Life

Hand Hygiene: Need Of The Hour

October 18, 2020 by Shweta Dayal

Scrolling down, are you? Did you know? The screen you’re scrolling on has about 8000 germs per square inch. And this same screen is dirtier than your kitchen counter. I’m not trying to scare you, but everyday you’re exposed to about 60,000 bacteria. Some of these bacteria are infectious while others, not so. So how do you keep infections at bay, especially in this pandemic hit year? Hand Hygiene.

The contamination we are exposed to everyday, while commuting to work, or buying from the grocery store, or just surfing on the internet, is humungous. Especially among Americans, recent tests have shown that they touch the dirtiest surfaces- airport doors, public soap dispensers, airport bathrooms, etc. Following are a few germ hot-spots which have a high level of contamination, enough to spread infections and illness :

Gas pumps handle — 71%
Mailbox handles — 68%
Escalator rails — 43%
ATM buttons — 41%
Parking meters/kiosks — 40%
Vending machines — 38%

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread and little was known about the novel coronavirus, one of the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘s first recommendations was a simple, tried-and-true public health measure: Hand Hygiene. This advice persists even today as one of the most fundamental ways, alongside masks, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Just thirty seconds of scrubbing with water and soap, or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, can wash away the germs—in addition to other common infectious diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and diarrheal pathogens.

Global Handwashing Day can be looked at as an opportunity to design effective and creative ways to encourage people to wash hands regularly. The theme for 2020 is ‘Hand Hygiene for all’. It reminds of the universal access and practice of handwashing with soap and water. Only 66 percent of Americans always wash up after using a public restroom when asked about their handwashing habits, even though 92 percent believe that washing their hands after a visit is essential. The figures are disturbing yet accurate.

But making hand hygiene available to everyone in the society requires a macro and multifarious approach. Especially in America, the access to sustainable hand hygiene services needs to be improved (regular water supply, handwashing facilities, steady water supply, soap or alcohol based handrub etc). Most importantly, our society needs a behaviour change. The drivers which support this change should be addressed and components such as policy reforms, coordination, financing, regulations need to be strengthened.

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In this pandemic hit year, handwashing hygiene has become all the more important. 💦🧼🙏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻👐🏻🤲🏻👌🏻💪🏻 How do you keep them clean? Comment below! Trivia: Global Handwashing Day is an international promotional initiative for handwashing to inspire and mobilize people worldwide to strengthen their hand washing habits. #handwashing #washyourhands #who @who #hygiene #hygienetips #sanitized #water #soap #disinfecting #handwash #immunity #virus #bacteria #washbeforeyoueat

A post shared by JoyScore (@joyscoreinc) on Oct 15, 2020 at 1:40pm PDT

This year’s Global Handwashing Day calls on countries to celebrate hand hygiene as a central part of their response to the pandemic and, at the same time start planning to create a safe and better future. Once the immediate crisis is over, strengthening the hygiene systems would be the backbone for building a better and safer future. This would help control the emerging and old diseases and infections like COVID-19, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, etc. It is crucial for the countries to develop roadmaps for hygiene. It would allow them to leverage the attention COVID-19 has got to implement a long-lasting public health programme.

To Summarise…

We need to change our habits to live a sustainable and infection free life. And these habits can be inculcated only if you’re aware of your patterns and your responses. You can live a mindful life by downloading JoyScore, which is an scientifically backed app which has different activities to lighten up your mood and also help instil new, life changing habits.

The Joyful Parent

September 4, 2020 by Rimikak

I used to be a little too quick to judge parents, especially in stressful situations like grocery stores.

There you are, patiently waiting to check out, and in front of you is a harried mom or dad trying to put items onto the conveyor belt to check out. Their child starts screaming because they want a candy bar,

and the parent has already said ‘no’ more than once. But the child doesn’t want to take ‘no’ for an answer, so they yell, whine and throw a full-fledged tantrum until the parent gives in, and the child wins and gets their hands on the candy. The child has a breakdown, but the parent is also very close to getting one, which exacerbates the case, leaving all those involved miserable.

