CHIEF’S CORNER: AND THE WINNER IS? AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR YOUR HEALTH

 By Fire Cief Sam DiGiovanna

February 20, 2017 (San Diego) -- With the Academy Awards approaching, stars will walk down the red carpet and then, a lucky few will have the honor of taking home an Oscar. Each year we honor these actors for their impressive performances—their ability to move us, to bring characters to life on the screen, to communicate something profound.

What does this have to do with you? We have opportunities to put on our best performances every day – it’s a choice. But there’s one thing we routinely do in which our power to communicate is truly profound: being kind and considerate.

As a country and to one another, we need to pull it back together and get back on track. Being angry and unhappy comes to your health risk.

Start out with some humility. Be confident but stay humble. We all dislike those people who are so full of themselves. Empty your tank a little and become a little ‘less full of yourself.’

Admit when you’re wrong and just say “I’m sorry.” Is that so hard or is your tank still too full of yourself?

Maintain self-control and discipline. When you place less importance on yourself, you exhibit higher self-control. Humble people tend to know their limits.

Kill them with kindness before it kills you. Kindness often gets overlooked as a sign of weakness, and to an extent, it can be when it is inauthentic (phony). A little kindness goes a long way! Kindness makes you happier, lowers you blood pressure and stress. When a person performs an act of kindness the brain produces dopamine, associated with positive thinking.

Remain calm and composed. Remaining calm in tough/tense situations can be a challenge, but balanced can be beneficial. Mastering the art of how to stay calm will, for obvious reasons, makes your life a lot more enjoyable.

Stress can lead to heart problems and other diseases. Learn to detach yourself.  If you can physically move away from the situation or the place that will be the best, but you can also mentally detach yourself from what's going on.

Reach out. No matter how much of a self-dependent person you are, at the end of the day, you should always have a friend(s) and family you can go back to with your problems. You will be surprised how therapeutic just talking it out feels.

It’s YOUR party!  Cry if you want to.  Irrespective of your sex, if you want to cry, just let it out. Crying helps to release that bottled-up feeling and clears the mind as well. You can't control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you handle situations in a way that will have people gravitate toward you.

So extend your hand in kindness and offer help to those who need it. They just might extend their hand back to help you get where you want to go. Admit you're wrong when you are and find a way to believe that other people might be better than you at something.

To sum it up, relax and loosen up. Be kinder, more patient and walk away this year with an Oscar, not an Oscar Meyer. It’s a choice!