96 Comic-Charts By Liz And Mollie That Help People To Embrace Their Emotions At Work

We may think that tucking away our feelings leads to a better career but that is usually not the case. Programming yourself into a senseless robot that cares only about CTR and ROI actually causes OMG FML.

To paraphrase researcher Sigal Barsade, we bring our brain to work and our brain brings emotions to work. Learning to manage the most challenging ones takes effort, but the payoff is huge—we learn to deal with problems before they overwhelm us. We don't get frustrated. We don't burn out.  Instead, we become better team players and increase our sense of control.

Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy share this sentiment. The co-authors of No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power Of Embracing Emotions At Work think we should acknowledge our feelings in the office, not suppress them. We should try to understand the valuable data within us, and then sometimes act on it.

To make their point, Liz and Mollie also create comic-charts. The playful, comprehensive pictures perfectly portray everyday work life, the key concept the duo believe in, and how these two things come together. Continue scrolling and take a look.

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#1 Week

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#2 Feeling Low On Bad Days Is Okay. Just Don’t Forget To Look Back On How Far You’ve Come

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#3 Just A Few Gentle Reminders: You Are More Than What You Make, You Are More Than Your Level Of Productivity, And You Are More Than A Specific Title Or Job. During Times Of Economic Uncertainty, It’s Easy To Focus All Your Energy On Work. Make Sure You’re Taking A Step Back Now And Then To Remind Yourself Of Everything Else About You And Your Life That Matters

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#4 Often We Push Off Our To-Dos Not Because We’re Lazy But Because We’re Afraid Of Failing, Or We Feel Overwhelmed, Or We Don’t Think We’re Good Enough So Why Even Bother Starting..a Few Strategies I’ve Found Helpful Are

1) To Say, “I’m Going To Do This For Just Five Minutes, And Then I Can Stop.”

2) To Figure Out The Smallest First Step, And Then Commit To A Time When I’ll Do It, And

3) Switching From Thinking “What If This Fails?” To “What If This Succeeds?” And Then Getting Excited

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#5 Adulthood

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#6 Be Kind...

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#7 An Apology Should Contain Three Things:

1) An Acknowledgement Of What Happened, That Shows You Clearly Understand Why The Other Person Is Upset

2) An Actual Apology, As In “I’m Sorry” Period, Not “I’m Sorry You Feel Like...”

3) A Clear Outline Of The Steps You’ll Take To Make Sure The Situation Doesn’t Happen Again In The Future

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#8 A Little Kindness During A Difficult Time Can Go Along Way. And That Includes Being Kind To Yourself

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#9 Remember Your Career Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint. To Be Successful In The Long Run, It’s Just As Important To Take Time To Care For Yourself As It Is To Focus On Your Work

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#10 Not The Same, Thank You To Those Who Understand

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#11 What Stage Are You? I Am A Potato

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#12 Sometimes, The Answer Is Just To Sleep On It (If You Can). When We’re Tired, Everything Tends To Feel Worse. This Doesn’t Apply To Every Problem, But Generally Getting The Rest You Need Will Help You Tackle Even The Biggest Challenges

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#13 We All Have Days When It’s Harder To Make Progress Than Others. In Moments When I’m Struggling To Focus Or I’m Not Moving As Quickly As I Think I Should Be, I Take A Deep Breath And Remind Myself That Moving Forward Slowly Is Still Moving Forward. It’s A Global Pandemic! Give Yourself Grace

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#14 If You’ve Been Feeling Zoom Fatigue Lately, Here Are A Few Things To Try This Week Instead Of Video Calls

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#15 Here’s The Thing About Trying Really Hard To Impress Others: Even If You Succeed, You’ll Still Feel Unfulfilled Because You Accomplished Someone Else’s Goal, Not Your Own..the Best Feeling Is Getting Something That You Have Always Dreamed Of For Yourself. Remember, It Is A Beautiful Thing To Want Something For Yourself That Originates From You

