PRIDELY ~ Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY | OK

Work-Life Balance Good Eats Event Calendar Day Trips Super Foods Community Resources Service Directory 4 6 10 12 14 18 20

Work-Life Balance Is a Cycle, Not an Achievement

Despite the resounding evidence that working long hours can be harmful to both employees and employers, many professionals still struggle to over come their assumptions — and their deeply-ingrained habits — around work hours. What does it take to free yourself from these unhealthy patterns and reach a more sustainable, rewarding work-life balance?

Pause and denormalize.

Take a step back and ask yourself: What is currently causing me stress, unbalance, or dissatisfaction? How are these circumstances affecting how I perform and engage with my job? How are they impacting my personal life? What am I prioritizing? What am I sacrificing? What is getting lost? Only after you take a mental pause and acknowledge these factors can you begin to tackle them.

Pay attention to your emotions.

A rational understanding of the decisions and priorities driving your life is important, but equally important is emotional reflexivity — that is, the capacity to recognize how a situation is making you feel. Awareness of your emotional state is essential in order to determine the changes you want to make in your work and in your life.

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Consider your alternatives.

Before jumping into solutions, first reflect on the aspects of your work and life that could be different in order to better align with your priorities. Are there components of your job that you would like to see changed? How much time would you like to spend with your family, or on hobbies? Improving your situation takes time and experimentation.

Implement changes.

Finally, once you’ve recognized your priorities and carefully considered the options that could help you improve, it’s time to take action. That can mean a “public” change — something that explicitly shifts your colleagues’ expecta tions, such as taking on a new role that’s designed to be less time-demanding or allows for a compressed-week model — or a “private” change, in which you informally change your work patterns, without necessarily attempting to change your colleagues’ expectations.

Importantly, the five steps outlined are not a one-time activity, but rather a cycle of continuous re-evaluation and improvement. For people to make real changes in their lives, they must continuously remember to pause, connect with their emotions, rethink their priorities, evaluate alternatives, and imple ment changes — throughout their personal and professional lives.

HBR.ORG

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Restaurants

Cheever’s Cafe

Elegant bistro offering upscale Southwestern & Southern cuisine plus cocktails & wines. 2409 N Hudson Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 Phone: (405) 525-7007| Web:cheeverscafe.com

Kitchen No. 324

Industrial cafe/bakery in a historic building preparing elevated com fort fare & artisanal sweets. 324 N Robinson Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Phone: (405) 763-5911 | Web: kitchen324.com

Paseo Grill

Romantic restaurant with a streetside patio serving gourmet Ameri can fare & fine wines. 2909 Paseo, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 Phone: (405) 601-1079 | Web:paseogrill.com

Have a restaurant you’d like us to feature?

Send in a recommendation for your fa vorite restaurant to be added to our list. Be sure to mention why you think they are worthy of being featured and include a link to their website.

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The Mule

Casual, hip restaurant offering a large beer & cocktail menu plus sandwiches & more. 1630 N Blackwelder Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Patrono

Restaurant serving rustic Italian cuisine & imported wines in a casually elegant atmosphere.. 305 N Walker Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Cafe Kacao Breakfast hot spot featuring a menu full of homestyle Guatemalan favorites & Latin-themed cuisine. 3325 N Classen Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73118

La Brasa

Classic Peruvian dishes & craft cocktails served in historic s urrounds with a bohemian vibe & patio. 1310 NW 25th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Basil Mediterranean Cafe

Gyros, kabobs & hummus, plus organic & herbal teas, served in a casual, relaxed environment. 211 NW 23rd St, Oklahoma City, OK 73103

Red PrimeSteak

Elevated steakhouse with sleek decor & private dining areas in a renovated 1911 building. 504 N Broadway Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Thai House Restaurant Relaxed Thai restaurant featuring a selection of traditional dishes, plus a lunch buffet. 500 NW 23rd St, Oklahoma City, OK 73103

Iron Star Urban Barbecue

Fine house-smoked BBQ, prime rib & gourmet comfort foods dished in an urbane spot with brick walls. 3700 N Shartel Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73118

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feb

An Affair Of The Heart

It is an Oklahoma tradition and people travel from across the United States to attend. It is an Oklahoma tradition and people travel from across the United States to attend. If shopping makes you hungry, there are food vendors available selling everything from strudel to strawberries Newport. Details at visitokc.com.

