When I agreed to write a blog post for the Wellness@Work blog, I thought it’d be easy. I thought I’d Google a few articles, watch a few YouTube videos and regurgitate some meaningful information that makes me seem like an expert on going through change. After doing some initial research I sat down to write and immediately felt overwhelmed with where to start. Everything I wrote sounded fake and toxically positive.
While suicide prevention requires the community's work 365 days a year, September 10th marks the annual World Suicide Prevention Day. Suicide prevention can look like food security, healthy relationships, and crisis support, but it can also look like education.
From May 3-7, 2021, Wellness@Work hosted a virtual week of activities in celebration of National Mental Health Week and North American Occupational Safety and Health Week.
See attached below highlights from Be Well, Be Safe Week 2021.
This year, the theme of CMHA’s annual Mental Health Week is understanding our emotions. Recognizing, labeling and accepting our feelings are all part of protecting and promoting good mental health for everyone. Naming, expressing and dealing with our emotions – even when they’re uncomfortable – can make us feel better.
May 3 to 7 is our annual Be Well, Be Safe Week at U of G. I hope you'll join us for some of the virtual events Wellness@Work has planned to celebrate National Mental Health Week and North American Occupational Safety and Health Week.
View the full Be Well, Be Safe Week schedule of events and explore the 5-day Workplace Wellness Reset in the attachments below.
How observant are you? Do you have what it takes to spot all the hazards in the photos?
Check out this activity sheet and give it your best shot for a chance to WIN A PRIZE!
Those wishing to enter are asked to identify 3 hazards within each of the photos and also submit a “safety idea” relevant to the photos.
See attached below the fillable PDF worksheet.
Having friends to rely on and relax with is really important for your health. Research shows that having personal connections with others is one of the key factors that make you live longer. But, it’s even harder to connect, now that we are all so separated! Continuing to build strong relationships is important at this time - having community helps in coping with stress!
Gratitude is important for your overall well-being. Especially now, it’s really important to remind yourself of the good. It’s also good to remind others that they are important to you. Being focused on thanking yourself and others for the good they do is even more important during a trying time.
Balancing work and life is even more difficult under these circumstances - with schools and many workplaces closed, the boundaries between work and life may be even more blurry. For those still working outside of home, work can look different and be much more exhausting. Below are some tips that will help you to improve your work-life balance (even though perfect balance is almost impossible!), during a time when home time and work time are very different than usual.
It is important to take breaks to help us re-energize throughout the day. Research shows it’s important to disconnect throughout the day to help you feel more positive. These breaks can either be used to give your mind a rest, so that you are less likely to burn out, or to make sure that you are re-energizing your body. We are all staying indoors now, so the risk of working too long without a break or sitting too long without any movement are even greater!