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#16 Important Reminder: Healthy Relationships Are Those In Which Love Yourself, Not Those In Which You Lose Yourself

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#17 It Can Be Easy To Dwell On What Happened In The Past, And Especially On What You Could Have Done Differently. Consider This A Gentle Reminder: You Can’t Change Any Of That, But You Can Learn From It And Craft A Better Future For Yourself. Try Imagining Where You’d Like To Be A Year From Now (The More Specific You Get, The Better) And Then Figure Out How To Move Towards That Goal Today

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#18 I’ll Work Really Hard To Find The Easiest Way To Do Something

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#19 Which Ones Have You Experienced?

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#20 Introvert Problems

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#21 When Art Imitates Life. I’m Ready To Travel And See My Family And Have My Friends Over For Indoor Dinner Again K Thx

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#22 Qurantine Cards

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#23 Thinking “I’ll Be Happy When...” Or “I’d Be Happy If...” Is A Trap. It’s Good To Set Ambitious Goals, And You Will Feel Great When You Achieve Them! But Don’t Forget To Have Fun And Take Care Of Yourself Along The Way. Because That’s The Real Key To Happiness, And To Staying On Track So You Eventually Do Achieve Your Biggest, Long-Term Goals

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#24 Having An Especially Rough Week Making Decisions

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#25 Love You Extroverts But... Serious Question. Happy Three Day Weekend!

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#26 One Of The Smallest, Most Impactful Things You (Men And Women!) Can Do To Support Women Is To Note And Correct Your Communication Biases

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#27 Every Time I Check The News...

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#28 When I Was Going Through A Hard Time In High School, My Biology Teacher Once Pulled Me Aside After Class And Said, “I Just Want To Check-In On You And Let You Know If You Ever Want To Talk To Someone, I’m Happy To Listen.” I Never Took Them Up On It, But I Still Remember That Act Of Kindness..you Never Know How Much A Seemingly Small Gesture Could Mean To Someone. And Science Shows That One Act Of Kindness Can Kick Off A Virtuous Cycle Of Compassion. Today, Do One Nice Thing For Someone Else. It Won’t Cost You Much, And It Might Make Their Day

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#29 Anyone Else...

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#30 Drew This A While Ago, But Relevant Now. Stay Home!!

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#31 It’s Been A Week. Make Sure To Take The Care You Need

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#32 Take Care Of Yourselves This Weekend

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#33 What’s Your Fav? And Yes, An Introvert Hangover Is A Thing! Happens When You Wake Up After A Day Full Of Meetings Or Socializing Feeling Exhausted, Anxious, Or Just Mentally Frazzled

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#34 This Seems Healthy Right?

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#35 Especially In Your Darker Moments, It’s Worth Taking A Step Back To Remind Yourself Of All The Good In Your Life. Too Often We Compare Our Weaknesses Or Failures To Other People’s Strengths And Wins, And Expressing Gratitude Can Help You Step Out Of Those Unhealthy Thinking Patterns..this Is Not To Discount Your Gloomy Days, But Rather To Help You See Enough Light In The Darkness To Keep Moving Towards Better Times

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#36 Help...

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#37 The Perks Of Getting Older. The Faster You Can Achieve This Mindset Shift, The Better!

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#38 Important Reminder, Especially For Those Of Us Working Remotely. The Person Who Is Most Willing To Speak Up On A Video Call Or Lead A Meeting Isn’t Necessarily The Person Working The Hardest, Or Doing The Best Work. Especially If You’re A Leader Or Manager, Make Sure You’re Building Up And Recognizing The Achievements Of The Quieter Members Of Your Team

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#39 I Said This To My Extroverted Partner Once, And He Did Not Take It As A Compliment Lol. But Really... It’s The Nicest Possible Thing I Could Say To Anyone. Tag The People You Feel This Way About, Whether They’ll Get It Or Not

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#40 Lately I’ve Been Trying To Be Kinder To My Future Self By Blocking Off Two Nights A Week And One Weekend Day For Alone Time. It’s A Useful Way To Remind Myself: Prioritize Self-Care!

