Inner Health Archives - Beacon Family Office

Anxiety is a common, yet often misunderstood psychological condition characterized by persistent feelings of worry, unease, and apprehension. At times, it can become an intrusive problem because it can lead to an inability to make effective decisions when it comes to your business, your health, and your family. This may eventually lead to unintentional choices that may put the family’s greater well-being at risk. For family stewards, recognizing the impact that anxiety can potentially have on your overall goals is crucial to ensuring the healthy execution of your wealth management strategy while maintaining positive relationships with your family members.

The Perils of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms: Seeking Balance and Support

Clearly, in one’s pursuit of complete family wealth, it is essential to recognize the role that mental health plays in achieving lasting prosperity across all areas of the family’s capital. One indicator that anxiety may be impacting your mental health without you cognitively recognizing this is to look at specific coping mechanisms you turn to, particularly when under significant stress.

Without us realising it, anxiety can drive us towards unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance abuse, workaholism, disordered eating, or other self-destructive behaviours. Behaviours that may make us feel calm and in control at the moment, but have a long-term, negative impact on our health, our relationships, and our wealth. The reason being is that, despite the immediacy of anxiety alleviation, these unhealthy behaviours often exacerbate the underlying issues and further compromise financial decision-making abilities. Eventually, these behaviours can cause long-term damage to our greater health, such as an increase in our heart rate, palpitations, increased blood pressure, and chest problems – all will prime us for coronary events.

Fostering a Culture of Mental Health for Family Support

Family stewards must prioritize their mental well-being and seek appropriate support to manage anxiety effectively if they want to successfully preserve, protect, grow, and transition their wealth to the rising generation. One essential solution is to share the burden of stress through open dialogues around mental health within the family. Let family members know what is weighing on your mind. By acknowledging and discussing anxiety, family members can offer emotional support, empathy, and understanding. Additionally, routine visits to psychologists or advisors specializing in high-net-worth families can provide valuable guidance and strategies to cope with anxiety-related challenges, particularly as they relate to wealth management, family offices, and legacy development.

A high net worth does not exempt individuals from experiencing anxiety. This is why it’s crucial for family stewards to nurture an environment that champions mental well-being and supports the long-term success of complete family wealth management. When mental health is woven into generational conversations, the overall health of family members is likely to increase. An increase in the overall health of the family helps to ensure the longevity of the family reputation. For the next family steward, this goes a long way for them knowing that they will not have to carry the weight of the family legacy and reputation alone.

Leaning on Your Financial Advisory to Overcome Anxiety-Related Challenges

Anxiety-related challenges are becoming a widely-recognized common occurrence, impacting all aspects of our lives. , Knowing the importance of seeking advice from a wealth and/or financial advisor to help navigate these challenges and safeguard your family wealth is one way to ensure that anxiety does not adversely impact your financial health and/or financial decisions. While anxiety can be overwhelming, understanding how an advisor can assist you in managing and overcoming these obstacles can provide a sense of relief, security, and even control. A skilled wealth advisor acts as a trusted partner in your journey towards complete family wealth management, offering invaluable guidance and support in times of uncertainty. They possess the knowledge and expertise to help you develop a comprehensive wealth plan tailored to your unique circumstances. By understanding your goals, fears, and aspirations, they can create strategies to mitigate anxiety-related challenges that may arise as you work towards preserving, protecting, and growing your family’s capital. From providing personalized investment strategies to crafting contingency plans for unexpected circumstances – such as a panic attack during stressful situations – a financial advisor can alleviate your concerns and equip you with the tools to overcome anxiety from a financial perspective. This will look different from advisor to advisor but can include connecting you to their network, which often includes a psychologist who specializes in high-net-worth families.

A wealth advisor can offer a steady hand, providing reassurance and guidance when uncertainty prevails, particularly during turbulent times, such as an economic downturn or a personal crisis.

By leveraging their expertise, you can alleviate the loneliness that often comes as a family steward, helping to lessen the mental burden that comes with managing complex financial matters by entrusting your family wealth management to a professional, you can focus on maintaining a healthy work-life balance, nurturing relationships, and pursuing activities that bring you joy. This holistic approach to wealth management promotes mental well-being and ensures that your family’s wealth is not a source of anxiety but a tool for realizing your dreams.