It took only one moment for that situation to happen to me to promise I would never be judging another parent.

On the other hand, I can recall seeing parents in similar situations who were composed, calm, and controlled.

So here are three tips for instilling the joy back into parenting and a bit of discipline for your children.

Tip #1: Manage Your Behavior

We do so many things instinctively, such as lash out at our children when they misbehave in public. The action also happens because, first and foremost, we want to keep our children under control and prevent any more embarrassment. When you work to manage your behavior first, you effectively neutralize the power struggle.

As a bonus, your kids will usually calm down when you have yourself under control, too. Bear in mind that calm is contagious — and so is fear. If we are nervous or anxious as parents, it causes tension in our children.

Tip #2: Repeat After Me . . .

Rely on your favorite mantras to help you regain composure. Say something to yourself if you anticipate your feelings coming up. From ‘stop’ or ‘breath’ or ‘slow down’ to ‘this too will pass,’ it can be anything. Any words will be a savior, take a moment, and go through a priority list. When a child’s behavior drives you nuts, it’s easy to lose your cool and lash out. But it’s not productive.

Tip #3: If (When) You Do Lose Your Cool, Own It

If your anger has already boiled over and you’ve lost your cool, don’t back away. Instead, own up to what you’ve done wrong. The act of apologizing alone can be calming, and at the same time, you become a good role model for your child.

Calm parenting is essential to building a productive, meaningful relationship, and learning how to stop yelling and stay calm as a parent isn’t easy. Work on changing how you are parenting to be the calm you want to see around the world. And when you are calm, you will destress and attain joy; the benefits of feeling more joy will help you in the following way:
Promote a healthier lifestyle, thus improving your self-esteem and self-image.
Boost the immune system, making you stronger both physically and mentally.
Fight stress and pain.

Download JoyScore.

Working From Home Has Got You Working All The Time

September 3, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Everyone across the globe is struggling to figure out how to navigate through the new normal and maintain a balance.

People who have had the option of working from home are now joined by those who have been forced to work from home because of the pandemic. People feel trapped under the heap of tasks, like keeping children entertained when they aren’t helping them with online classes.

When you work from home, physical boundaries between work and personal life start fading away, and we find ourselves torn between the two. Despite how organized you are, it can be challenging to manage your career and household in the same space. The disruption of not physically seeing colleagues, friends, family, and uncertainty can lead to burnout and anxiety.

Working from home is going to be with us for quite a while, but here are some tips to better integrate the different facets of life:

Start your day with things that do not revolve around work and make you feel relaxed before the work hour kicks in like a coffee ritual, 10-15 minutes of yoga or a walk.

Avoid waking up to check work emails as it can cause discomfort or tension.

Slip out of your comfortable sleepwear and get dressed – it will give you a sense of working in the office.

Maintain a designated workspace that separates work from personal chores. Keep the doors shut to avoid distractions.

Set a time to focus on specific tasks and stick to it. Do not let household chores interfere with the time allotted for work. Use a timer or block your calendar to manage distractions.

Avoid non-essential activities like scrolling through social media and seek your partner’s help in household chores.

Take breaks to prevent feeling overworked. Get up every hour and stretch or walk around.

Close your laptop and call it a day after a specific time, especially on weekends and holidays. Being available every time sets an expectation and diminishes the work-life balance.

Connect with co-workers through tools like Slack/Teams/Phone/Zoom to effectively communicate and avoid a disconnect in the work structure and team.

Spend 5- 10 minutes to talk with colleagues about non-work events to build a connection with them.

Carve out time for yourself. Call friends and family, spend time with them, or indulge in a hobby.

Watch entertaining content and limit news consumption. Listening to negative news can elevate your anxiety and let your mind wander when required to focus.

