Susan J. Perry, Ph.d., CDE, Wellness Coordinator, City of SAnta Fe, Susan, Thanks for your kind words. Your emotional needs are just as important as your physical health. The Wellness Wheel describes the integration of 7 important dimensions of wellness: emotional, environmental, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual. It is beneficial for both personal life and career in terms of life goals and career goals. When discussing minimising stress, it was also helpful to discuss with Tamsen what support or adjustments she and the team might be able to offer or make. Social wellness refers to the relationships we have and how we interact with others. A rich benefits package makes it easier to get the best employees. It also facilitates open dialogue with managers - leading to practical, agreed steps which can form the basis for regular monitoring and review. Identify which dimension you need to focus on right now, and start . These findings demonstrate that poor health behaviors are strongly associated with high levels of presenteeism. In my opinion, this is one of the most powerful reasons to have a wellness program. However, as I was already becoming aware of tell tale signs of increased cortisol levels, I was actually quite looking forward to giving my mental health some much deserved focus. While we may cognitively know the importance of maintaining a safe distance and meeting virtually with others, our human attachment systems struggle with feeling less intimate, making more effort, and exacerbating of feelings of disconnection and isolation. Start with why: how great leaders inspire everyone to take action. We do them because we believe they are important. Dr. Aldana is the CEO of Wellsteps, a worksite wellness solution that leads the nation in wellness program deployment and engagement. Find out by taking our quick Mental Health At Work Quiz This short quiz will take you through the six areas of work design that highlight the primary sources of stress at work that, when not managed well, are associated with poor mental health and can lead to increased absenteeism and presenteeism, resulting in reduced creativity, productivity and results. Occupational wellness is defined as the inspiration and recognition toprepare and feel prepared for work in which we will gain personal enrichment and satisfaction. Spiritual wellness not only allows you to seek meaning and purpose in human existence, but it also allows you to appreciate yourlife experiences for what they are. That study reviewed 100 different research papers. One of the main causes of presenteeism is poor health. Given the high levels of stress and poor mental health we are seeing in the workplace, there is a growing demand for innovative and proactive ways of managing our mental health at work The WAP is inspired by Mary Ellen Copeland's Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP): an Physical wellness encourages principles of good health and knowledge, which affect behavior patterns that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Improves mental health and well-being Finding time for self-care activities that bring you joy and relieve stress is beneficial to your mental health and well-being . Understanding the relationship between your bodys physical health and mental health is crucial in order to develop a balanced physical wellness. During the wellbeing meeting itself, I talked Tamsen through each section of the WAP and the different insights Id had. I started fashioning my own treadmill desk a couple of years ago and was so impressed with the results I have my whole family using one and now (full disclosure) Ive started a new business making treadmill desks specifically designed and engineered for use in an office environment. Self-Care for Environmental Wellness: Keep in touch with your community: family, friends, teachers, mentors. The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is an effective, structured intervention created by educator and mental health advocate Mary Ellen Copeland. He has given over 350 keynote speeches across the U.S. on the ability of good nutrition and regular exercise to prevent, arrest, and reverse many chronic diseases. Completing the WAP is also a great opportunity to think about what might have the potential to cause us stress, how you can spot this quickly and what simple actions you can take yourself to help you to feel back in control. I found the conversation really useful and Tamsens contributions and openness really valuable. Encouraging Healthy Behaviors. Soeren Mattke, Lead Author of the Rand Report. Try starting with one section, then add to it as time goes along. The environmental wellness domain involves being able to be safe and feel safe. Taking Care Of. Mental health wellness is just as important as physical and medical health, so it is important to learn strategies to maintain good mental health. There are many elements of physical wellness that all must be cared for together. http://www.unsit.com. All you need is a couple of hours, a little planning and your willpower. Maintain a regular sleep schedule and get between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Another researcher looked at all of the published studies to get a consensus. Picking a hobby that increases your skill set. Nobody else can do the job of creating the