If you sense that anxiety is clouding your decision-making abilities to successfully execute your family’s wealth management plan, speak with your advisor as well as an anxiety specialist or psychologist. Together, we can help support you where you’re at, while fostering a culture of positive mental health in your family, empowering you to make informed choices to further nurture your complete family wealth. Contact Beacon Family Office today and embark on a journey towards holistic well-being and lasting prosperity.

5 Ways to Manage Secondhand Stress in the Family

January 8, 2019

by Inner Health Lifestyle

If secondhand stress originating in your family is something you’ve been dealing with, it could be causing damage to your health and wellbeing without you even knowing it. Whether you’re getting caught in the middle of family feuds or you are left extinguishing fires, those negative vibes can latch on and get absorbed by your body. This can eventually fester into both physical and emotional problems for you, in addition to impacting your level of happiness. How can you prevent or avoid this? Here are some ways to help manage secondhand stress in the family and take better care to safeguard your own health.

Exercise Frequently

You’ve probably heard by now how important exercise is for maintaining optimal health. And, well, it’s true! There’s just no way around it — exercise is fundamental to improving your health and coping with everyday stress. Being active on a frequent basis not only lowers stress levels, but it also gives you a healthy way to release pent-up energy while setting a positive tone for the rest of your day (or the next). Start each morning off on the right foot by taking care of your body and mind first with physical exercise (you can exercise at any time, of course).

Meditate & Breathe

Another very beneficial way to help manage secondhand stress in the family is by meditating. Carve out ten minutes each morning or evening to sit, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Try to deepen your breath by inhaling as much as you can and exhaling all the way by pushing out your stomach. This helps to quiet your mind and lull it into a more peaceful state.

Alter Your Focus to Block Out Negativity

Sometimes, when a situation or conversation has occurred that’s upsetting, it can play over and over again in your mind like a broken record. When your mind starts to do this, recognize it and immediately change your focus by thinking of something positive that makes you smile. It could be your dog, your partner, or your upcoming vacation. Whatever it is, find something positive and happy to think of whenever your mind starts to wander off into a negative whirlwind.

Change How You Respond

Sometimes, how we respond to situations can drastically impact the outcome. When your partner arrives home in a bad mood or if a family member is venting, take a moment to pause before you respond. Rather than biting back, try to be compassionate and offer some positive suggestions and words of encouragement instead. This can help calm them down while removing the power behind their negativity to influence how you feel.

Make More Time for Yourself

It’s important to take care of family, but it’s equally important to remember to take time to yourself. Make a point to carve out more time do things that make you feel good, like hanging out with friends. Spending time around those whose company you enjoy more frequently can help you manage your own stress and minimize the effects of your family stress.

If you’ve been struggling to manage secondhand stress from family, make sure to try these steps to protect yourself from the negative effects that it can have on your wellbeing.

Telltale Signs You Need to Make a Lifestyle Change

October 1, 2018

by Inner Health Life Changes Lifestyle

It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race of life and find yourself stuck in a rut that doesn’t resemble what you had dreamed of doing or becoming. In order to live a happy and meaningful life, sometimes, it’s necessary to alter it’s direction significantly.

The moments that make you stop and reflect are usually the most prominent signs that it’s time to alter your course. Read on to learn some of the most common symptoms that should show when you need to make a lifestyle change.

It’s Hard to Get Up In the Morning

Most of us dislike when the alarm goes off in the morning. But, if you find yourself seriously despising the idea of getting out of bed and facing another day, take note that it’s time to make a lifestyle change.

You Feel Unmotivated

When you feel overwhelmed and dispassionate about your life, often this can manifest into a desire to avoid doing just about anything. Retreating home and feeling unmotivated to do much else means that your body and mind have become somewhat numb to your lifestyle, which is never a good way to live.

You Feel Negatively About Everything

Feeling cynical about the world around you, whether it’s your job, your finances, or engaging with the people you meet day to day, is an indication that you’ve reached a severe level of dissatisfaction within your life. When you can’t find anything positive to say, a change of direction is a must.

You Don’t Put any Effort into Yourself

Taking care of yourself should always be your number one priority. After all, you’re the most important thing in your life! When you stop putting any effort into improving as a person, you begin to stagnate. When you stagnate, it can become very easy for negative feelings to take over, which can eventually turn into a form of numbness.

