May is Mental Health Awareness month so we hope that you are putting yourself on your daily to do list, practicing self-care and ensuring you have a circle of support around you. 

Boost Your Mood and WELLbeing - Life can sometimes suck. We can’t get rid of an intolerable co-worker (sorry), but we do have some sweet suggestions for improving a mood; whether you have 3 minutes, 5 minutes or 10 minutes to spare.

How to Quiet Your Mind When You Can’t Fall Asleep. If you’re stuck tossing and turning once your head hits the pillow, these tips can help.

1. Try a 5-count breathing exercise
2. Think back to a joyful moment
3. Write down your worries on a notepad
4. Cuddle with your pet
5. Read something that makes you sleepy
6. Use a calming scent
7. Listen to ocean waves
8. Visualize your future self
9. Put on a sleep mask
10. Give yourself compassion

Women representation has a long way to go, but much still worth celebrating!

10 times women made history in 2021- from political stages to the big screen. 

Read the new book and/or listen to former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard and former Finance Minister of Nigeria Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (the first woman and the first African to be chosen as Director-General of WTO), in a rich conversation as they reflect on their experiences as women leaders in positions of global power -and share six standout lessons on what it takes to lead and build solidarity in the face of gender bias and stereotypes.

Why gender parity matters - Gender parity has a fundamental bearing on whether or not economies and societies thrive. Developing and deploying one-half of the world’s available talent has a huge bearing on the growth, competitiveness and future-readiness of economies and businesses worldwide. However, none of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and nor likely will many of our children. That’s the sobering finding of the Global Gender Gap Report 2020, which reveals that gender parity will not be attained for 99.5 years. 

This year’s report highlights the growing urgency for action. Without the equal inclusion of half of the world’s talent, we will not be able to grow our economies for greater shared prosperity.

Who is an Ally?

An ally is commonly defined as someone who is not a member of a marginalized group but takes action to support that group. In her Ted Salon Talk, 3 Ways to Be a Better Ally in the Workplace Melinda Epler defines allyship as “really seeing the person next to us and the person missing. Who should be standing next to us? First, knowing what they're going through, and then, helping them succeed and thrive with us.”

There’s a mind-boggling amount of work women do that we literally can’t quantify. Women often aren’t paid for the work they do. Every day they chalk up an average of 4.5 hours of free labor in household chores and childcare regardless of where they are in the world. In developing countries, women can do 10 times as much as men.

9.8 million working mothers in the U.S. are suffering from burnout - From attempting to manage remote schooling to rearranging their workdays to fill child-care gaps, there’s no question it’s mothers who are, more often than not, shouldering the increased responsibilities of caring for kids throughout the pandemic.

Has Society Has Turned Its Back on Mothers. This isn’t just about burnout, it’s about betrayal. The crushing toll on working mothers’ mental health reflects a level of societal betrayal, according to Dr. Dean. “This isn’t burnout — this is societal choice,” she said. “It’s driving mothers to make decisions that nobody should ever have to make for their kids.”  Read the full article to learn how mothers can break free of guilt and stress that they don’t deserve. 

So what can you do? 

1. Recognize that these problems are systemic. 

2. Let go of the “right” choice trap.