Plan . Some of them stink. Target Efforts. For every dollar they spent on wellness they saved $3.30. Read more: Those who maintained healthy behaviors experience lower health risks for six weeks, six months, 12 months, and even out to 18 months after this program began. Last year researchers evaluated the impact of the WellSteps wellness program at a large school district. If your program is just beginning to incorporate staff wellness activities, the SWAP can be a useful tool for planning. WRAP is a wellness and recovery approach that helps people to: 1) decrease and prevent intrusive or troubling feelings and behaviors; 2) increase personal empowerment; 3) improve quality of life; and 4) achieve their own life goals and dreams. Poor health behaviors eventually lead to elevated health risks and chronic diseases. Furthermore, an action programme determines which resources are required to achieve ( SMART Goals) and . Make an appointment. These results confirm several ideas about the benefits of health and wellness. proactively manage their mental health. What are the Mental Health Core Standards? Get Your Free Workplace Wellness Ideas Blueprint. Without being in healthy, productive spaces, occupational wellness is compromised. Elevated blood glucose, high blood cholesterol, and high blood pressure are almost all caused by unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity. Decide what you Want. Preserving the areas where we live, learn, and work; Occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support our well-being; and. Consider a different workspace that is closer to a sunny window. Ask yourself, https://www.studentresearchfoundation.org/blog/free-online-career-tests/, https://www.careerfitter.com/free_test/careerbuilder. Thankfully through the work I do as both a therapist and mental health training facilitator, I have the self awareness and tools to recognise that, and it occurred to me right at the start, that this in itself was likely to contribute to a positive experience and outcome. We now have the benefit of years of published research on the impact of worksite wellness programs. This is because it will be clear what each person needs to do, so everyone will be on the same . Positive social habits can help you build support systems and stay . It felt good to have an open discussion around stress in the workplace. It also helps you to think about what external support you might need from your manager or wider team. Poor employee morale can be a company killer. A culturally well person acknowledges and accepts the impact of these aspects of diversity on sexual orientation, religion, gender, racial and ethnic backgrounds and age groups. -Rob Jacobs While the estimated cost of presenteeism dwarfs the cost of health care, it does not receive the same level of scrutiny among employers preoccupied with controlling the direct costs of poor employee health. Here is complete list of all the different components of an employee wellness program. It helps if you can offer a good salary and a rich benefits plan. To explain how things work, in a self-funded plan, there is constant incentive to improve health throughout the year because . Healthy behaviors lead to lower health risks, and lower health risks lead to less chronic disease. Hope: people who experience mental health difficulties get well, stay well and go on to meet their life dreams and goals. Not everyone gets to fulfill these higher needs, and their lives are not as rewarding as they could be. Action plans provide a strong foundation to an individual, shaping the individual and paving . In fact, until I began working with MHW, I wasnt even aware of the existence of one as a management tool. Remember that it can be unrealistic or exhausting for you to be working on all 7 dimensions at the same time. Express Yourself Clearly. This is one of the most useful blogs/articles you have offered (in a field of very useful stuff!). The Four Major Dimensions of Recovery: Health: overcoming or managing one's disease(s) or symptoms, and making informed, healthy choices that support physical and emotional well-being; Home: having a stable and safe place to live; Purpose: conducting meaningful daily activities, such as a job, school volunteerism, family caretaking, or creative endeavors, and the independence, income, and . Are you occupationally well? They would prefer to make and sell products, provide services, deliver the goods and services that they are designed to produce. Here is what the authors concluded: We find that workplace wellness programs can help contain the current epidemic of lifestyle-related diseases, the main driver of premature morbidity and mortality as well as health care cost in the United States. There are over 50 papers that have looked at the connections between worksite wellness programs and reduced absenteeism. A wellness action plan is a program that is designed to help employees stay healthy and productive. The ability to personalise an approach makes it easier for employees to formulate the right plan of action, and improves the success rate of wellness action plans. Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is a simple and powerful process for creating the life and wellness you want. In this stage, explore all possibilities, ask all involved or interested individuals for their input into identifying the problem. 