90,000 Hours at Work: Are You Actually Happy? | Ep 293

Is your job quietly taking over your life? 😰💼 In this episode, Daniela explores the growing problem of work stress and burnout, sharing how chronic stress can shift the brain into survival mode and impact our health, creativity, and decision-making. 🧠⚡ The good news? Simple practices like conscious breathing, hand massage, self-hugs, and even water can help calm the nervous system and bring us back into balance. 💧🫶 Daniela's message is simple: don't wait for your wake-up call—your wellbeing matters now. ✨ FREE GIFT: We would love to offer your audience a complimentary neuroscience-based Happiness at Work Workshop for their organization. The workshop provides practical tools to reduce workplace stress, prevent burnout, improve wellbeing, and create healthier and happier ways of working. There is no cost for the workshop. To request one, simply email [email protected] BOOK: For Those Who Have a Job and Are Not Happy... Yet | Barnes & Noble® My Non-Profit – Girls Matter - https://girlsmatter.ca Our Book (episode 249) - Empowered: The Journey From Victim Island To Solution City: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1989849776?psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp” Introduction video about Girls Matter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R3-xqzJLZW14om1PhFClcU_oRSZ8zgip/view Personal Growth and CertifiacatonTrainings: Impact Maker Alliance: https://ima-hub.base44.app/explore?ref=melissa DHARMA PATH™ 4 – in – 1 designation trainings: https://amplifyimpactacademy.com/quantum-life-mastery-school Meet Your Unconscious Mind Workshop: https://amplifyimpactacademy.com/um FREE 7 Day Trial: NuCalm Products to recalibrate your nervous system / improve your sleep:: https://nucalm.com Use my promo code at checkout: YGHJ to get 15% off your monthly subscription, every month. Episode Summary: Key Takeaways Work stress is a crisis: 6/10 US/Canadian workers are "workaholics" (defined by constant work thoughts, Sunday anxiety, Friday relief), leading to burnout and health issues. Burnout rewires the brain for survival: Chronic stress depletes GABA, shifting the brain from creative problem-solving to a reactive "fight or flight" mode. Simple tools calm the nervous system: Techniques like conscious breathing, hand massage, and self-hugs trigger calming neurotransmitters (serotonin, oxytocin) to counteract stress. Free resources are available: Happy Organizations offers a free, anonymous "Workaholics Anonymous Lab" and a complimentary neuroscience workshop for Melissa's audience. Topics The Problem: Work Stress & Burnout Daniela's work was inspired by her own stress-induced hospitalization 20 years ago. The average person spends ~90,000 hours at work, making purpose and happiness essential. "Don't wait for your wake up call" → Find purpose now to avoid deathbed regrets. "Workaholics Anonymous Lab" A free, anonymous online support group (Saturdays via Google Meets). Created by Happy Organizations, Inc. (a collective of scientists, strategists, etc.) to address the crisis. Goal: Provide tools to regulate the nervous system without organizational pressure. Rationale: Free access ensures no worker is left without support due to cost. The Science: How Stress Impacts the Brain Chronic stress depletes GABA: This neurotransmitter, which normally promotes calm, is overused. Brain shifts to survival mode: The system enters "fight or flight," focusing on defense over creativity. Consequences: Impaired decision-making Reduced conflict resolution skills Increased susceptibility to illness Productivity research: Shorter workweeks (e.g., 4-day) increase productivity and loyalty, proving less work with more consciousness is more effective. The Solution: Simple Neuroscience Tools These tools are divided into pre-work, during-work, and post-work categories. Conscious Breathing: Stress → fast, shallow mouth breathing, which signals danger to the nervous system. Technique: Nose breath, hold, mouth exhale. This calms the system and improves brain function. Self-Massage: Massaging hands and fingers triggers calming neurotransmitters (serotonin, oxytocin). Benefit: A discreet way to self-regulate during stressful meetings. Self-Hugs: A powerful way to self-soothe, best done in private (e.g., a bathroom break). Water: Drinking water and submerging hands can have a calming effect. About the Guest: Dr. Daniela Jines is an internationally recognized Happiness at Work Strategist, researcher, author, and global advocate for happiness at work as a human right. A PhD in Organizational Happiness and Fulbright Scholar, she is the co-founder of Happy Organizations and Director of Happiness & Culture at SurfBreak Hawaiʻi. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience and research across 30+ countries, Daniela combines neuroscience, organizational science, human rights, and practical tools to help leaders build healthier, happier, and higher-performing workplaces. Contact info: Website: https://www.happyorganizations.org LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniela-jines-90b701170/ Instagram: @behappyatwork1. TOPICS: Workaholics Anonymous Lab — Why we created a free global community to help people build a healthier relationship with work, prevent burnout, and learn practical tools for wellbeing. Free neuroscience tools to feel better at work — Simple practices people can use immediately to reduce chronic stress, calm the amygdala, protect cognitive performance, and recover during the workday. What happens to the brain when we work too much — How prolonged cognitive effort affects the prefrontal cortex, glutamate, cortisol, creativity, decision-making, and emotional regulation. Why happiness at work should be accessible to everyone — Well being shouldn't depend on whether an employee or organization can afford expensive programs; practical education and support can be made freely available. How to start changing your relationship with work today — Small, realistic changes involving…. About the Host: Melissa is an Integrative Health Practitioner and a Board Designated Master Trainer of Hypnotherapy, Trainer of NLP, Time Line Therapy®, and NLP Results Coaching, helping people get to the root cause of their health issues and then get lasting results. Melissa neither diagnoses nor cures but helps bring your body back into balance by helping discover your “toxic load” and then removing the toxins. Melissa offers functional medicine lab testing that helps you “see inside” to know exactly what is going on, and then provides a personalized wellness protocol using natural herbs and supplements. Melissa’s business is 100% virtual – the lab tests are mailed directly to your home and she specializes in holding your hand and guiding the way to healing so that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Melissa has launched Amplify Impact Academy, with business partner, Billie Aadmi and together they train other coaches, practitioners and counsellors in the 4 mind-body healing modalities mentioned above, giving them powerful tools to use with clients to get results with greater ease, speed and grace. These courses teach life skills and anyone can take them, if you want to be a better leader, parent, partner, be empowered in your own life, these...