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"When we feel safe, secure and well connected to our families and people within our communities, we develop a sense of belonging and an understanding of who we are. These attributes allow us to have confidence in our actions and enable us to live our lives in ways that are satisfying and meaningful. In short, we create a baseline for what good mental health feels like. In contrast, when we’re overwhelmed and/or looking to solidify our relationships and roles, we can experience mental health challenges that

There is a new excitement that comes with the start of a new school year at the University, but it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by email.  Setting aside some time to get "e-ready" for September can help boost your productivity and reduce some stress that you might have associated with your email inbox.  

If you are looking for ways to get "e-ready" for September, consider these 5 tips:

Dr. Jamie Gruman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Guelph and a founding member of the Canadian Positive Psychology Association.  Dr. Gruman spoke at a TedxGuelphU talk on, "How to Recharge your Batteries in an Age of Relentless Demands." 

For anyone who is feeling burned out and looking for ways to effectively gain more energy, listen to Dr. Gruman's tips on how to flip our downtime into "uptime." 

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-U7fzS06ns.

Taking vacation time is important for our health.  However, the time before and after a vacation can be stressful. Often, there are deadlines to meet before taking time off from work and prioritizing in a time crunch can be a challenge. Returning from time off can also be stressful if work has piled up. 

Looking for some strategies to help prevent or reduce the stress associated with vacation time?  

During Nutrition Month, we asked employees to submit their favourite healthy recipe for a chance to win a prize.  View the top 3 recipes our panel selected, as well as all of the yummy recipes we received for the contest in the attached recipe booklet.

Try out a new breakfast, entree or dessert recipe and let us know what you think! Use the hashtag #WellnessatUofG.

Happy tasting! 

Throughout the month of June, Wellness@Work encouraged employees to snap a photo of a beautiful flower, garden or a unique tree at U of G and enter their photo for a chance to win a prize. Thank you to everyone who submitted their beautiful Spring photos for the Spring Snaps photo challenge.  

45 photos were submitted and reviewed by the Grounds team in Physical Resources to determine the top 3 photos. 

The prize winners were each awarded a beautiful flower pot arrangement provided by the Department of Plant Agriculture (see the above photo).

A Retreat Day was held for Peer Helper Supervisors in 2018 as part of a Wellness@Work grant received.  The retreat day was held at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph, which is an inspiring and tranquil setting for a day of learning and building community among the 30+ Peer Helper Supervisors across campus.

The Department of Population Medicine in OVC received a Wellness@Work grant in 2018 to provide a space with activities that encourage Population Medicine team members to see the department holistically. The program included a variety of activities to support physical, mental and social health and wellbeing.

Goals of this Wellness@Work grant program were to:

The teachers at the Child Care Learning Centre (CCLC) work very hard to care for children all day long. The Parent Advisory Council wanted to show them some appreciation by improving their health and wellness at work. Through the grant program they received, opportunities were created for teachers to find calm, re-energize and reflect in the middle of their high-energy, demanding days.