1 Action planning and implementation. Why manage mental health in the workplace. You might picture yourself walking around a . Your employees dontshare your concerns about productivity or absenteeism. Setting goals helps trigger new behaviors, helps guides your focus and helps you sustain that momentum in life. Does your organisation need Mental Health Awareness Training? An Action Plan or Action Programme is a detailed plan with specified actions that are needed to achieve a goal. On a deeper level, it should explore how food: nourishes people's lives affects a person's emotional state affects mental health contributes to social interactions helps professional performance increases productivity Work-Life Balance This month, Director of Culture and Associates, Tamsen Garrie and I booked in a wellbeing meeting to co-create a Wellness Action Plan for me and the experience was so valuable, that I wanted to share it. The timing for me was perfect, as Id had a challenging couple of weeks and had already noticed some early warning signs of stress. Often when our stress bucket is full, being asked to complete, what is essentially, a form can feel like just another task to tick off our to do list. Humans are biologically wired to seek connection, attunement, and validation in relationships. Wellness programs are good at helping people adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. Mental self-care includes doing things that keep your mind sharp, like puzzles, or learning about a subject that fascinates you. article references Wellness recovery action plans (WRAP), is a prevention and wellness process that anyone can use because it is self-designed by the individuals that are actually using it. With my personal health and wellness plan, health and wellness are related terms. This element of your wellness plan must focus on your employees' diet choices and nutritional habits. That knowledge can do a long way toward convincing employees to stick around: they can go find another job somewhere, but will they get treated and valued the same way? Anyone who still thinks wellness programs dont improve health is choosing to completely ignore hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific research papers that say otherwise. Not every wellness program is able to show positive results. As you become conscious ofyour physical health, you are able to identify elements you are successful in as well as elementsyou would like to improve. Most wellness studies show the participating employees have better healthbehaviors. With the right education, skills, motivation, skills/tools, and social support, people change behaviors. They are more consistent about it and they are more effective than anybody else. What is the financial value of having employees with high morale? Havinga supportive social network allows you to develop assertive skills and become comfortable with who you arein social situations. These things are actually very hard to study and we have a feeling or sense that they do make a difference in our ability to attract good workers. These activities should consistently be expanding your knowledge and skills and increasing your ability to share this with others. Another study conducted at the University of California and Washington University in Saint Louis, Mo., found that participation in a company wellness program increased average worker productivity by over 5 percent roughly equivalent to adding one additional day of productive work per month for the average employee. Foods to induce Happy Hormones and help to combat stress. Eating throughout the day to sustain energy. When we need to social distance, we often spend indoors, limiting our contact with others. Promoting learning, contemplation, and relaxation in natural places and spaces. In 2013 researchers completed one of the most rigorous and comprehensive reviews of wellness programs. Socialwellness enables you to create boundaries that encourage communication, trust and conflict management. Counseling - Retention and Student Success. An interview with an Assistant HR Director, Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination in the Workplace, Prioritising Positive Mental Health in the Public Sector An example of good practice, Better Mental Health in the Workplace for Parents, Positive Mental Health in the Public Sector more than a nice to have, Connecting with Nature on Your Lunchbreak, Parenthood and Mental Health in the Workplace. A Wellness Action Plan is a document that every employee - whether they have a mental health problem or not - can use to help them and their managers identify what keeps them well at work. Having an occasional lunch and learn about nutrition or just doing a biometric screening will not be enough to move the healthcare cost needle. From the time you're born, your relationships help you learn to navigate the world. Being physically active is crucial to keeping your body in its top condition. Choosing what your career will be is a very important life choice. The need for social distancing, for some of us, can feel confusing and disconnecting, especially if a large part of our self-care has been social engagement. Be curious. So, if everyone knows that goal and what they have to do to make it a reality, you should find that your team can work a lot more