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#41 Tag Someone Who Always Supports You And Helps You Feel Less Alone

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#42 Stop Comparing Your Weaknesses To Other People’s Strengths!

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#43 Circles Of Quarantine Life

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#44 Even Within Small Teams, The Challenges Each Person Facies Will Likely Vary Dramatically, And Change From Day-To-Day. Some Might Be Coping With Loss, Many Are Learning To Balance Homeschooling With Remote Work, And Still Others Might Feel Isolated. And Let’s Not Forget: Back-To-Back Zoom Calls Can Be Exhausting!.that’s Why It’s More Important Than Ever To Make All Social Events (E.g. Virtual Happy Hours) Opt-In. It’s Great To Connect With Others, And Also Ok If Some People Just Need Time For Themselves

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#45 Emails

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#46 The Last 24 Hours I Woke Up At 3a And 5a And Both Times Immediately Reached For My Phone To Check The News

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#47 I’ve Been Thinking A Lot Recently About When I’ll See My Family Again, Who Are All 2,000+ Miles Away. I Asked In A Story How All Of You Were Planning To See Far Away (Or Even Close!) Friends And Family Again, And Heard From So Many Of You That You’re Not Sure. Sending Love To Everyone Forced To Be Apart Right Now. And Of Course, Happy Mother’s Day Weekend

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#48 I Would Love To Hear About Your Remote Work Setups. I’ve Been Sitting At My Dining Table With My Laptop Stacked On A Pile Of Books. Sometimes I Work From Bed! It’s All Very High-Tech And Ergonomic

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#49 The Longer The Pandemic Goes On, The More Socially Awkward I Become...

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#50 How...

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#51 Micro-Actions For Building Belonging At Work That Anyone Can Do:✅ If Someone Gets Interrupted, Jump In And Ask Them To Continue Sharing Their Thoughts✅ Revisit Your Interview Process To Make Sure You’re Asking Each Candidate The Same Questions So You Can Evaluate Responses Fairly✅ When Someone Joins A Conversation, Fill Them In On What’s Happening✅ Plan For What You’ll Do Or Say If Someone Makes A Comment That Could Be Hurtful✅ Take Note To Delegate Fairly, And Hear From A Range Of Perspectives Before Making A Decision

 If Someone Gets Interrupted, Jump In And Ask Them To Continue Sharing Their Thoughts

Revisit Your Interview Process To Make Sure You’re Asking Each Candidate The Same Questions So You Can Evaluate Responses Fairly

When Someone Joins A Conversation, Fill Them In On What’s Happening

Plan For What You’ll Do Or Say If Someone Makes A Comment That Could Be Hurtful

Take Note To Delegate Fairly, And Hear From A Range Of Perspectives Before Making A Decision

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#52 Happy Monday!

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#53 Ask For The Thing You’ve Been Meaning To Ask For, Send That Email You’ve Been Nervous About, Or Reach Out To Someone You Admire. You Never Know What Might Happen!

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#54 This Is Why I Like Scheduling Stressful Things In The Morning. Anyone Else? Have You Found Any Ways To Combat This Tendency?

