No foolin’— April is Stress Awareness Month. It’s important to manage stress, because it’s not only emotionally taxing, but it can also be harmful to your physical health. To keep stress under control, try these three simple tips from Harvard Medical School.

Take a new approach. Much of life’s stress comes from how we view the various situations we encounter. For example, two people may take on the exact same task, but only one person may find it stressful. Some of this has to do with personality, but it also has to do with your inner narrative and how you frame things in your mind. If you aim to change your perspective, you can often reduce the number of stressors in your life.

Burn off tension. Physical activity can help get you on a more even keel. But for many people, sticking to a daily exercise schedule is itself stressful, often because they pick activities they don’t enjoy. Instead, choose to do something you love— like gardening, nature walks, or a yoga practice— which can slow the harmful effects of stress. Looking forward to the activity can keep you motivated, and help you destress and recharge.

Get organized. Ever spend 20 minutes looking for your car keys or trying to find a misplaced wallet or purse? Disorganization and clutter can cause unnecessary stress. Taking time to set up some systems, such as a set location for your keys, can help reduce these daily nuisances. In addition, plan ahead when it comes to other strategies that can help you manage your stress. Create a time for exercise, plan healthy meals, and get on a regular schedule to ensure that you’re getting enough sleep.

Also, if you know you’re going to encounter a stressful situation, think ahead of time about how you are going to manage it. Have a plan in place to help reduce your level of stress, and prevent it from taking a toll on your health.

A young woman known to her friends as an avid online shopper discovered she had received a small cash rebate from a purchase. It wasn’t expected, but seeing the envelope show up in the mail brought such a smile to her face, her roommate asked what good news she had received.

When the young lady explained she had received an extra $500, her roommate suggested she consider lending it out in the form of a microloan to women in need who were trying to finish their education or start their own business. The successful young woman liked the idea and, on a whim, signed up with an online site devoted to microloans.

About six months later when the loan was repaid, she decided to lend out the money a second time... then a third... and so on. Several years later, she had lent out the same dollars over and over again, without ever missing the money. In the meantime, she continued to receive thank you letters and updates from many of the women who used the microloan, made possible through her check, to transform their own lives.

Although she has long since moved on from her roommate situation and is now a homeowner, she still sends her old friend a letter every year, sharing a few details of all the women she has helped. Each time, she thanks her old friend for making the suggestion years ago. That first loan changed the meaning of money for her, while changing the outcome for others at the same time.

Canadian employment gained 303K jobs in March (1.6%, m/m), bringing total employment to within 1.5% or 296K jobs of its pre-pandemic level from February 2020. Both part-time employment with full-time employment contributed to the gains in March, rising by 128K and 175K jobs respectively. The national unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 7.5%, which is the lowest rate since February 2020.

In BC, employment grew by 35k (+1.3%, m/m) in March. The unemployment rate decreased from held steady at 6.9%, which is the lowest rate the province has recorded since February 2020. Meanwhile, in Vancouver, employment increased by 32.3k (+2.2%,m/m), following a rise of 13.9k in the previous month. Compared to one year ago, employment in BC was up 8.4% (+116.7K) jobs.

Employment in BC and other parts of Canada may slow in April as more restrictive "circuit-breaker" polices are implemented to mitigate rising COVID-19 cases. Fortunately, daily vaccinations have ramped-up considerably and the labour market should be in a much better place by early summer.

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

Link:  https://mailchi.mp/bcrea/canadian-employment-march-april-9-2021

Bringing diversity and inclusion into your organization calls for much more than a diversity statement. It takes a solid commitment. Listen to what the WTOP News website has to say:

• Define your terms. What do diversity and inclusion actually mean in your workplace? It should start with creating a safe work environment where everyone feels welcome, valued, and respected, and everyone has equal opportunities for development and advancement.

• Get leadership on board. If your CEO and other top leaders don’t take your efforts seriously, neither will anyone else. They have to be honest and open about what they hope to achieve, and be willing to work together with employees across the board to make progress.

• Start small. You can’t transform an entire organization overnight. Set modest goals for increasing diversity at the outset— changing underrepresentation of certain groups, for example. Track progress over a few months, looking at success and gaps. Use the data to expand your efforts and grow.

• Recruit with diversity in mind. Your recruiters and hiring managers should become D&I ambassadors for your organization. Make sure they’re reaching out beyond their usual sources of talent so they can attract candidates who will be a good fit for your organization, regardless of whether they check every single box for experience and qualifications.

April is Jazz Appreciation Month, culminating with a grand finale on April 30: International Jazz Day, formally declared by the United Nations back in 2012. Even if jazz isn’t among your favorite genres, I’ll bet some of those celebratory sounds speak to your soul.

Although there is some debate over the exact year jazz was born, most everyone can agree what makes it unique is all the different components which, when braided together, form one cohesive sound. The idea is not unlike being in a group of people who bring completely different ideas to the table, but ultimately collaborate to produce a great final product — jazz, in human form.

When you think about it that way, what are you composing these days?

If you’re not working on anything besides everyday life, consider this: April is the perfect month to start conceptualizing your next act, something you truly want to compose and revise until it sounds just right.

If we are to believe Arthur Schopenhauer, the German philosopher, who said, “Music is the food of soul,” then April is your time to feast on all the possibilities life has to offer.

Whether you choose to embark on a new branch in your career or revise your plan for the year, this beautiful month of blue skies, sandwiched between chilly March and May’s goodbye to spring, is ideal for planning. With three-quarters of the year left ahead of you, a world that is remembering how to thrive, and opportunities everywhere… April is practically beckoning you to craft harmonious, collaborative plans into your life.

Play on!

Gino Pezzani,

Your Real Estate Consultant For Life