will follow. Realize that you don’t have to accept lousy jobs or be in less than ideal relationships because you don’t know any better. Believe that you deserve better. The earlier you learn to put a premium on yourself, the less crap you willingly put up with.

Figuring it all out might be a long process but don’t worry, no one gets it all together right away. It is a cycle of trying things out and when things don’t work out as planned, go back to the drawing board and recalibrate. You have time to figure out what principles stay with you for the rest of your life. Make sure they are the right ones.

Written by Jaie O. – The Help

Overall, a business organization has the responsibility to provide to its investors, workers, and clients the best profit, benefits, as well as goods and services. The use of the term corporate social responsibility implies expectations that the organization will do right by its stakeholders – all individuals and groups in society that may be affected by the business.

At The Help, corporate social responsibility is manifested in various programs it has undertaken since operations began 9 years ago. Emphasized in three important aspects of employment and life, these are:

Protecting the environment

It is a huge field wherein everyone is trying to do their best in safeguarding our flora and fauna. However, working to protect nature is best when we start at our sphere of influence. the Help do their best to minimize the use of paper because that means more trees for the future. Where possible, work related documents and the like are sent electronically – mail, pay slip, reports, etc.  Sponges, hand towels, and other washable fabric are utilized for cleaning.Trash is segregated into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and recyclables. Biodegradable waste goes into a compost pit.

Philanthropic work

The Help donates monies and goods to orphanages, home for the elderly, home for the disabled, and survivors of calamities. A school-feeding program was recently started where nutritious meal was provided for children in a rural Elementary School. The Help sponsors scholarship for school children as well.

Adhering to ethical labor practices

The Help hires individuals regardless of their educational attainment, age, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, medical and physical challenges. They do their best to accommodate each applicant.

Acknowledging that the workers are important stakeholders in the success of the company, The Help provides other forms of assistance. Separate from medical and dental benefits available for regular workers, the company has:

• Free medical consultation program offered to both regular and part time workers and their immediate family members/ dependents.
• Cash advance is available for all full time and part time workers incase of emergencies.
• Depending on the worker’s performance evaluation, a (partial/ full) scholarship grant is awarded to one of his/her children, an incentive for exceptional work by the worker.

An organization wishing to be of value to society must be responsible and that can only begin from its corporate home. The Help cares for its workers, their families, and the community where they are – truly corporate social responsibility in action.

Written by Yoli P. – The Help

Productivity can be very elusive when working from home. Distractions such as children, pets, and chores beckon at all times. While working at home is a benefit that many employees try to acquire and enjoy, it remains to be a job where tasks are accomplished and ethics are exercised.

The Internet created opportunities for everyone; working virtually in such fields as administration and design, among others is now possible. It has become the ‘go to’ place to search for steady employment and to create businesses, all the while staying at home. To stay productive and employed takes focus and dedication.

Some helpful tips in maintaining productivity:

• Minimize distractions by having childcare available during office hours, by saying “Can we visit another time? I have a deadline,” to visitors, and by making certain chores or errands are done later in the day.
• Much like in an office, an employee working at home will need the same supplies – coffee or tea, printer ink, pens. Having access to these prevents loss time in searching and an unscheduled visit to the store.
• Organizing space dedicated to work is an enormous help to productivity in that work and relaxation are not mixed, avoiding possible stress brought on by assignments.
• Avoid clutter in the workspace by organizing items such as finding a home for pens, paper clips, and the like.
• Consider going out to a café or library where there is ample natural light. Think about renting a co-share space, once or twice a week. A change of environment as well as possible meeting with other work-at-home professionals would be a break from life at home.
• Taking time outs is important. Because home is where work takes place, long hours may be acceptable. Breaks are conducive to creativity. It is, however, detrimental to family when work continues, non-stop.

It might take some time to adapt to new ways of working but commitment and focus on productivity goals always produce great results. Remember, “It’s important to know that words don’t move mountains. Work, exacting work moves mountains” (Danilo Dolci).

Written by Yoli P. – The Help