Creating Your Own Oasis in Shanghai
It’s common for Shanghai expats to focus on escapism, in other words always looking toward “the day it’s over”. Both unconsciously and in statements and actions, expats are often waiting for the next vacation, trip home, or repatriation for an escape. Or, they may pack their schedules all week with constant meetings, errands and a full to-do list so that they’re exhausted by Friday and always awaiting the weekend to...
Travel Rx: Staying Healthy on Holiday
Jet Lag Humans have biological rhythms, known as circadian rhythms, which are controlled by a biological clock, daily routines and exposure to light and dark. These affect body temperature, alertness, appetite, hormone secretion, etc. as well as sleep timing. Jet lag, medically known as desynchronosis, results from disruption of these circadian rhythms by traveling across multiple time zones. Your rhythms are out of sync with the new time zone, which can...
Travel Rx: Staying Healthy on Holiday
Jet Lag Humans have biological rhythms, known as circadian rhythms, which are controlled by a biological clock, daily routines and exposure to light and dark. These affect body temperature, alertness, appetite, hormone secretion, etc. as well as sleep timing. Jet lag, medically known as desynchronosis, results from disruption of these circadian rhythms by traveling across multiple time zones. Your rhythms are out of sync with the new time zone, which can...
Dealing with Emotions
First, when encountering a situation (could be a person, external stimulus, event or issue), people see it with certain assumptions (these are preconceived concepts based on the belief system). Through this filter, one reacts based on his/her biology and the way he/she measures reality. Reaction is always associated with emotion. There are two types of emotion: primary and secondary. Primary is the emotion that one can show (socially speaking)—the conscious/social emotion....
Celebrating Feminine Energy on Women’s Day
Like yin and yang, we are all made up of feminine and masculine energy. The masculine side relates to thinking, action and things we can describe in words. The feminine side is about inner energy, feelings and intuition. In today’s world, many women connect more with their masculine energy in order to compete and survive. The feminine side is pushed down and devalued. A woman may lose touch with this...
Staying Healthy on the Road
If you travel, it can be especially tough to stay healthy. Many Shanghai expats travel a lot for work (and fun!) and keep busy schedules. Sometimes this leads to poor health and pain from an overly sedentary lifestyle. If you don’t make time to build in some movement and exercise, your body will pay for it in the long run. Here are some tips for staying healthy on the road and...
Is Your Shanghai Office a Pain in Your Neck? Ergonomics and Back Pain Tips
The most important, and often overlooked, tip for office ergonomics is to sit in a dynamic way. Your body needs to move. Sitting in one position for hours on end is unnatural. Try to stand as often as possible, or move your position in your chair. Sitting toward the front of your chair can help engage your muscles. Even if you’re sitting in a bad position or don’t have the...
Beyond Valentine’s Day: Romance Means Nurturing Your Relationship
We celebrate romance on Valentine’s Day, but love and relationships are an ongoing “discipline”, something we need to work at and celebrate every day. All couples need to practice that discipline and sometimes need help as they face different challenges and life changes, such as those that come with relocating to Shanghai. Some of the common relationship issues that Shanghai residents come to us for include infidelity, communication problems and issues...