You Continually Feel an Immense Amount of Stress

Stress is a normal part of life, but feeling an immense amount of it on a constant basis is dangerous for both your physical and mental health. If you’ve been just barely able to cope with the amount of pressure that life is throwing your way and your mental health is suffering as a result, this is one of the most important signs to recognize when it’s time to make a change.

It’s hard to make major changes to your life, especially if you’ve been in a similar lifestyle for a long time. That said, it’s much better to take the time and effort to alter the course of your life than to stay complacent. While we often trick ourselves into thinking we are comfortable, comfort is something you should never settle for. We all deserve to live our best life, and with the right motivation, support, and willpower, it is something we can all achieve.

Our Tactics for Finding a Better Work/Life Balance

June 5, 2018

by Inner Health Life Changes Lifestyle Physical Health

With technology making employees accessible 24 hours a day now, striking a healthy work-life balance can seem next to impossible to achieve. This, combined with the compounding stress of a rising cost of living, an exacerbated competitive job market, and the occasional 50 hour work week, can create some damaging effects on your well-being. Finding balance in life will differ for everyone. The key is to determine how you can find your balance, even when it seems impossible. After all, your happiness and health depend on this! To help you master this balancing act, here are a few of our tactics for finding a better work/life balance.

Learn To Unplug

Sure, technology makes your life more convenient, but it also consumes much of your time, while creating a standard where you’re always expected to be accessible. If you’re always accessible, it doesn’t leave much time for enjoying those precious moments in life, like your child’s soccer game. Start by disciplining yourself to unplug and switch off electronics when your work day is done. If you need to stipulate this to your clients and co-workers, then do it. Having quality time with your friends and family and being able to kick back and enjoy life is important. Otherwise, what’s the point of working so hard?

Prioritize Self Care

The reality is we make time for things that we prioritize. If you’re struggling to find a better work-life balance, it may be time to reassess your priorities. While you’re doing this, make sure to add exercise and mediation towards the top of your list. Exercise not only keeps you fit and feeling great, but it also helps to reduce stress. It releases endorphins which literally make you feel good. In addition to exercise, meditation or yoga are very beneficial practices that help calm the body and mind. Spending a few minutes every day focusing on your own self-care is well worth it.

Stop Trying to Juggle It All

Many business owners and overachievers can quickly get sucked into habits of perfectionism. As you wade through life, there can be many obstacles, changes and unforeseen events that can occur where this idea can get abruptly tossed out the window. Trying to juggle everything with strict standards for yourself can become a severe recipe for burn out. By learning to delegate tasks, you can lessen your responsibilities and create more time and space for life.

Ask Someone to Help

It’s okay to ask for help. The reality is, even though it’s easy to read about ways to strike a better balance, it’s always harder to implement. So, ask someone close to you for help! Having people who care for you and support you through these efforts is how you’re going to succeed in accomplishing them.

Benefits of Using Donor-Advised Funds

February 27, 2018

by Inner Health Lifestyle

Want to donate but not sure how? More and more people are setting up donor-advised funds as a way to give back. These are funds that donors create by depositing securities, assets, or cash, and then relaying the money to charities over time. They’ve become increasingly popular because of their immediate tax deduction, and they’re an easy way to donate non-cash assets, like stock, as money. But charitable giving provides more than just financial advantages. People are recognizing the benefits of using a foundation to achieve their personal goals while distributing their wealth in ways that benefit others. To find out more about the benefits of using donor-advised funds and how charitable giving can improve your life, read on.

All Donations Make an Impact

When you give to an effective donor-advised fund, your donation is pooled together with others. What might seem like a small contribution can actually create a really big impact. The size of your donation combined with those of others can result in large-scale donations, which can drastically improve the lives of others.

Charitable Giving Improves Your Health

Research has shown a correlation between donating and improved nervous and immune systems, along with a heightened self-image. Donating also increases your ‘happy’ hormones. So doing something good for others makes you feel great while actually contributing to better overall health and wellbeing.

Increases Your Self Worth

Charitable giving can also increase your own self-worth. When you donate to others, it makes you feel like you are contributing to something that is meaningful to you. Many have regarded donating as one of the most fulfilling and rewarding acts one can do.

Donating Sets an Example

Donating to charity can show others, especially your children, that you care about people and want to make a positive difference in the world. You can also instill a desire in your children to share and be generous to others.