WFH does have some benefits – less time spent in the car, more time spent with family and more flexibility in creating a work schedule. So optimize those hours for things like exercise, cooking meals and give yourself a break from the computer screen.

Develop a transition period of at least 30 minutes between ending work and starting your chores. Have a cup of tea, step out for fresh air, explore the JoyScore app to let go of some steam, relax and engage yourself in mindfulness with meditation, doing stretches, learning new nutritional facts, and the list goes on.

Any change requires time to adjust. Maximize the positive lifestyle benefits of working from home. As you adapt to this change, spend more time on the JoyScore app as it will help you calm your mind and improve your life’s Joy Score.

Stuck at Home? Take a Journey Inward

September 2, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Six months ago, life was running at its own pace and we were busy in our daily routine. But the pandemic has made our lives come to a screeching halt and left us perplexed, wondering what will happen next as the entire world seems to be in chaos. Now, we are stuck at home and our anxiety is spiraling out of control. The key now is to remain vigilant and arm yourself with facts rather than surrender yourself to worry and anxiety. It’s important to take a journey inward to introspect and be aware of what is going on inside you to overcome the anxiety and stress.

We feel stuck when we are unhappy with where we are and cannot move forward or take any action. Getting stuck in this web of confusion can be frustrating because it feels like you are on the road to nowhere with no alternative. But think of it the other way, as it might be the gift of time we have been craving for, to pause, to take a journey inward and reflect, to befriend our minds, to deepen your understanding of yourself and our place in the universe.

In the hustle and bustle of life, we are sometimes worn to exhaustion that we often struggle to find the time and space to address our interior life. It is vital to take a moment to press the reset button and give yourself some relaxation. The art of meditation is a mysterious journey that takes a lot of practice and a peaceful environment conducive to explore yourself and pay attention to the subtle inner cues without any distractions or devices. Silence gives us the mental space and time to listen to the inner voices we carry and get to know ourselves more intimately.

Meditation improves focus and helps us identify which feelings can be trusted and which instincts might need to be contained, as they might cause us to get off track or get lost en route. It helps you battle your temptation like craving for sweets, repeatedly checking the count of ‘likes’ on our social media. This inward journey makes us grow stronger by setting aside obsessions. It also helps us reduce negative emotions, focus on the present, increase patience and tolerance, and gain a new perspective for stressful situations.

While we were catering to the outer world, you can now utilize this opportunity to attend to your inner self. Cultivate an awareness of the sanctity of life through our app ‘JoyScore.’ Delve within to familiarize yourself with your mind, breath, and heart. The application helps you be mindful. Furthermore, it enables you to find ways to celebrate the simple and slower pace of life and make the journey more gratifying.

The journey to enlightenment is only a click away.

Celebrate Small Joys in Life

August 17, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Is your definition of ‘Celebration’ restricted to that perfect moment? Most of us celebrate upon achieving some milestones in our life like promotion, marriage, buying a new house/ car, becoming parents, etc. But what about the small joys and simple pleasures? They are around us, but to enjoy them, be open to noticing them. We live in a world of tremendous competition, where everyone is rushing to accomplish something. While we are wrapped up in the normalcy of our daily lives, we overlook the simple joys.

We worry and crib about so many things, which shoots up our stress levels that we seldom think of these little joys that we should be thankful for. To combat this stress and anxiety, try to shift your focus to notice and rejoice the small bits of happiness, for they add richness and depth to existence and do wonders for your mood. These are usually unplanned, sometimes unexpected, and some of the sweetest parts of life.

Ever wondered what if the sun stops shining? Without the sun, life would cease. One of the biggest mistakes we commit is to take these little things for granted, e.g., our toes. A small thorn in our toe can make the entire body feel the pain and suffer. Celebrate because you still have the sun shining, celebrate because you have toes, celebrate because you have a roof over your head. Celebrate these small joys instead of occasions.

