Community events foster a sense of togetherness and responsibility, spurring community members to keep the community safe, inclusive, and welcoming. This is especially important when the community is made up of people from all walks of life, from younger to older, different genders, different cultures, and across languages.

California especially is home to people from many different countries and backgrounds, including first- and second-generation immigrants, and others whose preferred language isn’t English. Diverse backgrounds bring fresh perspectives to community events and planning, which is why we were so excited to provide interpretation services to the recent Hilby Avenue Traffic Calming Project on May 17^th.

The interpreter we provided has a great many years of experience, even in other traffic-related projects. We prepared our interpretation equipment, made up of portable receivers and headsets that have an incredible range of use. Our client let us know that the portable equipment was a “great approach” for their walking tour around Hilby Avenue, and was quite happy with our mobility and flexibility in helping.

The event was a great success. We helped to welcome incoming community members, letting them know that interpretation services were available. The headsets allowed for the Spanish participants to understand the presentation, Q&A, and breakout session in order to provide feedback. Our interpreter assisted the Spanish speaking participants to write their comments in English on the provided maps of Hilby Avenue, as well as interpreted for the event employees so they could directly communicate with the Spanish participants and ask for their ideas.

This type of community safety event is very important, and therefore, we worked as community members as well to help generate more feedback from participants who were able to offer different perspectives. We look forward to future continuous endeavors with the traffic safety project.

Check out our Facebook page to see photos from the event.

1. Get a Routine

Get lots of sleep—really! Sleep is integral to how we function and rest our bodies. Getting into a personal routine for your sleep schedule is important. Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, missing sleep, sleeping too much, or sleeping at the “wrong time” for your body can upset your biological rhythm and leave you tired for days.

Humans thrive off of routines. Having a set time for meals, work, play, etc. can help us rest and recharge in a way just as important as sleep. For example, continuously chugging away at your computer drains on your mental energy—but if you take a good break when you start to feel down, you can come back feeling much more refreshed.

2. Synergize with Your Coworkers

Nothing really energizes you like a job well done. The sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing work to hand off to a partner is fulfilling to many people, and gives you a goal to work toward during your shifts.

Human beings, being social creatures, can thrive off of collaboration. Even if we’re tired, we can get a burst of energy from our peers—like cheering each other on. If you tend to work alone, try bouncing ideas off of a friend, or attempting a collaboration if possible.

3. Eat Well

This should go without saying, but eating well and avoiding certain types of food help keep your physical energy up. Vegetables, fruits, and protein are all very important for keeping human bodies going.

Don’t forget to pack healthy snacks as well if you’re heading out of the home to work, but try not to rely on sugary or carb-heavy snacks like donuts or pastries for these snacks. They might give you a boost, but sugar boosts don’t last long and leave you crashing. A healthy snack avoids the crash.

4. Relegate Work to Certain Spaces

This is difficult to do when so many of us have to work from home nowadays, but separating spaces for work and play helps keep our brains from mixing things up. If we view our homes as a place of rest, it’s harder to get in a mindset to work. If possible, setting up an office space in your home might help tremendously. And, very importantly, keep your work desk as a place of work only—avoid social media, videos, and other distractions, even while on breaks. Breaks should take place in other places than at your desk.

5. Exercise (Yes, Really)

You might think that exercising will make you more tired, but keeping up a good exercise routine will keep endorphins pumping throughout your body. It will generally help you sleep better as well, and given enough regular exercise, you will get more stamina for your energy reserves.

6. Take Breaks (Again: Yes, Really)

Continuously whiling away at your work can wear down your mental energy. Taking breaks allows your brain to get some time to rest and reset, allowing you to come back to your work with a fresh perspective. In fact, matching your break time with exercise time might help you even more. Lots of people like to exercise first thing in the morning and “get it out of the way,” but an afternoon or even a mid-morning workout during your work break can get your blood pumping. You might even get inspiration for your work.

7. Make Time for Yourself (and the Ones You Love)

The old English saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” still applies in today’s world, all work and no play not only takes away from your time to broaden your mind, but also makes you burnt out, with no energy left for anything.

Making time for your hobbies and loved ones—real, quality time—is essential for your energy reserves. Doing what makes you happy outside of work refreshes you and allows you to enjoy life to the fullest, and might help to keep you aware of what matters to you, giving you purpose when you come back into work.