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Why is prioritizing mental health so important for professionals, now more than ever? Professionals have been investing more 'work hours' than ever. This may be due to the changing essence of market goals and priorities, along with how integrated we are nowadays. The 'always-on' working community, which is particularly widespread in diverse industries, relies on inadequate sleep, high-pressure conditions, running around time zones, high burden associated with turnover, and more. It is not unusual for employees to worry about burnout, anxiety associated with employment, and depression. There is a strong connection between pressure and productivity in the workplace. To feel safe, content, and efficient, we all need to have a certain level of involvement and pressure in our working lives. But if there isn't enough strain or too much, there could be a risk. The accompanying diagram illustrates the distinct areas associated with job strain. Mental health at workplace The relation between pressure, performance, and mental health: Rust Out Zone: It doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have enough to do or anything at all but that you find yourself often wondering if your work is intriguing or challenging enough. This leaves you feeling extremely disassociated and disengaged. Emotional Wellbeing Zone: You will be motivated, concentrated and invested in what you're doing when you face a fair level of challenge and responsibility in your career. You are likely to feel more secure, satisfied and therefore more confident over time producing successful results. Burn Out Zone: When conditions are extreme and last for prolonged periods of time, you may be at risk of burn-out and, inevitably, anxiety. Your commitment, enthusiasm and efficiency decline dramatically as this happens. People often claim that "when they're stressed/ under pressure, they work well", but this is clearly not the case. When you are challenged, oriented and committed, you can

Possibly the most dangerous place to spend too much time is inside your comfort zone. Only when we take a risk and step away from the safety of the familiar and the ways we have always done things do we expose ourselves to new ideas and become open to the possibility of learning and discovery. The trouble is having the confidence to take that first step, to embrace discomfort and become open to the risks that come with trying something new.

I'm a so-so fan of Skype. I've used it on an infrequent basis and have had more than a few dropped calls. Audio and video alike. However, it's a cheap way to make long distance calls and seems to work better over wi-fi and the video quality is improving on a regular basis. So therefore it's probably a great tool for the classroom. But how can you use Skype to do more than just make calls? Well, there's a pantload of interesting ways! Check out these fun ideas: Collaborate! Meet with other classrooms: One of the most common projects educators utilize Skype for is setting up exchanges with classrooms around the world, usually for cultural exchange purposes or working together on a common assignment. The program's official site provides some great opportunities to meet up with like-minded teachers and students sharing the same goals. Practice a foreign language: Connect with individual learners or classrooms hailing from a different native tongue can use a Skype collaboration to sharpen grammar and pronunciation skills through conversation. Peace One Day: Far beyond classroom collaborations, the Peace One Day initiative teamed up with Skype itself and educators across the globe to teach kids about the importance of ending violence, war, and other social ills. Around the World with 80 Schools: This challenge asks participating schools to hook up with 80 worldwide and report back what all they've learned about other cultures and languages. Talk about the weather: One popular Skype project sees participants from different regions make note of the weather patterns for a specified period of time, with students comparing and contrasting the results. Collaborative poetry: In this assignment, connected classrooms pen poetic pieces together and share them via video conferencing. Practice interviews: The education system frequently receives criticism for its failure to prepare students for the real world, but using Skype to help them run through mock-up

Think of a time when you were completely immersed in a learning challenge. A time when you became aware of the need to master a new skill or concept. A situation that took you outside of your comfort zone, when there were times that you became frustrated, when you thought of quitting, downed tools and walked away, but came back time and time again. Maybe it was a problem you had to solve. Maybe it was a challenge you wanted to overcome.

Unfortunately, we are not all blessed with expansive classrooms which can readily accommodate a diversity of learning zones. The challenge becomes one of creatively using the space and furnishings you have to create flexible spaces.

This is a great set of video and other resources from London's science museum about climate change and its mitigation. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/PSHE%2C+RE%2C+Citizenship%2C+Geography+%26+Environmental