Center for Workplace Happiness

Sometimes questions are no fun, right? Like when Mom says "Who Did That???" Somehow, it’s always my fault. There’s a good question you could ask yourself when it feels like something has gone wrong – "how would it feel if I knew it would all work out?" When you think about the possibilities it keeps you from jumping to conclusions and maybe reacting to something that didn’t happen. Now, if Mom would just ask herself that when she sees a mess I made…

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Did you know that the way you breathe might be making you anxious? When I pant it cools me down – when humans pant, their brain thinks something is wrong. When humans are stressed they take shallow, fast breaths and that tells the primitive part of their brain that it’s time to fire up the fight or flight engine. The brain fires up the chemical factory, flooding the body with stress hormones, causing more fear and anxiety. Pay attention to how you breathe and when you find yourself just breathing into the top of your lungs, take two minutes to breathe long, slow, deep breaths that poke your belly way out. It’ll put the primitive part of your brain out of your misery.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Did you know that it’s OK to be sad or mad or frustrated or even to cry? I’ve noticed that some humans think they have to be calm and happy and positive all the time. Those are good ways to feel and the other ways are normal, too. It’s OK to feel sad or mad or frustrated or to cry – it’s part of being human. And it’s OK to feel how you feel and then decide you want to feel better. You’re in charge – feel how you feel then find a way to feel how you want to feel. Mom helps people learn how to feel better all the time.

I'm Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Are you feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place? I got stuck behind the couch once so I can relate – scary!! If that’s how you’re feeling today, you could just whine and howl like I did, or you could do something I can’t – let your brain go time-traveling. Look at your options and pick one, then imagine what the future looks like after making the choice. Then pick the other one and imagine life in the future. This is magical – don’t worry about how something could happen, just pretend it does and imagine how you’ll feel when it does. Bet the rock and hard place aren’t so scary now, are they?

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Everybody has that one friend – you know, the one who tells you about their life, even the embarrassing parts? They’re so open with you because they trust you – a lot! You know what? When you have something embarrassing or confusing or sad going on in your life, you can probably trust them, too. We all need to lean on someone else now and then – when you do, remember this friend and reach out. They’ll feel good that you trust them enough to share and they’ll help you figure things out.