Supporting our mental health and well-being during this time is critical. We are here to support you.
Read more about supporting your mental health and well-being, including resources for coping with COVID-19.
Resiliency
Over the past months, we have focused on supporting your well-being and reminding you of the importance of coping, gratitude, relationships, taking care of yourself and hope. Together, these themes have led us to support your resilience -- the way that we handle what comes our way and bounce back, hopefully, stronger than before.
We cannot always avoid challenging and stressful situations. The COVID-19 pandemic is one such example. As we focus on resilience, think about what you’ve learned during the pandemic, how you’ve grown, how your perspective on life may have changed and how you might apply that to your life.
Developing and maintaining resilience is an ongoing process, so during these trying times we can continue to try the following ideas as they can help make us stronger.
- Build and strengthen your social support network
- Manage strong feelings by naming and expressing them effectively. All feelings are ok.
- Intentionally spend time with people who help you feel good
- Use your energy committing to activities that really matter to you
- Focus on what you can control and let go of what is beyond your control
- Things are always changing - adapt as best as you can
Staff Exercise:
Hope
Hope is an expectation that good things will happen. While it may be hard to even consider such an expectation during a global pandemic, research shows that hopeful individuals do well under difficult circumstances. We can move in and out of feelings of hope. But looking to small milestones or bright spots can help improve your outlook and well-being.
Here are some ways to instill and maintain hope during this challenging time:
- Embrace challenges as best you can
- Notice simple actions that inspire you or give you a glimpse of joy
- Try to focus on things day by day, moment by moment
- Laughing can make you feel better and can create hopeful moments
Staff Exercise and Resources:
Self-Care
Taking care of yourself is an important part of supporting well-being. As we continue to live with the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic, it is important to find ways to nurture and take care of yourself. Sometimes we feel guilty for taking the time to care for/ focus on ourselves. This is a life skill that is helpful for everyone, regardless of age. Taking care of yourself (self-care) can look different for everyone. But in doing so you can improve your energy, find joy, and refocus on what really matters to you. Here are some ideas for you:
- Find moments of stillness and quiet in your day
- Move your body
- Go outside/be in nature
- Rest when you can and prioritize regular sleep
- Reflect on what works for you
- Give yourself permission to focus on your own needs and set boundaries on obligations
- Find pleasure in things that you like to do
- Explore new ways to relax and unwind
- Eat and hydrate whenyou can to fuel your body and mind
- Find some time during the day to connect with friends and family
Exercise
Additional Resources
Coping
Coping means finding ways to deal effectively with something difficult. While we are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that no one has ever experienced before, we are searching for ways to cope and trying to determine what works for us individually. Finding our way forward may take some time and some days may be better than others. During this time, you can try to:
- Stick to the facts as communicated by public health agencies or medical professionals.
- Acknowledge what you can and cannot control and adjust your expectations.
- Maintain a positive attitude. It helps you cope with whatever comes your way.
- Take a flexible approach to life and try to appreciate the potential good that may come out of this new and different experience.
- Remember you are doing the best you can.
- Connect with others.
- Listen to your feelings and know that it’s ok to not to be ok.
- Maintain a sense of humour – laughter can be a great way to cope.
- Seek help when you need it.
Exercise
- Take a minute and notice one thing you did today that was supportive of yourself or someone. Give yourself a pat on the back, congratulate yourself, high 5, etc., for taking this action.
- What is your go-to coping strategy? Start your virtual meeting with a check-in and ask everyone to share their favourite coping strategy.
- Understanding anxiety at this stressful time can be helpful. Check out this short webinar on anxiety.
- Connect to a creative part of yourself through your favourite music, art, etc.
- Try out a virtual Forest Walk with relaxing music.
Relationships
Connect! Reach out! Check in!
Healthy relationships are a vital component of health and well-being. There is compelling evidence that strong relationships contribute to a long, healthy, and happy life. Relationships give us a sense of belonging, and, while we are physically distant from many of our family members and friends right now, maintaining connections with people is more important than ever. As we navigate this new way of connecting and being, try to:
- Think about the ways you can connect with others especially those who may be on their own. Small connections can make a big difference.
- Foster relationships with your students and colleagues. Working together helps build better supports for our school and work communities.
- Find space for yourself. Some of us are connected to others 24/7 right now. This close proximity can strengthen and stress relationships. Be gentle and kind to yourself and those around you.
Exercise
Keep those connections alive by reaching out, staying in touch, sharing your coping skills, listening to each other, remembering good times and laughing...it’s the best stress reducer there is!
- Keep it simple. Have a video or telephone chat with a friend.
- Be intentional. As a school or department team, create opportunities for every employee on your team to partner up with daily positive interactions (e.g. call, a note of appreciation, or an inspirational quote) through email or phone calls to stay connected.
- Create a weekly challenge. Try some new activities with friends such as a recipe challenge, a workout accountability group, a virtual book club, or a movie marathon using video chat. This can create a shared sense of purpose and have a little fun too!
Gratitude
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The benefits of making a habit of practicing gratitude are enormous for both your mental and physical health. As many of us are social distancing with our close family right now, it is important to focus on how we can invest in making each other feel happy and positive.
Gratitude Activity -- Reach Out
Our relationships have a significant impact on our happiness that’s why it makes sense to think of the people in our lives when we are expressing gratitude. Consider those people you are grateful to have in your life. Give them a call. Invite them to a video conference with you on a platform you feel secure using. Reach out to someone who had a positive impact on you, maybe even one you’ve never properly thanked.