There’s no doubt about it: the pandemic has been a headache for everyone. Both Forbes and The Washington Post report that occurrences of headaches and migraines spiked in 2020. Headache specialists are reporting an increase in the number of cases, as well as intensity and frequency of headaches and migraines among patients.

Throughout the last year, our healthy habits have likely been slipping. Stay-at-home orders left us sitting around inside. Stress had us eating our feelings. Working from home cut down how much we move. If you’re looking to get back into shape with healthy eating habits and exercise, you’re not alone!

None of us enjoy conflict. With that said, it’s inevitable. We will be and often are around people we don’t entirely get along with. Even if you do get along, mistakes and misunderstandings can be a source of conflict, too.

There was once a time when we might have romanticized the idea of working from home. After all, what sounds terrible about missing out on your commute, staying in comfortable clothes all day, and added flexibility to your schedule? The truth is, particularly for those of us still working from home almost a year after the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, working from home has lost its charm.

For many of us, working from home is not ideal. Over the past year, we’ve set up makeshift home offices and settled into a (hopefully) temporary at-home work routine. Unfortunately, our home environment is not always conducive to getting work done efficiently.

Spring is nearly upon us. Here in the South, Spring comes a little early every year. Or rather, spring allergens do. Already, we’re seeing that tell-tale dusting of yellow on our cars! The typical allergy season kicks in at the end of February and early March, first with tree pollen. Grass pollen hits around May and lasts until mid-July, give or take.

Spring is here! It’s you’re anything like me, you’re enjoying watching the trees bud out, the warmer temperatures, and the longer evenings. This is the time of year when we think about new beginnings, refreshing, and resetting. I think the “urge” to start fresh might even be stronger than that of the new year.

As leaders, we’re often called to wear many different hats. We feel the pressure to be the idea guy, the confidant, the decision-maker, the mediator, the influencer, the coach, and the strategist. Sometimes the pressure to be all things to all people leaves us feeling drained and inadequate.

The human body is composed of 60 percent H2O. Blood is 90 percent water. That’s a lot of water.

Do you find yourself feeling exhausted before your workday has even begun? Do you rely on coffee to make it through the day?

It’s 2021 and many of us still feel cooped up at home. Restrictions have eased and returned, leaving a lot of us without the option to continue our regular exercise routines, as gyms are among the most impacted spaces during the pandemic.

After 2020, I think we’re more aware than ever of our need for a strong immune system. Our bodies must be well-equipped to fight off illness...COVID or otherwise. Unfortunately, many of the strategies and supplements we employ to “boost” the immune system are not all that effective.

It’s so easy for us to believe that the dawn of a new year makes everything different. While this time can serve as a herald for change and renewal, it doesn’t erase the past year and its hardships.

New year, new you!

After 2020, I’m sure we’re all wary of such declarations going into 2021. If you’re like me, you’re approaching the new year with cautious optimism. Of course, 2021 as a date on the calendar by itself won’t change you or the world.

The world seems more fast-paced than ever. If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s been the value of slowing down. Reflecting. This has been a year where we have been stressed and displaced, worried and searching. While I don’t want to sum up the challenges and lessons from the year in some bullet-point list, I do think it is valuable to share some of the revelations that have occurred to me (and others) over a very different, very trying year.

As you’re all well aware of by now, my family owns REI Nation, the leading company in turnkey real estate investment. This isn’t about to be a pitch, don’t worry (our reputation says plenty!). I do want to talk about something we as a company have learned over the years and how it impacts all of us in the professional world — particularly those in a position of leadership.

2020 was a busy year filled with topsy-turvy work schedules and locales. While I’m sure happy to close the chapter on 2020, making 2021 better has more to do with our actions than it does the day on the calendar. If we want to have a better year, it starts with what we spend a lot of our time doing: work!

Perhaps more than any other year, staying healthy has been on our minds. We’ve been worried about COVID-19, first and foremost, but seasonal illnesses, like flu, have always been a point of concern. None of us like to be sick — I know I don’t! I hate the sluggish fatigue and brain fog, the feeling like I can do nothing except lay down and rest and wait for it all to pass.

It’s been a year. The holiday season is full of hustle and bustle in the best of times, and 2020 has been anything but. Many of us are facing illness, financial strain, and worry about the future. We’re worn down with COVID-19 fatigue, anxiety, and stress. The tragedies of the year have been both big and widespread and small and personal. If you’re like me, you’ve known friends, family, and neighbors who have experienced loss and grief in one way or another.

Fast Company recently published an article about one of the biggest leadership problems facing us in the middle of the work-from-home surge: the decline of social capital. I don’t know about you, but “social capital” sounds like one of those buzzword concepts thrown around in professional development settings. Like emotional intelligence, it’s something we might talk about and try to improve, but it often feels too abstract to be of practical value.