Wellness Initiatives

Anxiety is a normal reaction to uncertainty and things that may potentially harm us. This is a stressful time for many of us, and it’s normal to feel more anxious than usual. This is an important time to prioritize relaxation and rest in order to cope with the uncertainty.

In addition to the resources below, try and use helpful coping strategies such as ensuring sufficient rest and respite during work or between shifts, eat sufficient and healthy food, engage in physical activity and stay in contact with family and friends.

Mindfulness resources

In the time of COVID-19, it is more important than ever to practice good care for ourselves and others, and continue to build mindful community by reaching out with our hearts instead of our hands.

Mindfulness helps to decrease stress, increase resilience, improve personal productivity, develop connections with others, and augment the ability to experience more joy and peace.

Mindfulness is all about encouraging awareness of oneself in the present moment, and without judgment.

Access our mindfulness resource guide (PDF).

Virtual sessions at PHSA

Register on the LearningHub to receive emails with access details for the upcoming virtual Mindfulness Meditation sessions at PHSA: “Living Wellness - Mindfulness Meditation”

Wellness webinars

Register on the LearningHub for the following sessions to practice daily mindfulness meditations, learn strategies for managing stress, and learn ways to increase your well-being.

Register for the Psychological Health Webinars below for the chance to win a Happy Light:

Self-Care Strategies during COVID-19 Webinar (Jan 25, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Anxiety, Depression and COVID-19. Supporting yourself and others Webinar
(Jan 26, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Calming Your Mind in Challenging Times Webinar (Jan 27, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Psychological Hygiene Webinar (Jan 28, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Gratitude in the Workplace Webinar (Jan 29, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

Ongoing Wellness Sessions:

Topic: Resilience in the Workplace – Co-Existing with COVID-19: What is your plan?

Date and Time: Various dates and times.

Topic: Mindfulness Meditaiton

Date and Time: Various dates and times. Register on the Learninghub

Coping with stress and anxiety

COVID-19: Mental Health and Well-being (Canadian Mental Health Association, B.C).

Taking care of each other during COVID-19 (Peer Support for physicians UBC)

Coping with Stress (World Health Organization, WHO)

Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19 program (a free online program from Starling Minds™)

Mental Health and Psychosocial Consideration During COVID-19 (World Health Organization, WHO)

Top 5 Mindfulness Tips for Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre)

Self-Care

1. Access a Self-Care Starter Kit to help you identify your self-care needs and build a self-care plan.

2. Take a 21 day Self-Care Challenge:

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many of us are having to adapt to quickly evolving circumstances, at times in the absence of our usual coping mechanisms. It is understandable to feel heightened fear or anxiety, or to feel mentally unprepared for such long periods of physical distancing and living with uncertainty. These circumstances make it all the more important to ensure you take time every day to care for yourself and practice your resiliency skills. What can you do today to care for yourself? How can you bring resiliency into your daily life during this challenging time?

You can view a handout of all 21 days of the Self-Care Challenge. We hope that this will be a useful resource for you to reflect on as you continue to build and enhance your daily self-care practice.

Self-Care Challenge Day 1:

The self-care challenge is informed by the Resilience at Work (R@W) Individual Model developed by Kathryn McEwen (organizational psychologist) and Dr. Peter Winwood. Take a look at the R@W Building Your Resilience Workbook by Kathryn McEwen.

Virtual fitness

PHSA staff can register for Virtual Fitness Classes

• A variety of classes will be offered, including: Zumba, Pilates, yoga, stretch breaks, power circuit, high intensity interval training (HIIT), mindfulness and more! Fitness classes will be 45 minutes long and will be available Monday to Friday at various times throughout the weekdays to accommodate different work schedules.

Curtis Health online fitness resources

PHSA's onsite fitness provider, Curtis Health, provides online resources for workout handouts and videos, running tips, meditation and mindfulness, recipes, and at home activities with the family.

Yoga and group fitness class recordings are being posted to the Curtis Health Thrive site on a weekly basis.

www.curtishealth.com/thrive

password: Phsa

5 Min Desk Workout

Lessen the negative effects of sitting with this 5 minute series you can do at your desk.

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Working Well column: PHSA News articles

New Article:

You can go to POD and search 'Working Well' in the News section to view recent articles.

Compassion in the workplace: it starts with you! (PDF)

PHSA’s Psychological Health, Safety and Wellness team supports the mental health of all employees in any PHSA program, service, or division. Questions? Email psychealthsafety@phsa.ca.