From the Editor

Every early morning since the pandemic began in March 2020, I have posted on social media an inspirational quote with a photograph of a flower that I’ve taken. Here are some examples of these words:

“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” Golda Meir

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” C.S. Lewis

“Every sunset is an opportunity to reset. Every sunrise begins with new eyes.” Richie Norton

“I want every day to be a fresh start on expanding what is possible.” Oprah Winfrey

This morning routine is my way of expressing gratitude. As I write this From the Editor, I became intrigued about the science of gratitude. Evidently, rapid progress has been made in better understanding gratitude because of the recent development in measurements. As Emmons, Froh and Rose (2019) describe, “Gratitude has been shown to contribute not only to an increase in happiness, health, and other desirable life outcomes but also to a decrease in negative affect and problematic functioning, including in patients with neuromuscular disease, college students, hypertensives, patients with cancer, health care providers, and early adolescents” (https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-20160-020).

This issue of WORK contains three sections. Amy Mooney, MS OTR/L, is the guest editor of the 11 articles in the first section on Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). The second section contains seven regular articles on a variety of topics such developing guidelines to support workers with injuries who live and work with chronic pain and the effects of aging and driving experience on reaction times of professional drivers. Also included is our Knowledge Transfer Column: Making Information Work edited by Lynn Shaw. The third section contains five commentaries on the COVID-19 pandemic. I offer my gratitude to all the authors for their work in advancing knowledge in their respective topics. My gratitude is extended to Marion Lilley at IOS Press, whom I have worked with for many years and to Mandy Nardone as the Editor’s Assistant.

I hope you are continuing to enjoy our website at workjournal.org and to reading the blogs by Valerie Rice and Jenny Long. The recordings from our webinar series, Learn at WORK, are on the website, too. Here is a list of our upcoming Learn at WORK webinars:

Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 11am-12pmEST

Gender and Stress-Buffering of Social Capital toward Depression among Precarious Workers in South Korea

Presenters: Dr. Park & Dr. Oh,

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7955259498453971723

Wednesday, July 8, 2020 from 1pm-2pmEST

A Conceptual Framework to Promote Career Development for Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers with Traumatic Brain Injuries

Presenter: David Strauser

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/61045286798182412

Wednesday, August 5, 2020 from 1pm-2pmEST

Does Objectively Measured Prolonged Standing for Desk Work Result in Lower Ratings of Perceived Low Back Pain than Sitting? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Presenter: Diana Decarvalho,

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/739866173672625164

Wednesday, September 9, 2020 from 1pm-2pmEST

Millennial Preferences in Training Messages: The Role of Teamwork and Corporate Social Responsibility to WORK

Presenters: Diana Schwerha, & Tyler Clark,

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2725235628413300749

Wednesday, October 14, 2020 from 1pm-2pmEST

Development of an online digital resource accessible for students with visual impairment or blindness: challenges and strategies

Presenter: Dr. Almeida,

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8581833792537508621

If you missed any of the Learn at WORK webinars, you can find the recordings on our website at workjournal.org and at the Learn at WORK YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOJalCXvSg9fPHaFFs48PuQ

I welcome hearing from you. Be safe and healthy and stay positive.

Cheers,