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Are you taking care of yourself?

March 2, 2010 by jennasauber

When you’ve had a really stressful day, week, or even month, or things just aren’t going right in your life for whatever reason, it’s easy to lapse into a routine of sulking, bingeing on unhealthy foods or alcohol, watching trashy TV all day and all night, and generally feeling sorry for yourself.

While it’s okay to spend a little time wallowing in your emotions, it’s important to not let that take over our lives – you can still take care of yourself despite the stress and drama you’re dealing with. I’m often reminded of this by friends and family, and I’m thankful that I can keep that balance. Here are a few ways you can make sure you’re taking care of yourself:

Pamper yourself. Go get a massage, a hair cut, a mani/pedi, or some other body refresher. Even if you aren’t glowing on the inside, an updated look or relaxation treatment usually makes you feel better.

Buy yourself a gift. Stop in your favorite bookstore to get that new bestseller you’ve been eyeing, or pick your first item of new spring attire. Maybe it’s even something like ordering a new bedspread, a great workout DVD, or a cookbook full of your favorite food recipes.

Exercise. There’s nothing like going on a long run in the sunshine and crisp air outside. Or maybe it’s playing some tennis, taking a yoga class, or trying Zumba (because apparently that’s the hot thing right now). Working out increases endorphins, which will benefit you physically, and is a great attitude adjustment.

Eat healthfully. Try to keep your eating habits regular and keep up with lots of fruits, veggies and protein – all items that will keep your natural defenses in check, and make you feel good. Make a yummy sandwich, or create your own pizza to add some fun to your routine, and that way you won’t slip into the ordering in/takeout/cereal rut.

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Full disclosure: plugs for my work & colleagues

February 25, 2010 by jennasauber

Wow. A kickoff to an annual day of recognition for one campaign, a dedicated fundraising effort on a primetime TV show watched by nearly 40 million people, and the beginnings of a new flagship campaign — all in one week — all the combined efforts of the wonderful people I work with.

My About page says it: that anything I say on this blog is from me and by me only, and not endorsed by my employer – and that’s true. Usually I am subtle when giving kudos to the issues I work on, and use banners or buried links to show what I’m focused on 9-10 hours every day, but today is different. Today – it deserves a real mention.

This is a shoutout to the great work of the United Nations Foundation. To the great work of my teammates and my department, Public Affairs, and all of the other staff involved in these amazing and impactful projects. This is to say that even on the days when we want to tear our hair out, go hide in the corner, close out our emails, and say “no,” that the power of  saying “yes” to inspirational and innovative ideas is so worth it in the end. It’s so worth reading emails or tweets from our supporters, giving us props for our shoutout on American Idol, for pledging to end malaria, for empowering girls around the world. It’s worth the emails that our team shares immediately after a win, full of pride and virtual pats on the back and sighs of relief that the hard part is done.

Sometimes in our daily work, we get caught up in the negative moments and the frustrating times – but in the last three days, I can truly say that I have been able to come home and still say that I feel so honored and fortunate to work at a place like the UN Foundation, and with such amazing, passionate, hard-working people.

And with that:

-Sign up to Sleep Out to End Malaria on April 24, the Eve of World Malaria Day at www.nothingbutnets.net/sleepout.

-Visit www.unfoundation.org/idol to donate to help the UN help Haiti rebuild and recover.

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How do we know what’s “best” for us?

February 21, 2010 by jennasauber

When it comes time to make life-altering decisions, sometimes, the facts are clear, the options are A or B, 1 or 2, this or that. The decision itself may not be easy, but at least all the data is there, and it’s just making that final choice.

But what about when everything isn’t clear? What about when you want more time, need more time, hope there is more time? What about when it involves someone else’s life? What if you’re so unsure after months of thinking about it, talking about it, arguing about it, crying about it, that you’re not even sure anymore what you wanted in the first place?

And what to do, when everyone around you says, “You have to do what’s best for YOU.”

It’s not that simple, when you aren’t even sure what’s best anymore. When you thought what was best maybe isn’t anymore, what you think should be best isn’t what you want, when so many things are still undefined and undetermined, it’s not that simple.

You see it in the movies or in finales of tv shows: girl runs off to her dream job (good for her!)…but 5 minutes later her taxi is turning around, or she’s showing up on the stoop of the boy, saying no, I want the love! Who doesn’t love happy endings like that…but when it’s your own life, it’s not quite like that.

