Prioritizing Wellness – Because wellness matters! Dawn Schell, MA, CCC, CCDP
Agenda • Introduction • Territory Acknowledgement • Break out rooms • 5 ways to wellbeing & Mental Health Continuum • Mindfulness practice • Building community and sense of place • Making a wellness plan • Final reflection exercise
Break out Choose an object from your desk or workspace that has some meaning to you
5 Ways to Wellbeing Connect Connect with the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Keep Learning Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Take on a new responsibility. Be Active Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Garden. Play a game. Give Give. Do something nice for a colleague. Thank someone. Volunteer your time. Take Notice Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment.
What is Mental Health? …the capacity of each and all of us to feel, think and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we face. It is a positive sense of emotional and spiritual well-being that respects the importance of culture, equity, social justice, interconnections and personal dignity. Source: Public Health Agency of Canada
Healthy Mild Moderate Severe Disruption Disruption Disruption Severe and Significant Usual Persistent functional Functioning Functional impairment Impairment Adapted with permission from Queen’s University
Did you know… FOUR minutes of simply breathing in your own natural rhythm has the equivalent impact on you as ONE hour of sleep? Four minutes
Connecting Chat question & Whiteboard
Building community In-person Online • Reach out • Be an active participant • Be an active communicator • Share background • Consider joining • Use your video • GSS • Virtual hangouts • Your department grad student gatherings • Other ideas?
Creating a sense of ‘place’ Finding our favourite spaces and places Where you are now Where you are from
Did you know? Five minutes in nature has a significant impact on one’s mood.
20 20-20 20-20 20 • Every 20 minutes • Look off into the distance at least 6 metres ( 20 ft) • For 20 seconds
Imposter Syndrome feelings • Feelings of phoniness and self-doubt (“ I am not as smart as they think. ”) • Fear of being “found out” (“ It’s only a matter of time before people realize I don’t belong here. ”) • Difficulty taking credit for one’s accomplishments (“ I don’t deserve to win this award. ”) • Frustration with inability to meet self-set standards (“ I’ll never be as good as I want to be, so why bother trying? ”) • Lack of confidence, fear of making mistakes (“ I don’t think I have what it takes to be a scholar. ”)
Strategy Description Break the silence Speak out about your feelings. Knowing there is a name for these feelings and that other people suffer from them can be very reassuring. Separate feelings from fact Everyone feels stupid from time to time. Just because you feel it doesn’t mean you are. Recognize when it’s normal to feel fraudulent When something is new to you, you may feel like you don’t fit in. These feelings are natural response for any novice. Accentuate the positive Don’t obsess over everything. Do a great job when it is important, don’t persevere over routine tasks. Develop a new response to failure and mistake making Learn from your mistakes and move on. Don’t dwell on what has happened in the past. Right the rules Don’t feel like you always need to know the correct answer. Recognize that you have just as much right as the next person to make a mistake or ask for help. Develop a new script Rewrite your mental script from “I am an impostor” to “I may not know all the answers but I am smart enough to figure it out.” Visualize success Instead of thinking of worst case scenarios, imagine yourself conducting an excellent presentation or answering questions with the correct reply. Reward yourself Learn to pat yourself on the back when you deserve it. Don’t hide from validation! Fake it ‘til you make it Take a chance and “wing it;” this is not a sign of ineptness, but rather a sign that you are intelligent and able to rise to a challenge.
Did you know… Self-compassion lowers cortisol levels and increases heart rate variability In other words – when faced with stressful situations the more self- compassionate, the calmer you are
Resources for wellness
• We feel more self-aware on-camera • We are “on stage” and may be very aware of being watched • Heightened emphasis on facial cues and ability to see oneself can act as a stressor • It’s hard not to look at ourselves • (EXERCISE) • Cognitive load is increased “Zoom” fatigue • We work harder to process non-verbal cues like facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, and body – it’s a real language; paying more attention to these consumes a lot of energy thing • Gallery mode where we are seeing multiple people all at once– the brain can only attend to one thing at a time – may mean we hyperfocus • Complete communications picture never comes into full focus • In a video call, silence makes you anxious about the technology • Each call may remind us of what we don’t have right now
• For Zoom fatigue • Sometimes the phone is better • Build in transition periods between video meetings • Build in breaks within longer meetings • Avoid multitasking Practical Ideas • Reduce onscreen stimuli • Hide self view • Get up and move! • General eye health 20-20-20 • Connect, Be Active, Keep learning, Give, Take notice
Student Mental Health Site - Graduate Student Pages
On & Off Campus Resources • Student Wellness Centre • Thesis Completion • Counselling, Health & Multifaith • Boot Camp & Thesis Writing Starter Kit • SupportConnect - 24/7 • https://onlineacademiccommun • Graduate Student Society ity.uvic.ca/gradwriters/ • Extended Health Benefits • Sexualized Violence Resource • Centre for Accessible Learning Office • Faculty of Graduate Studies • Ombudsperson • Supervisory Handbook • CARSA • Leaves • Equity & Human Rights
Make a wellness plan Seeing wellness as a part of school – not an extra!
Write a letter to your April 2021 self How do you want to feel? What do you want to have accomplished?
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