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#55 Tag Someone Who Makes You Feel Amazing For Being You

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#56 Based On One Of My Favorite Quotes: “Success Is Liking Yourself, Liking What You Do, And Liking How You Do It.” - Maya Angelou

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#57 It Might Feel Simple, But Feeling Better Over Time Really Is About Finding Your Footing Through The Smallest Next Step You Can Manage. That Might Be Walking Around The Block, Calling A Friend, Or Writing Down Three Things You're Grateful For. I’d Love To Hear What Little Things You Do When You’re Feeling Low..also: Trying Something New Won't Always Work. You May Have To Try A Few Different Things, A Few Different Times. But This Is The Surest Way I've Found To Combat Gloomier Moments

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#58 Nothing Like Hitting Someone’s Voicemail Or A Cancelled Video Call

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#59 Tag Someone Who Gets It

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#60 Remember: Your Negative Thoughts Are Not Inevitable Truths. If You Catch Yourself Thinking "Always" Or "Never" (E.g. "I'll Never Be Good At This"), Your Self-Reflection Has Likely Turned Self-Destructive. Take A Moment To Reframe The Situation: Think Of One Small Step You Can Take To Improve And To Feel Better. And Then Remind Yourself Of All That You Do Well

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#61 Tag Someone Who Is Always On Your Team

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#62 Reminder As We Head Into The Week (From Someone Who Worked All Weekend And Feels Burnt Out Already ), You Need To Rest. Progress Happens One Step At A Time, With Breaks In Between

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#63 So Far 2021 Is Just Nonstop Blocks Piling Up Too Fast

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#64 Take Care Of Yourselves This Week It’s Okay To Have Boundaries

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#65 What Is Your Introvert Love Language?

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#66 Sometimes We Burn Out Because We’re Making Ourselves Overly Available, Or Because We’ve Set Unrealistic Expectations For Ourselves. If You’re Feeling Stretched Too Thin, Take A Look At Your To-Do List (That Includes Social Events And Time You’ve Blocked Off To Work On Side Projects) And Cross Two Non-Urgent Things Off. You Can Always Come Back To Them, But Giving Yourself A Bit More Breathing Room Can Go A Long Way Towards Helping You Feel Better

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#67 Welcome To The Week

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#68 Especially If You Are A Manager Or A Leader, Please Make It A Point To Recognize What’s Going On In The World, Take Action, And Give People The Space And Time They Need Right Now

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#69 You Can See Your Mistakes As A Waste Of Time, Or As The Valuable Lessons They Are

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#70 The Next Time You React Strongly To Someone’s Actions, Take A Moment To Reflect:

 What Can You Do To Move Forward? Can You Let The Other Person Know That They’ve Upset You, And Share What To Differently Next Time? Can You Talk To A Trusted Confidante About The Situation? Or Do You Need To Distance Yourself (Maybe Permanently) From That Person?.you’ll Never Be Able To Fully Control The Actions Of Others, But You Can Make Setting Boundaries And Practicing Self-Care A Priority

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#71 How I Handle Tasks

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#72 2020

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#73 I Keep Waking Up At 5am, I’d Love To Have A Very Boring Week Soon Thanks

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#74 Some Emails Are Stressful, No Matter What. Others Are *unnecessarily* Stressful. For The Sake Of The People You’re Emailing, Remember To Emotionally Proofread Your Messages Before You Hit “Send”! Have You Given Full Context? Is Your Intended Tone Clear? How Would You Feel If You Received The Same Email?.writing “Let’s Talk” When You Mean “These Are Good Suggestions, Let’s Discuss How To Work Them Into The Draft” Will Make The Recipient Anxious Where They Don’t Have To Be...

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#75 The First Monday Of The New Year Can Be Overwhelming. As You Get Back Into The Swing Of Things, Remember To Speak To Yourself With Kindness

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#76 People Often Talk About Relationship (Platonic Or Romantic) Red Flags; What Are Your Relationship Green Flags?

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#77 Somehow It’s Possible. It’s “There’s So Much I Still Need To Do This Week” Paired With “Oh Well It’s Friday!”