People hold back on making major decisions because they’re scared, because it means something different, because it means taking responsibility, doing the hard thing. And when one person holds back too long, it eventually means the other person has to make that hard decision for the both of them and then no one is happy. How do you get around that? How do you figure out the “best” decision for everyone involved?

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The things we need to hear

February 16, 2010 by jennasauber

If you take a minute and think about all of the everyday phrases uttered by the people in your life, they might appear ordinary and lack luster. Good morning, good night, have a great weekend, I miss you, I love you, great job, congratulations, thanks, you’re amazing…it can go on and on.  One might think that the person who says all these things might not mean them the way they did the first few times. Or that the person who hears them doesn’t need to hear them so much anymore.

But the power of positive words, and the meaning behind repetition, emphasis, and affirmation of even a simple, maybe obvious statement, is sometimes beyond words.

In life, there are so many things that cause us stress, concern, and fuel intense emotions. It might be a life change, an overwhelming situation at work, or relationship issues. It may be our health, bad weather (multiple snowstorms, anyone?), or financial issues.

But imagine in the midst of all your overwhelming moments at work, you get some simple praise from a coworker or your boss, for something you wouldn’t have even thought worthy. Or maybe your best friend reminds you that he or she is here for you through your fights with your significant other – here whether you need her or not. And what if just when you thought that maybe a relationship was perhaps at a stopping point and that it is all for naught, your person, your other half, lays out their insecurities for you — and then declares that it’s all worth it to be with you.

The things we need to hear are often simple, inelegant — things we already know. But no matter how many times we’ve heard them, no matter how it’s said, they have the power to be mood-changing, day-changing, life-changing — if we let them.

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Snow days then…and snow days now.

February 11, 2010 by jennasauber

Ten years ago or so, a snow day in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a great thing. Yay!! I would scream at the top of my lungs as I finally saw Loveland City Schools – Closed, scroll across the bottom of the local newscast.

(Insert that ripping sound a record makes when you stop it quickly.)

Who am I kidding? I loved school. I was the ultimate Lover of School, for Pete’s sake. But noooo…I really wanted to read more Hamlet…nooo…I really was looking forward to starting Civil War history. Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but generally, a snow day for me wasn’t the stuff dreams were made of, it just gave me another excuse to read. Sure, I busted out the sled and went for a few rides, made a snow angel or two, but that was that. But generally, the day went something like this:

10am:       Watch Little House on the Prairie and Saved By the Bell on TBS.
11:30am:  Finish reading a book.
Noon:       Make a sandwich, eat some pringles, and watch A Dating Story.
1pm:         Clean out old school papers.
2pm:         Play school with my imaginary friends (less of this as I got older).
3pm:         Play Operation Neptune or Amazon Trail on the computer.
4pm:         Dance around in my room to showchoir tunes and practice songs from a drama production on my keyboard.
5pm:         Start another book until my parents get home.

Boom! The day was done, just like that.

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First you make a roux…

February 9, 2010 by jennasauber

First you make a roux...

Those words were ingrained in me as I grew up, watching my mom and my grandparents cook gumbo, red beans and rice, other Cajun deliciosities. It was simple: flour and oil of equal portions, on medium-high heat. Stir until golden brown, and it starts to get thick. Never step away from a roux. It’s your core – if you mess up the roux, if you burn it, you have to start over.

As I made a roux for a chicken and andouille gumbo this past Superbowl Sunday, I thought about how creating that classic family recipe could be a metaphor for life. Just an hour before, I had had a great conversation with one of my favorite people I’ve never met about all the complexities of finding your career path and making life-changing decisions. As we talked about the tough questions that many people face, not just at my age, but at his age and even older (mid-life crisis, anyone?), we both realized that it all comes down to a few core elements. He left me with the following things to ponder:

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The spirit of the Saints

February 7, 2010 by jennasauber

First truth: I’ve never really been a fan of professional football. Growing up, I relished Saturday’s college football games and typically napped during the Sunday ones. I have stood by my Tigers and Longhorns, respectively, through the years, through good seasons and bad, but have never really thrown more than a passing thought to the NFC or AFC, and like many others, really only watch the Superbowl for the commercials. I have never seen the fuss over Brett Favre, am annoyed by the stories of Tony Romo’s rotating blonde singer girlfriends, and laugh at my boyfriend’s undying allegiance and frustrations with his Browns.

But boy do I love those Saints right now.

