Building Meaningful Relationships at Work

I finalized my flight to Israel 🇮🇱today!

Since I will be going abroad for several months, I needed something temporary in between taking my nursing boards and leaving.

I decided to do a medical affairs internship so that I can make some money, and to give me something to do with my summertime.

This experience has ended up being so much more valuable than I thought it would be. Not only have I learned a tremendous amount about the other aspects of healthcare (which are VAST, let me tell you), but I have also acquired vital knowledge about work-space social life (which is more important than I realized).

When my friends asked about my finally being done with the dreadful nursing board exam (officially an RN!!), I told them I was taking the rest of the summer to just relax.

"By getting an internship?" they asked with confused faces. 

Because I love my experience with this internship, it doesn't even feel like work. I attribute this to the relationships I have with my coworkers and to the work environment.

I have learned a tremendous amount about work relationships and the importance of having a healthy work environment. I have found that the best way to make relationships into something meaningful is to simply put meaning into your relationships. This means actually caring about the people with whom you want to create relationships. Care to know what they're passionate about, things that make them laugh, things they hate...

And you will end up learning so much more than you can ever imagine.

For example, my one coworker and I have two opposing political views. However, we feel comfortable discussing why we believe what we believe... and agreeing to disagree. I'm not saying you should go around talking to everyone about your political views (because some people don't know how to agree to disagree), but I am saying that true interest in hearing what another person has to say and interest in what another person has to offer... allows you to learn other perspectives. I have learned so much about the way people on her end of the political spectrum think. I have learned how to communicate better with those who have other views on such heavy topics.

We take the time to discuss our hobbies and have inside jokes now! All this makes working here so enjoyable because I feel comfortable with these people and we feel a mutual understanding between each other.

Not all jobs are as flexible as this one, perhaps. Here, we are in a single office. We spend several hours together every day that we are here. I know, for example, with nursing there is not as much time to sit down and talk... however there are windows of opportunity and taking that energy to get to know your coworkers and the people with whom you spend so much of your time... is so absolutely worth it and necessary! You will feel more excited for work, and not dread the long hours (or at least not as much as you may have otherwise).

The most important lesson that I have learned is putting in the energy to develop relationships with others... and that it doesn't even always take much energy. You may be surprised by how much you actually enjoy certain people on a personal level.

Next time you go to work, take a genuine interest in learning at least one thing about a coworker. Ask a question with genuine curiosity. Make sure to remember an important day of theirs (birthday, wedding, my coworker is prepping for a marathon so I make sure to ask about her training). There is nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Oh, and always 😊 and say good morning ☀️

Replace Anxiety with Excitement

Sometimes life can be scary. We have to deal with the unknown, intimidating situations, and scenarios that we may not feel equipped to handle. 

But did you know that there is a way to turn fear (negative connotation) into excitement (positive connotation)???

Some time ago I heard of the concept that fear and excitement are activated in the same part of the brain and that the brain can actually be tricked into believing that something fearful is actually exciting. 

"Fear activates the hypothalamus in the same way as excitement, and when it’s predictable it activates the brain’s reward center as well. And that really gets at the heart of the matter. We don’t like fear per se, we like predictable fear. It gets the limbic system fired up, making us feel more alive..." - Alex Korb, Ph.D. (Reference: here)

Just being aware of this fact, and not even necessarily understanding exactly how it works, is enough to help us become more cognizant of our opportunities to make stressful situations more bearable... if not completely exhilarating.

Next time you feel anxiety or fear....instead of focusing your energy on not being nervous or trying to brush off the nerves, think about how this experience can or will be exciting. 

Taking an exam? 
Think of this as an opportunity to showcase your skills.

Public speaking?
You are getting to share something important with others. You are working on yourself and making yourself better. 

Interview?
You are creating new opportunities. New doors are opening for you.

In life, there is already enough to be nervous about. Don't sweat the small stuff. If you can help it, try to find the thrill in things. 

How you can allow time to be on your side

Today I would like to write about something that I have started taking extremely seriously. 

Time. 
Hours. Minutes, seconds. 

They all add up. Before we know it, time has forever slipped out of our hands and there is absolutely nothing that we can do to get it back. If anything, we can only learn and agree to use the rest of the time that we have left- to do more and be more than we were previously.

The good and the bad news is that time is finite. This is a good thing because it reminds us of the value of every moment. We aren’t just existing. We are creating realities in a measurable spectrum, in an immeasurable capacity. We have so much potential as human beings to create, imagine, and bring about change. 

It is extremely unfortunate that despite this immense potential that is existent within and by us people(yes, people create potential because we are the cause by which potential has come into existence because it is we who hold this potential)... so many of us allow it to slip away aimlessly. Or rather, we devalue our time by spending it and using it on means which have no value or purpose at all. 


Think about all the time that you spend and all of the activities on which you spend that time. What percentage of your time are you doing something that is actually benefitting you? How much time do you aimlessly spend on your phone or computer? It’s way too easy to lose something that is so valuable, to things (and sometimes even people) who have no value to us whatsoever. 

So how can you allow time to be on your side? 

By being conscious. By being aware. By caring about how you spend it! By taking small steps throughout your day to question if you are spending your time in a valuable manner. By saying no to certain things. By planning just how you are going to make sure that you not waste anymore time than you already have!!! (Will soon be making a blog post about how planning actually helps with reducing anxiety, though this may seem obvious to some). 

Try to become more conscious of how you spend your time and who you spend your time with. Make it a goal for yourself to be able to honestly say that every moment you spend is an investment to your short and long term happiness, success and worth. 

After all, time was given to us for free. The time we have now was not payed for. We didn’t have to fight for time on this earth. We didn’t have to work hard to be born. Perhaps what came after wasn’t all that easy, but you have time on this earth either way. So take it and do the best that you can with it. Take advantage of it. 

Investing in yourself is your greatest asset. Time is not on your side (but only if you don’t allow it to be).