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© BOPINION THE J USING ‘JUST’ CAN 2 MINIMIZE ONE'S FEELINGS OR CONCERNS, WRITES MELANIE MCGREGOR The IFP - Halton Hills | Thursday, October 20, 2022 | MELANIE MCGREGOR Column You know those recom- mendations to use excla- mation marks sparingly and avoid emojis in work emails? Yeah ... [pretty much ig- nore both of those on a dai- ly basis. And I notice some- thing else — I tend to use the word "just" a lot. If I'm checking in with someone on something they are supposed to do, ae sound something like Hey! Just wondering how that thing is coming ong. ane Thanks! (insert smiley face)." That's three excla- mation marks, one emoji, let me know! Im esate using these “justs" to soften things a bit — like saying I'm not nag- ging or bugging, I'm just checking in. And they don't have to snap to doing that thing — all I want is a sta- tus update. However, I'm also aware of how the word "just" can sound minimizing or dis- missive. Its something to be mindful of when talking § about what we feel, think, 2 want and need. BANISHING -WORD Here's an example: you're feeling over- whelmed at work and de- cide to talk to your supervi- sor. You start off assertive- ly with something like "I've been: finding ithard to keep up lately. Then, you throw in the}. word with "I'm just stressed out,” "It's just a lot" or "T'm just letting you know.’ in my emails, the “just” vay be intended to present things a bit gently, but it actually suggests that being stressed out, having a lot to do or point- ing it out aren't actually important. It could give ihe super visor an opening to put it an aside because its “just "So banish the “just.” Have the confidence to state what's on your mind with "I'm stressed out," "It's a Jot jor "I'm letting you kno ‘and try to avoid the “just" with others as well. tt sounds like you're up- set" is better than "You're just upset about what hap- d “You seem et “You're probably just sad.” Focus on the feelings with- out minimizing them to show that what t they are ex- periencing is important. One little word can make a big difference. Melanie McGregor is the communications and advancement specialist at the Canadian Mental Health Association Halton Region Branch, wi provides mental health/ addiction community sup- port and education. Visit www.halton. Cater ca for more information and follow @cmhahalton on Twitter. TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFPCA SNAPSHOT Tony Fortunato photo A female cardinal visits a backyard on Trafalgar Road in Georgetown. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. DEMENTIA CAN BE A FINANCIAL RISK Managing personal fi- nances can be complicated even when you are mental- ly alert. If your rognitive ed declines, then mé financial affairs could shift from difficult to impossibe. Alzheimer Society of Cae an recently issueda report titled Navigating the Path Forward for De mentia in Canada. It stated by 2030, almost one million people will have some form of dementia. That repre- sents a65 per cent increase luring this current decade. “Dementia will many financial challenges for individuals. Those affected will need to rely on others to make fi- nancial decisions on their behalf: This can be done power of attorney baorky for property. Do you a POA or have some- one who could fill that role? By 2050, it is estimated 17 million Canadians will PETER WATSON Column have dementia. That will require more than 690,000 full-time jobs to provide as- sistance. Will you beable to afford these costs? Do you have a child available to help? If a parent moves to as- sisted living, this will re- quire additional expenses. Is this option affordable? Growing old is part of life. Our challenge now is to plan. Peter Watson is regis- tered with Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is a member of the Invest- ment Industry Regulatory Organization of Cai The opinions ee are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACPI. ony investment-related 's and services are Aap through Watson Securities of ACPI. Watson provides wealth manage- ment services through This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division ofthe Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. 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