For those of you that know a little about me, it makes sense that if I were to root for any NFL team, it would be the Saints. Born in Louisiana, it didn’t matter that I moved to Texas at five, and then Ohio at the age of seven – there was no way I was going to become a Bengals fan. As much of my family are die-hard LSU fans, many are die-hard Saints fans, even when they were the Aints. But for me, a mostly non-fan of the NFL, my Saints’ fandom was sparse, more of a check-in here and there to make sure they were still out there, still kicking. Besides, they don’t really show Saints games in Ohio.

But today, the Saints are playing in the Superbowl. And I am a fan. I am even throwing a party, my first Superbowl party ever, complete with gumbo and king cake. Last year, I fell asleep on the couch during the big game. This year, I will be rooting until the very last seconds, because those Saints have a way of coming back when you least expect it.

Just like the people of New Orleans have since Katrina.

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What’s driving us?

February 2, 2010 by jennasauber

Every day, in various situations, we ask questions like, what’s the reason for this? Why are we doing this? What’s the goal? Who is behind this? Who are we doing this for?

We ask it at work when we begin a new project and there isn’t much direction yet. We ask it of our friends or family if we’re confused by their actions, or if a relationship is stalled. We ask it of ourselves when thinking about our future, when setting goals for the year, when making life-changing decisions.

Sometimes, we have the answer. Sometimes, it’s as easy as setting a fundraising target or making a project plan with roles and responsibilities. Sometimes it’s telling someone you love the truth, clearing the air, and fixing the problem.

But sometimes, these questions seem almost unanswerable. Impossible. Cloudy. Questions you know aren’t going away, but still, months later, sometimes years later, you still can’t pin down.

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The nature of a transitory town

January 27, 2010 by jennasauber

When I first came to DC three years ago, I wasn’t looking for new best friends (I have a couple of great ones), but I was hoping I would find some people to hang out with from time to time in this new place since I was away from home, from my boyfriend, from all of my friends.

Within a few weeks, I became friends with a group of people (mostly all guys) that a college buddy m

et when she had moved to DC, only a couple of months before. But sad to say, within my first year here, each and every single one of those people moved from DC, because they all worked for Exxon and that’s how Exxon works I guess.

An HMC moment

When I started my job, I did the happy hours and lunch here and there with some of my fellow coworkers, but it w

asn’t until my friend Jacqueline’s wedding that five of us really bonded. We began calling ourselves the Hot Mess Club – HMC for short. Soon after Jacqueline married, she left our office. About six months after that, I left. And now, our friend Christin is moving to Chicago, Abby may be moving to New Mexico at any moment, Alanna is looking at Costa Rica later this year, and who knows where I may end up in 2010.

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This is why I came to DC

January 18, 2010 by jennasauber

Since January 13, the day after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, I have been consumed by all things…Haiti. Tweeting, Facebooking, mobile texting, emailing, updating, you name it, it has been about Haiti. The moment I saw the news, I knew that for the rest of the week, it was going to be a different world at work. It was and continues to be. That’s the power of a non-profit.

Our entire public affairs team has put in countless hours reaching out to media, posting updates from our colleague who went to Haiti to deliver medical supplies, asking people to donate to help the UN. Many of us (including myself) worked the entire three-day weekend, to ensure that our organization was doing all it could to support the UN’s relief efforts in Haiti – and it’s nowhere near over.

That being said, yeah, laying around in bed the whole weekend would have been nice, but at the end of the day, what really matters is that I’m proud to be part of such a powerful, inspiring group of people who are putting others before themselves, putting their all into something bigger than themselves, putting their passion for their work first and foremost in this time of need.

This is why I came to DC.

I have never been a part of something like this. In 2005 when Katrina hit New Orleans, I was scared for my family, and sad for the place of my birth, the place that I still hold dear in my heart. At college, I helped raise money for relief, but didn’t head down to rebuild, didn’t post banners on websites or urge people to give through their cell phones. And for the tsunami, I am reluctant to admit that I had no part in the relief efforts at all – I watched from the sidelines.

But here, now, I finally feel like I am truly helping. I may not be in Haiti delivering the medical supplies, the food, the water. I may not be setting up telecommunications so that families can call loved ones. I am proud of the people that do those things, and I admire it. But I do feel like here on my end, in front of the computer, that I am making a difference with my tweeting and banner posting, and email sending. Because how else do we get out the word about this crisis, how else do we let people know what they can do to help?

I’m proud of my team, proud of everyone who has given a part of themself for this effort.

This is why I came to DC.

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