closely and better together. The intention is not to suggest that we now have additional things to do to feel better, but that we have options; new, optimistic ways to navigate what it means to be intentionally, holistically well while feeling the impact of so much change and challenge. The pyramid shown below shows the different needs that we have as humans. More than a year and a half ago, impacts to every aspect of student individual and relational wellness occurred in unprecedented ways due to the pandemic. Physical wellness promotes proper care of our bodies for optimal health andfunctioning. That may have been a good reason to start their wellness program, but after employees start to engage, communicate with each other, feel valued and appreciated, the reasons for doing a wellness program change. Insomnia can noticeably impact social relationships, physical and emotional reactions, productivity, and our ability to concentrate and accomplish tasks. It is important to nurture your body by eating a well-balanced diet. A year ago, religious/spiritual practice pivoted dramatically as spiritual and religious communities began to offer services like preaching, prayer, and meditationeven hospital bedside visitsvirtually. If you are a runner, maybe consider interspersing it with walking. 6. 5666. WRAP is used to initiate recovery, which provides ways for adolescents who are trying to overcome mental health issues and fulfill their lifelong dreams while achieving goals . Particularly helpful for my current roles (and the couple of weeks Id been having) but also a great insight into and reflection of my previous work environments. Personnel is the most important asset in every organization. Use stairs instead of the elevator or escalator and walk whenever possible. Unlike all the other benefits your worksite offers, wellness programs have been studied for decades. I will explain the components of WRAP and I strongly encourage each of you to formulate some type of WRAP for yourselves; all my support people and mental health team members have copies of this brief, but detailed document. It's important that these documents are highly personalised - there will be as many WAPs as there are people, and no one approach fits all. You are letting them know you want to do everything you can to keep them in good health and optimal performance. You've probably already heard of the term lifestyle choices outside of my mentioning it just a minute ago. First, you should know that there is a high degree of skepticism of many of the claims being made in the wellness industry. What is a Wellness Action Plan? The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) was originally developed by Mary Ellen Copeland and a group of mental health service users who wanted to work on their own recovery - this is what they found worked for them and what helped them recover from their mental health difficulties. Not feeling intellectually stimulated can affect the production of chemicals in the brain that can cause us to feel happiness and excitement to engage in learning. They care about having a fulfilling, enjoyable job. This is a self-help technique that depends on you - your understanding of yourself and your condition. An action plan should cover: At the same time, improving your physical health can also benefit your mental health and other life domains, and vice versa. Because mental health and physical health are so closely linked, problems in onearea can impact the other. Self-care can seem like a daunting task when you've already got a lot on your plate, so let's take a little time to reflect on what works best for you, and make an action plan. When you change your diet, get active, and avoid tobacco, really good things happen. Self-care reduces stress, replenishes a nurse's capacity to provide compassion and empathy, and improves the quality of care. What does it cost your company when you have employees with poor morale? Wow! The truth is that your self-care is not only essential to your well-being, but it is also a necessary element for you to be effective and successful in honoring your professional and personal commitments. Think of the different benefits employers typically offer. Having a solid mind-body connection can make you feel good about yourself and your life, which contributes to long-term feelings of well-being. . You can read more about our Wellness Action Plan template here. An effective Wellness Plan requires self-awareness and self-direction. Similarly, Black and Latino/x communities are receiving smaller shares of vaccines compared to cases and deaths. When researchers looked at the results, they were stunned to learn that in as little as six weeks health risks could improve dramatically. WRAP has five key principles: 1. We have had to turn to safer outdoors for joint activities. Without the reassurance of collective socially responsible behavior, clear action, and communication, morale and trust erodes. Prepared for work in which we will gain personal enrichment and satisfaction support systems and stay to... Cared for together crucial to keeping your body in its top condition person needs to do everything can... And Latino/x communities are receiving smaller shares of vaccines compared to cases and deaths sleep each night feel... 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