It’s a Good Use of Your Inheritance

As millions of baby boomers start to retire, there will be an enormous wealth transfer passed on to their children. And the generation Xers and Millennials are no strangers to volunteering and charity giving. It’s been a steady part of their culture since elementary school, food drives, and volunteering for credit. With a sizable wealth transfer, a donor-advised fund is an excellent way to use some of the inheritance to make a real difference in the world.

There are lots of financial benefits of donating through donor-advised funds, but that’s not the only reason to do it. You can bring more meaning and value to your life, improve your wellbeing, and do some real good in the world. When you’re ready to put your money to good use, contact us at The Beacon Group at Assante Financial Management Ltd. We can help you decide which donor-advised fund is right for you!

The Whole-Life Benefits of a Hobby You Love

September 26, 2017

by Inner Health Lifestyle Travel & Leisure

Being able to retreat from the humdrum of everyday life and partake in a favourite hobby can help to revitalize your mental and physical health. Not only that, but the advantages stemming from taking the time to entertain your passions can bring about changes that can last your entire lifetime. Refreshing your vitality with an exciting hobby can bring about many whole-life benefits.

Inspiration and Motivation

Nothing beats the feeling of being inspired by something, and indulging in a hobby that evokes such sensations can do wonders for the mind. Whether it’s painting, sailing, or golf, a hobby acts as a never-ending source of inspirational energy that can motivate and encourage you throughout your entire life. Enjoying multiple hobbies can bolster this effect and make it even more powerful, and it’s a highly effective way of combating depression and boredom, particularly as you get older.

Creativity and Stimulation

Many hobbies such as writing and music creation allow for you to have a creative outlet. Throughout life, it’s important that we have a way to express ourselves and produce physical exhibitions of our personalities; otherwise our minds lack creative stimulation and adverse mental health effects can set in. By discovering a way to use your left brain from a creative angle, you’ll experience a greater sense of fulfillment and newfound excitement over what you’ll come up with next. Many who enjoy hobbies are excited to climb out of bed every morning and see what they can will into reality, and it also can help protect against Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other mental health issues.

Mood and Emotion Control

With something to do that’s enjoyable, you’ll most likely have a more positive outlook on life. Rather than grumbling out of boredom and loneliness, you’ll have a way of focusing and refreshing your mental energy. Many hobbyists, regardless of preference, encounter uplifted moods and firmer emotional control, particularly if they use their hobby as a distraction from life’s bumpy road. Many experience increased vitality and enthusiasm as a result.

Stress Relief

When you take the time to enjoy a hobby that makes you happy, it can help to relieve stress and mitigate frustration. Therapeutic in nature and highly effective at calming nerves, hobbies of a tranquil and calming variety such as painting, model-making, or reading offer a window into a new and evocative environment — a mental playground, if you will — that frees the mind from focusing on stressful situations. It doesn’t mean that life won’t be without problems, but it can make it all the more easy to navigate any incoming storms.

Comfort

It makes sense that when we’re having fun with a hobby, we feel relaxed and comfortable. This is because we’re willingly taking the time to simply have fun and indulge our passions, which can generate a feeling of contentment. In moments of crisis or hardship, having a hobby to turn to is a great way of numbing pain and creating solace. Essentially, it is the mental equivalent of comfort food.

Taking the time to enjoy a hobby you love enables for a lifetime of positive atmospheres, comfort, solace, inspiration, and expressionism. If you’re willing to take the time to indulge in a passion, it can refresh energy and the mind, leading to a happier, healthier, and more content you.

How to Improve Sleep Hygiene

August 15, 2017

by Inner Health Life Changes Lifestyle Physical Health

Obtaining a healthy and restful night’s sleep on a regular basis helps to improve productivity and overall quality of life. However, many of us simply fall into bed when it is convenient or don’t implement lifestyle adjustments that allow for a healthier night’s rest. Here are some ways you can improve your sleep hygiene and feel more refreshed each morning.

Avoiding Stimulants, Fats, and Sugars Prior to Bedtime

That last cup of coffee or nightcap can disrupt the effectiveness of your sleep cycle, particularly during the second half of the night when your body begins to process alcohol, caffeine, and sugars. Cutting them and fats, spices, and carbonated beverages out of your evening ritual can help to enhance overall sleep hygiene, and it doesn’t hurt to make it a rule to brush your teeth a little earlier so as to avoid temptation.