Often, we wait for something significant to happen and let the tiny sparks of happiness fade away. Instead of waiting for happiness to find you, create Joy and Happiness for you. Look for things that make you smile. There are plenty of little things in our daily routine, no less than a celebration, that can make us excited and joyful-

Pet Friendly Joy — Joyful friends with pet

Playing with a child and enjoying their laughter.
Finding money in a cloth worn after a long time
Making your favorite dish/ eating healthy
Inviting friends over dinner for no reason
Spending leisure time in a hammock
Getting a compliment from someone unexpectedly
Sound of birds chirping/ the smell of rain
Waking up mid-night and realizing that you still have time to sleep
Sunshine on a cold day/ breeze on a hot day
Witnessing/ Performing an act of kindness
An unexpected day off
Getting animal Love and Compassion

Make a list of things you are thankful for and revisit it daily to remind yourself of all the incredible things and people you have in your life. Do not take things for granted. Embrace, acknowledge, and celebrate simple joys amidst the chaos. Life happens around us while we wait for the big things hoping they will give us inner peace or happiness. Enjoy the simple pleasures and be joyful, for one day you may turn back and realize that those were the things that mattered. Try to continually appreciate little things and see how the magic unfolds for you. Lastly, stop worrying because when you do so, happiness comes your way.

Start watering the seeds of Joy within you through our app JoyScore, a self-guided, self-development platform that promises to elevate joy. Join us and experience your life getting crowded with unexpected delights.

How the Science of Kindness can heal your heart and your World

August 6, 2020 by Rimikak

We often hear the phrase that he or she is a kind-hearted person. One tends to remember someone by saying that he was a very kind person. Does this mean that the person was born with the trait or acquired it during his life? I don’t believe anybody’s born with a personality. Based on your experiences, acquired qualities, characteristics, or skills are learned or developed over time. They aren’t innate in not being born with them. Kindness and cooperation are more natural for human beings. There has been a common belief for a long time that “human existence” is overwhelmingly negative. Human beings, it has been believed, are highly inclined to characteristics such as egoism, conquest, and warfare. The prevalence of these qualities has led to people being kind and show kindness1 to humans as well as animals. Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish historian, says it right “A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men.”

What is Kindness?

It is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concerns for others, without expecting praise and reward. It is considered good and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions. Kindness also means that you treat and bestow everyone with the best that you can. No matter which strata of society people belong to or how you feel about them, you treat them with fairness and respect. We all think and say of beautiful things every day, but when we act, that is kindness.

If you add kindness to everything you do, the World can become a better place.

To be Kind means

To be compassionate
To care
To give a helping hand.

It is mostly the tiniest of things that make the most significant impact—random acts of kindness. If I do ten deeds for some people, one will come back to me when I did not expect it.

We all have a day to go through, and if you can make that day a little better for someone else when you will try to do that, it will make you go through the day with a few more smiles than you would otherwise have.

A small or simple act of kindness can

Can change someone’s entire day
Put a smile on someone’s face
Go a long way

Money and perishable goods are not the way to go. The helping gesture can come from anyone at any time, And it’s the little things that can mean so much. Because after all, we’re all in this together. We rise by lifting others.

It is mostly the smallest things that make the most significant impact. Random Acts of Kindness are pure good deeds you can do to make someone’s life and the community a better place without a second thought. A random act of kindness can be stated as any thoughtful, positive, spontaneous gesture you’ve done for a known or an unknown person, making their day brighter without expecting something in return. Taking out time to do these small acts of kindness can help form a peaceful and a much happier world where others feel the desire to do the same. Studies conducted by Dr. Rowland, Research Associate at the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, suggest that performing kindness activities for seven days increases happiness. You can’t go in the wrong direction when it comes to being kind to another person; kindness will never fall short.

