FALLING BACK

Since the early 1900s the vast number of Americans have been springing forward and falling back in time as a result of Daylight Savings Time (DST). DST was first practiced in the United States during World War I as a way to conserve energy.

However, over the years, DST evolved to a twice-yearly daily shift in time keeping beginning at 2AM on the second Sunday in March and ending on the first Sunday in November. Since the late 1960s, only two states (Arizona and Hawaii) have not participated in DST.

On March 15, 2022, the US Senate, unanimously passed legislation known as the Sunshine Protection Act to establish a permanent daylight saving time. However, before the Act becomes law, approval is required by the House of Representatives and it must also be signed by the President.

DST has been a controversial subject for decades. Supporters of DST believe that it saves energy, decreases crime, and also promotes outdoor leisure activities in the summer which results in wonderful physical and psychological health benefits. On the other hand, opponents of DST believe that it can cause sleep deprivation,disrupt harvesting time for farmers, and also increase seasonal affective disorder (SAD)because of shorter winter evenings.

In addition to its connection to time change, “To Fall Back”, is an idiomatic expression with multiple meanings. It can also have both positive and negative connotations such as: falling behind at school or at work, falling back/retreating when ones safety is compromised, or falling back in love with oneself.

FALLING BEHIND AT WORK

Over the years the workforce has been evolving with more people working remotely and also at varying hours. However, a large part of the workforce still work Monday through Fridays from 9am to 5pm. Regardless, of what day your “Monday” falls on, returning to work on Mondays is psychologically difficult because we lose the sense of freedom that we created for ourselves – whether that freedoms involved spending our days off indulging in activities with family or friends, going on mini getaways, or simply doing nothing but relaxing.

Other reasons that Mondays are extremely difficult may stem from having a very stressful and demanding job, not enjoying the environment that you work in, not enjoying the people you work for, or simply being exhausted after a very active weekend. Regardless of what causes you to have Manic Mondays and reduced productivity at work, there are many things that you can do if you find yourself falling behind such as:

• Brain Dumping – Writing out your daily goals on paper and determining what is achievable
• Saying No – Saying no to more work assignment and also not be afraid to delegate
• Resetting Your Mind – Being realistic about your productivity goals, reminding yourself that your mental health matters, and considering listening to short guided meditations during your breaks at work.

We live in a world where there is so much societal pressures that can take a toll on our mental health. These pressures may include the need to drive an expensive car, live in an expensive home, wear name brand clothing or looking a certain kind of way. This need to live up to others expectations my cause us to look negatively upon ourselves because we don’t feel as if we can measure up. However, suriving these societal pressure involves learning how to fall back in love with yourself which begins with positive self talk.

STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS –

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ― Oscar Wilde

The projected global population of 2022 is expected to exceed 8 billion. And of these 8 billion people approximately 1.6 million twins are born each year worldwide (with some of those being identical). And even though the standard DNA test of twins can be indistinguishable, identical twins do not have matching fingerprints. This then means, that every single person is unique. Other things that make us unique are our physical appearances, our personalities, our interests, our habits, and our creativity. No other person can be you nor can you be anyone else. Allow yourself to embrace the many wonderful things about you that simply make you the person that you are.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO MAKE MISTAKES

“Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” ― Oprah Winfrey

Many people are living with tremendous guilt because of mistakes that they’ve made in their lives. They’ve chosen to allow other peoples’ responses to their mistakes stifle their growth and they live in a continuous pit of self-condemnation. However, in order to grow and evolve we have to recognize and accept that making mistake is a part of life.

In the words of Henry Ford, “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing”.

SOURCES:

https://www.procon.org/headlines/top-3-pros-and-cons-of-daylight-saving-time/
https://www.prb.org/resources/a-demographic-profile-of-u-s-workers-around-the-clock/
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56365422
https://www.healthline.com/health/do-identical-twins-have-the-same-dna#different-traits