Put the Phone Down

The light emitted by your smartphone’s screen can cause for a horrid night’s rest fraught with discomfort and irritability if you’re not careful. Laying in bed and scrolling through social media news feeds until you pass out is going to do you no favours in regards to a restful sleep and refreshed body — in fact, it can sap your energy even more quickly and cause you to get up n the wrong side of the bed in the morning. If you absolutely must check that final email before bed, however, enable your phone’s blue light filter to minimize eyestrain and better simulate natural lighting.

Limit Daytime Nap Length

As we get older, we fall into the habit of taking catnaps to compensate for inadequate nighttime sleep. However, sleeping for hours during the day can wreak havoc on our internal clock and mood, making it more difficult to properly sleep at regular hours. Naps are all well and good, but set an alarm and limit them to half an hour long. In fact, naps of 30 minutes or less can help to boost alertness, overall mood, mental stimulation, and even performance. Don’t waste the potential of a nap by lying down for half the day.

Regular Exercise

While it should be embraced by middle-aged people either way for various physical and health benefits, practicing regular exercise helps to promote high quality sleep. Even as little of ten minutes of aerobic exercises — such as a walk or bike ride — can make a major difference. Bear in mind that this should be approached in moderation, however, as working out strenuously close to bedtime will have negative effects on your sleep cycle. The overall effects of regular exercise vary from person to person, so try different approaches and activities to see what works best and helps you sleep most comfortably.

Good sleep hygiene promotes good mental and physical health. Feel less drained in the morning by encouraging a healthy night’s rest, and you’ll be refreshed and comfortable every morning, ready to handle each day.

Why Practice Yoga?

August 1, 2017

by Inner Health Lifestyle Physical Health

In modern society, we worry. It’s perfectly natural, given that nearly everything we do affects us in the long run. Whether you’re fretting over securing a solid future for your children or are concerned about taxes, it’s important to find the time to release tension and de-stress. You might not have considered it, but yoga is a highly effective way to hone your mental focus, rid your system of harmful toxins, and lower stress levels — particularly important for those working hard to secure financial stability and support their families for the foreseeable future.

Stress Management

It has been said time and time again that practicing yoga is a fantastic way of negating stress, but there’s more to it than that. The intricate and flowing motions of yoga implement a number of meticulously tested relaxation techniques, which can enable for a calmer personality and more optimistic mood with regular practice. Yoga enables you to more readily think before speaking, and serves as an effective way of training your mind to see the bigger picture and act from integrity as opposed to becoming frustrated by pent-up stress. This is crucial in order to guarantee efficient and sensible decision-making as opposed to knee-jerk reactionary planning.

Chronic Pain Relief

Many studies suggest that the regular practice of yoga helps to reduce neck and back pain, as well as suffrage of those with cancer, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, and arthritis. Through the carefully orchestrated stretching and bending of one’s body via fluid movements, chronic illnesses are a little bit easier to live with thanks to a decrease in aches and pains.

A Better Night’s Sleep

It is important for adults to sleep for at least 8 to 9 solid hours every evening. Through the negation of stress and increased calmness associated with regular yoga practice, you’ll sleep better than ever. This is important for those of us normally kept up at night with worries over finances, work-life balance, and risk management, as the less stressed we are, the better we sleep at night. Cancer survivors and those suffering from insomnia have benefited from many a good night’s rest upon practicing yoga, according to various studies.

Body Detoxification

Deep and natural yogic breathing enhances lung functionality, which enables for your brain to work more effectively. In addition, the physical activity associated with stretching and shaping your body through yoga helps to increase the motility and mobility of your organs and muscles. This allows your body to filter toxins out of your system more effectively, and breaking a sweat now and then ramps up the efficiency of muscle and organ detoxification even further. Burning calories through continued yoga practice will also help to control weight through reduced stress and introducing mindfulness to your diet. For those bent over a desk on a regular basis, it’s also highly effective at improving posture through core strengthening.

In essence, why not practice yoga? Even a few minutes’ worth of regular practice a day can help alleviate anxiety, reduce stress, help you breathe better, and detoxify your body. Many hold this delicate form of exercise in high regard as a cure-all of sorts, and it’s easy to see why when considering the bevy of mental and physical benefits it can bring.