A Random Act of Kindness Can Be:

Giving someone your parking spot
Helping someone who has a flat tire
Give drinks to people on a hot day.
Help a child or an older person cross the street.
Spend a day at a homeless shelter
Walk someone’s dog
Make way for someone to go ahead of you
Tell your parents you love them.
Buy groceries for an elderly neighbor
Babysit for free
Help someone look for a job.
Run or walk for a cause
Pick up litter at the park.
Drop off cookies at a friends house
Help someone put groceries in their car.
Send flowers to someone for no reason
Make a music playlist for someone.
Check-in with someone who’s sick
Treat someone to a coffee or tea.
And the list goes on.

Benefits of Random Acts of Kindness

According to research from Emory University, when you are kind to another person, you 2

Increase happiness leading to a healthy heart
Increase Energy
Increase Life span
Decrease Depression
Decrease Stress
Decrease Anxiety
Decrease Pain
Decrease Blood Pressure
Slow down the aging process
Improve relationships and connections, indirectly boosting your health.

Kindness strengthens the spirit and produces rewards. And service is a gift that everyone can afford. Always remember that there isn’t anything as a small act of kindness; every act of kindness creates a ripple with no end. The actions of service will not just benefit the person but also make you a better person.

Why is it Essential to Teach Kindness to Children

Kindness has a large number of physical and emotional benefits, and that children require a healthy dose of the warm and fuzzies to flourish as healthy, happy, well-rounded individuals. There are innumerable benefits.

Happy children- Its proven that the feelings of joyfulness by doing acts of kindness are contagious, encouraging more good behavior by the giver and recipient.
Increased peer acceptance-Kindness increases our ability to form meaningful connections with others, and children enjoy greater peer acceptance because they are well-linked.
Improved health and less stress- Being kind can trigger a release of the hormone oxytocin, which has several physical and mental health benefits, increasing a person’s level of happiness and reducing stress.
A better sense of belongingness and improved self-esteem: When we do a good deed, endorphins hormones get released that create a lasting sense of pride, well-being, and an enriched understanding of belonging.
Increased feelings of Gratitude-When children are part of activities that help others less fortunate than themselves, it provides them a real sense of outlook and helps them appreciate the good things in their lives.
Better concentration and enhanced results-Children having a positive outlook enable them to be more creative thinkers to produce better results.
Less Bullying-The effects of bullying can significantly reduce by integrating kindness based programs in the school.
Reduced depression-Act of understanding increases serotonin levels in both the giver and the receiver, making it an excellent natural antidepressant.

Why the World Needs More Kindness

Act kinder, and people will act more helpful in return. They’ll carry it forward to others, and the World will be a more loving place, and things will work better. It doesn’t mean bureaucracies will stop being bureaucracies, or that chaos won’t happen, but people will feel better about themselves.

Why Should You Share Your Story of Kindness

It would be best if you shared your story of compassion in the World. Because the miracle of service is that it’s contagious. No story is too small to share, and the impact of telling it can release an everlasting effect on people starting to pay it forward everywhere.

Do you consider yourself a kind person? How do you judge kindness in others – by how they act or the general vibe they give off? Do certain situations elicit compassion, or is it a trait you carry inside yourself no matter the circumstances? I hope you can get answers to these questions now, by far.

Dr. Jones, a researcher at North Carolina State University, states that kindness increases the quality of our life both at work and in the community4. It brings people together. Doing good for others feels good. Showing affection to others is just as rewarding as receiving it from someone else. Kindness in words creates confidence, in thinking creates profoundness and in giving creates love. When you do an act of kindness, blessings get showered on both the giver and the receiver.

References

https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/the-science-of-kindness
Lee Rowland & Oliver Scott Curry (2019) A range of kindness activities boost happiness, The Journal of Social Psychology, 159:3, 340-343, DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2018.14694614. Jones, A. (1998). Random Acts of Kindness: A Teaching Tool for Positive Deviance. Teaching Sociology,26(3), 179-189. Retrieved August 5, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/1318831.