Dangers Of Shift And Night Work

Here is an article outlining the dangers of shift/nigh work to human health.

Shift/night work disrupts normal circadian (internal timing) rhythms, affecting sleep and promoting disorders “including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular risks, obesity, mood disorders and age-related macular degeneration. “  Melatonin secretion may be involved.  The paper suggests “melatonin, bright light, or psychotropic drugs, have been proposed as a means to combat circadian clock disruption and improve adaptation to shift and night work.”

If you can at all avoid shift/night work do so; if you cannot because of work requirements then discuss with your physician strategies to adjust and hopefully reduce the risk of serious heath disorders consequent to disruption of normal life rhythms.

Can Work Make You Mentally Ill?

By Edvard Munch - WebMuseum at ibiblioPage: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/Image URL: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/munch.scream.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37610298

Can your job make you crazy? According to this paper, the answer is yes. The "take home message" from the abstract:

Within these broad categories, there was moderate level evidence from multiple prospective studies that high job demands, low job control, high effort-reward imbalance, low relational justice, low procedural justice, role stress, bullying and low social support in the workplace are associated with a greater risk of developing common mental health problems.
 

Those of us who can recognize aspects of our job from the paper's list of mental illness-inducing work problems need to be cognizant of the potential for problems. How to deal with it will differ from person to person, depending on their circumstances, but one good first step is recognizing that a problem may exist. Indeed, as this paper demonstrates, it is a real and serious issue.

Christmas season: a time for be a woman, a mother, and a homemaker

On weekends and every day after work I remind myself that I am not only a researcher in academia, but also a woman, mother, and homemaker. 

Just a few years ago, I did not sense the urge for a balance between these roles. With age, however, I became wiser, which does not mean that I have achieved the goal. The work-life balance is always elusive when one has "too much on the plate".

And yet, thinking about work-life balance is the first step toward achieving it.

What should true balance look like? True balance to me means the following:

First, I should take good care of myself, my physical health, emotional balance, and appearance.This is not a selfish act - if you do not help yourself first, you cannot help anyone else around you. Remember the rule about the oxygen mask when on board of a plane.

Second, I have a wonderful girl who brings an amazing new world to me. As she grows, I learn along with her, and these days, in many aspects I learn from my teenager. I would love to be the best mom there is, I would also love to protect whatever is left of my girl's childhood. Speaking of motherhood, in the past I liked visiting the Design Mom blog. Today I rarely have the time, but it is a nice website that reminds women of what it means to be a mom.

Third, I like being a homemaker. I love decorating, cleaning, and experimenting in the kitchen. I am also an avid gardener and love Nature. House and surroundings should be in harmony and create a space of refuge, comfort, self-improvement and inspiration. Inspiration is why I love changing the home decor (without buying anything new, of course). In the past year, I moved the furniture in my living room 3 or 4 times. My rule is, keep it fluid, dynamic, and fresh. Housekeeping should be fun, not drudgery.

Am I accomplished in all my roles? No, I am not. But one day I feel good about cleaning the house, the next day I am satisfied with my research work, and on an occasional evening my meal on the table might be acknowledged to be well cooked. I am not perfect, but I am inspired.

Have a wonderful, healthy, and inspirational holiday season! 
 

The snow angel overlooking our living room

It is starting to look like Christmas

Keep those pickle jars...

Santa to the rescue

A bit of magic on the tree

A bit of humor on the tree