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#78 When You Get To Know Someone Personally, You Might Find You Have A Lot More In Common Than You Initially Thought

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#79 You Can Have A Lot In Your Life To Be Grateful For, And Still Feel Sad Or Exhausted Or Disappointed At Times. Practicing Gratitude Doesn’t Need To Involve Suppressing All Your Other Emotions. As We Write In Our Book, Feeling Bad About Feeling Bad Will Only Make You Feel Worse. So If You’re Having A Gloomier Day, Do Remind Yourself Of What You Can Be Thankful For, But Don’t Beat Yourself Up If You Still Feel A Little Down

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#80 Research Shows That Women Are Asked To Take On “Non-Promotable” Tasks (Think Organizing Office Parties Or Mundane, Routine Work) More Often Than Men, And That They’re More Likely To Yes When Asked..the Best Leaders Are Aware Of These Inequities And Try To Distribute Tasks More Fairly. Have You Seen This Happen?

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#81 Feedback Doesn’t Always Feel Like A Gift! I Get It, Hearing What You Need To Do Differently Can Be Pretty Painful. But To Learn And Grow (And Get Promoted), You Need To First Know What’s Not Working. Two Things I Do To Receive Criticism More Gracefully:

Keep A Smile File. I Save Praise And Nice Comments To A Folder That I Can Return To When I Get A Piece Of Negative Feedback. This Helps Me Remember That I Do A Lot Well! And That It’s Ok That I Might Need To Improve In One Area. Write It Down And Come Back To It Later. In The Moment, My Knee-Jerk Reaction To Criticism Is Often To Dismiss It Or Rationalize It Away. Coming Back To When I’m Not As Emotional Helps Me See The Value In The Advice I’ve Received..(Important Note: Feedback Can Absolutely Be Biased, Inaccurate, And Unfair. If It Seems Seriously Flawed Or Wrong, You Are Allowed To Toss It Out)

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#82 Just Some Classic Poses

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#83

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#84 If You’ve Been Here Too

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#85 The Best Way I’ve Found To Get Myself To Sit Down And Write That Long, Stressful Email Or Make The Phone Call I’ve Been Putting Off Is To Ask Myself, “Do You Want To Be Anxious About This For Days Or Just Be Done With It?” It Still Doesn’t Work Every Time Lol, But Usually It’s The Gentle Push I Need

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#86 The Advice To “Be Kind” Also Applies To How You Treat Yourself! We’re Often Harder On Ourselves Than We Are On Those Around Us, And We Tend To Compare Our Weaknesses To Other People’s Strengths. So The Next Time You’re Feeling Glum, Show Yourself Some Compassion

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#87 Would Love To Hear What You’re Doing To Keep Your Spirits Up At Home. Read The News To Stay Informed, But Stop When It Becomes Too Much. I’m Checking It About Twice A Day. Sending Love To All Of You

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#88 A Reminder To Be Kind

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#89 Useful Tips

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#90 I Need Vacation Inspiration! What Are Your Quarantined Holiday Plans?

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#91 It’s Thanksgiving Week In The Us, Which Means The Big Theme Of The Week Is Gratitude. The Holidays This Year Might Be Hard, As Many Of Us Won’t Be Able To Celebrate With Our Loved Ones..this Week, Be Especially Kind To Yourself, And Take Some Time To Reflect On All The Reasons You’re Grateful That You’re You. When We Think Of Gratitude, We Often List Out The People Or External Events That Make Us Happy. And That’s Wonderful! But It’s Also Important To Remind Yourself Of All The Things You’ve Done, How Far You’ve Come, And Why, Even On Your Darkest Days, You’re Still A Worthy, Amazing Person

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#92

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#93 Can We All Please Keep In Mind That Finding It Harder To Focus Or Get Work Done Is A Normal Response? Thanks

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#94 The Workweek In Review. Be Kind To Yourself This Weekend, Sustained Action Requires Rest

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#95 Ahhhh This Is Why Sending An Agenda Before A Meeting Is Super Helpful, Please And Thank You

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#96 A Few Mindset Shifts To Help You Start 2020! I Find The Gym Reframe Especially Helpful. It’s About Taking Care Of Your Well-Being, Not Forcing Yourself To Achieve An External Standard

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