Wellness Month Roundup

Highlights

• This years’ theme was “Total Health is Achievable”
• Over 15 sites participated in the wellness challenges
• Inspired by Physical Wellness Week, our Parkland communities offered community flu vaccination clinics
• This year, Shannex Wellness Month coincided with National Healthy Workplace month
• Kim Ritcy, Manager at Parkland Riverview circulated a “Know Your Lemons” cart at Royal Court, Canterbury Hall and Monarch Hall to support Breast Health Awareness
• Shannex Home Office participated in Psychological Wellbeing Week with a group Yoga class, “The Working Mind Session” hosted by Learning & Development, and a colouring challenge
• Parkstone’s Tammy Day, Kelsey O’Neil, and Cindy Marble raised an outstanding $500 for Alice House during Community Wellbeing Week

Week 1: Physical Wellbeing Week

Healthy eating is more than the foods we eat, it is also about where, when, why and how we eat. If we are more aware of our eating habits, we are more likely to make healthier food choices.

Here are some tips to practice mindful eating:

• Make every meal a time to relax (choose to sit at a table and turn off the devices)
• Use your senses and pay attention to texture, taste, aroma and flavours
• Listen to your own hunger and fullness cues
• Avoid eating while doing other tasks
• Consider where food comes from
• Eat slowly and enjoy every bite

Now mindful eating takes time and practice and doesn’t happen overnight, but why not take some of these tips and work it into your daily habits.

The Challenge: Team member submitted their favourite recipe, pairing it with a description or story of why it is meaningful.

Week 2: Psychological Wellbeing Week

Mental health includes how you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships and your ability to manage and cope with the challenges.

Here are some tips to break down mental health stigma:

• Educate yourself on mental illness
• Be aware of your own attitude, behaviours and biases towards mental illness and mental health
• Be mindful of the impact of your language and say things like “this person lives with mental illness” rather than “this person is mentally ill”
• Talk openly about mental health
• Sign up for The Working Mind course

Let’s all be a champion when it comes to our own mental health and wellbeing as well as our friends, family and colleagues. Let’s ask each other “How are you doing today”?

The Challenge: Colouring can help reduce stress, so team members were provided with crayons and mental health colouring pages.

Week 3: Social Wellbeing Week

Social wellbeing is building and maintaining healthy relationships and having meaningful interactions with those around you. It is having a sense of belonging while valuing diversity. It involves open communication, boundary setting, and mutual respect.

Support social wellness within the workplace and outside the workplace by:

• Surrounding yourself with supportive and positive people
• Practicing self-care
• Actively listening
• Checking in with yourself and others
• Sticking to a healthy routine
• Nominate a co-worker for Caught you Being Safe or Caught you Being Great

The Challenge: Social Bingo Cards were provided to help team members get to know their coworkers.

Week 3: Community Wellbeing Week

We can find inspiration within our communities. We can use community to solve problems, foster relationships, support each other, and work towards common goals. When we are a part of a community, we tend to be happier, healthier, and more engaged.

Here are some helpful tips to building a strong workplace community:

• Be a team player
• Collaborate with others
• Share knowledge and communicate
• Respect differences and support one another
• Host engaging Team Talks
• Promote team building
• Nominate a co-worker for Caught you Being Safe or Caught you Being Great

Ways to give back to your community:

• Support a local charity by organizing a food drive, clothing drive or collecting supplies for a shelter
• Challenge colleagues or other sites in your region to see who can raise the most money or donations for a charity of choice

The Challenge: To create an individual activity for your site, and focus on a community activity to give back.