APR Festival of the Arts

The Festival of the Arts is a community celebration of the visual, performing and culinary arts, bringing a variety of talented artists together in downtown OKC’s Bicentennial Park. An OKC tradition since 1967, the Festival of the Arts is considered a rite of spring and a signature event for the Arts Council, with an average of 750,000 attendees. Discover more at visitokc.com.

may

Chuck Wagon Festival

This two-day, fun-filled family festival showcases chuck wagon food samples, buttermaking with Ag in the Classroom, artisan demonstrations, bandanna decorating, live music, rope making with Ward Family Trick Ropers, Western re-enactors, face painting, children’s craft stations, photos with a longhorn, giant puzzles, dress up areas and more! Learn more at visitokc.com.

Jun OKC PrideFest

This festival in Scissortail Park is filled with love, art, music, drag, vendors, and more! Join us in increasing awareness, celebrating one another, and taking care to ensure we all keep hope alive. Learn more at visitokc.com.

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A Date With Mother Nature

Even in this back-to-business season, nature outings beckon to supply the recharge you crave. Here, pros show you how to master the day trip and be back at your doorstep with weekend time to spare.

“Find rivers, lakes, beaches, or waterfront parks to explore for the perfect mix of activities,” says Diana Lee

“The AnyFinder app is a great tool to find beaches using its filter, and AllTrails has search options if you’re looking for a walk near water,” says Mikayla Wujec, a National Geographic Explorer

“We typically use the Gaia GPS app for mapping our trails and finding new locations,” says Shequeita Frazier

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SHAPE.COM

How Food

Affects The Brain

The power of what we eat to influence our mental faculties has been to known to science since the mid-90’s. It was around that time that researchers discovered that brain cells could actually grow and that a key factor in that growth was a person’s diet.

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SUPERFOODS

What you eat helps generate healthy neurons with bushes of dendrites or nerve receptors. The right foods also help to keep the brain flexible. You also need premium fuel to energize the brain; though its weight is just two percent of your total body weight, it requires twenty percent of your energy reserves.

The right foods also help the brain to manufacture chemicals known as continued on page 19

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jul

Red Earth Festival

Oklahoma City’s history is rich with Native American culture, and through various events throughout the year, Red Earth promotes the traditions of American Indian arts and cultures in and around OKC. Learn more at visitokc.com

sep

Oklahoma State Fair

The Oklahoma State Fair is a must-do (and must-eat) event. From family entertainment, horse shows and educational exhibits to all the delicious fried treats in between, enjoy this “best of the best” showcase of our state’s agriculture, manufacturing and commerce at the OKC Fairgrounds. Discover more at visitokc.com.

oct Fright Fest

Oklahoma’s favorite theme park and host of the state’s largest Halloween event, leaves no tombstone unturned to deliver what guests want most… an all-out terrifying experience. Details at visitokc.com.

nov

Oklahoma City Zoo Safari Lights

Go wild and fill your holiday season with the magic of light. The OKC Zoo’s Safari Lights features a larger-than-life light display showcasing large wildlife-themed light sculptures viewable on a driving tour through the zoo. Feel the holiday cheer with animated light displays, festive treats, kids activities and weekend visits with Santa. Learn more at visitokc.com.

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DIVERSITY CENTER OF OKLAHOMA INC.

Providing Quality Services to Oklahoma’s Gender Diverse & LGBTQ Communities. Our mission is to reduce barriers in the Gender Diverse & LGBTQ+ communities and their families, including disenfranchised and marginalized people of color by provid ing quality primary health care treatment, and behavioral health treatment, along with additional complimentary health care services.

DIVERSITYCENTEROFOKLAHOMA.ORG | 405.604.5217

FREEDOM OKLAHOMA

Freedom Oklahoma advocates and organizes across Oklahoma and within the 39 sovereign tribal nations that call this land home to build a future where all Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and fuller spectrum of people whose sexuality or gender or romantic identity exists beyond a heteronormative, binary framework (2SLGBTQ+), have the safety to thrive.

FREEDOMOKLAHOMA.ORG | 405.446.8836

EQUALITY HEALTH GROUP

Our mission is to provide the people of Oklahoma with the best possible healthcare to prevent and treat HIV, STI’s, and Hepatitis, and strive for no new HIV infections throughout the state.

EHG.HEALTH | 405.761.2762

PFLAG OKLAHOMA CITY

PFLAG Oklahoma City is OKC’s local chapter of PFLAG national, the nation’s largest family and ally organization. Since its founding in 1973, it has evolved to include all members of the LGBTQ+ community, families and allies.

PFLAGOKLAHOMACITY.ORG | 405.593.8868

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neurotransmitters.

Their job is to relay messages from the brain around the body. Antioxidants keep the brain clean by reducing the effect of oxidation on brain cells. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) help to protect cell membranes, transmit messages, reduce inflammation, and supports the reduction of neurons.