COVID-weary? COVID-tired? COVID-fatigued? A recent Morneau Shepell report, surveyed 3,000 Canadians noting that;

• 34% of respondents found it more difficult to concentrate on work than before the pandemic
• 39% felt more mentally and/or physically exhausted at the end of the workday
• 36% found it more difficult to feel motivated to work than before the pandemic

The pandemic isn’t going away anytime soon. So, what things can we do for ourselves and each other to not just survive but thrive through the next few months?

In Salvatore Maddi’s book Hardiness – Turning Stressful Circumstance into Resilient Growth, Maddi states that hardiness is a pattern of attitudes that can give us the courage and skills needed to become more resilient by turning disasters, like a pandemic, into growth opportunities and personal fulfillment.

So, what does it mean to be hardy and how does hardiness help us overcome COVID fatigue? Hardiness is the ability to manage and respond constructively to stressful life experiences. Simply put, it is the ability to endure through difficult times.

Maddi characterizes hardiness as three attitudes we can use in dealing with stressful events. These are commitment, control, and challenge, which together help us muster the courage and motivation needed to turn stressful circumstances into opportunities for growth.

• People who demonstrate commitment have purpose which motivates them to persevere such as a commitment to keep residents and each other safe during COVID
• Control is something that comes from within us. By focusing on what you have control over and not worrying about things you don’t, you can focus on your own behaviors such as participating in low risk activities outside of work
• See the pandemic as a challenge that can be overcome; stay positive and remember we are not alone in this crisis so we can maintain our high standards and keep our residents and each other safe

Challenge yourself to think about the good that regularly occurs. Pick a time to reflect on the positive events in your day for the next week or month. Science has proven that if you are intentional about such a plan, you will feel more upbeat about your day-to-day, and that will perhaps combat your potential for COVID fatigue.For more information, please contact:

Lesley MacKinnon
Manager, Safety
Lesley.Mackinnon@BethanySeniors.com

Or

Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeBe an advocate for mental health. Educate yourself on mental health. Support others struggling with mental health by guiding them to the appropriate resources.LifeWorks supports employee health and well-being.

Bethany employees have access to a wide range of resources such as:

• LifeWorks Blog
• Webinars and Events
• 24/7 Specialist Counselling

Link:
Bethanycaresociety.lifeworks.com
username: bcs
Password: eap
Phone: 1-877-207-8833
Phone App: LifeWorks WorkAngelAdditional resources:

Headversity’s Dr. Ryan Todd – Getting Right with our Mental Health

Optimism

Spiritual Care – How to Be Brave

Brene Brown Podcast

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Financial Literacy Month. Finance concerns can cause stress and anxiety. Whether you are living paycheque to paycheque or are concerned about setting enough money aside for retirement, the stress can negatively impact your mental health. If this is your experience, you are not alone. According to Canada.ca, almost one-third of Canadians (31%) believe they have too much debt.

What is financial literacy? It’s all about:

• managing your money and debt wisely
• saving for the future
• understanding your financial rights and responsibilities

Worrying about money can be a downward spiral that prevents you from moving forward to a more manageable situation. Below are eight strategies you can use to address your debt, manage your finances, and gain some control back.

Don’t let money consume your thoughts – if money has been consuming your daily thoughts, now is the time to take steps to control your finances and focus on the future!

Get help – Money Mentors is an Alberta-based, non-profit credit counselling, debt consolidation and financial education agency that offers free resources to help you get control of your finances.

Set up monthly auto payments – If you haven’t set up monthly auto payments yet, why not? Take the guesswork out of your monthly payments so you never feel strapped for cash or worried about making payments on time.

Talk to someone about your financial stress – Sometimes life can become overwhelming and your finances can play a big role in that. If you’re struggling to manage everything alone, it’s time to talk to someone about the financial stress you’re experiencing. In addition to Money Mentors, LifeWorks offers confidential counselling they offer financial assessment tools.

Manage your health to build wealth – Stress is a big factor when it comes to declining health, so it’s important to be mindful of how your financial burnout is affecting your physical, mental and emotional wellness. LifeWorks is available to all your concerns including your mental and emotional wellness.

Focus on your financial goals – focus on your financial goals that inspire, excite and motivate you, and remember to reassess them regularly. Live a little – don’t make the mistake of budgeting out fun!For more information, please contact:

Lesley MacKinnon
Manager, Safety
Lesley.Mackinnon@BethanySeniors.com

Or

Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeBe an advocate for mental health. Educate yourself on mental health. Support others struggling with mental health by guiding them to the appropriate resources.LifeWorks supports employee health and well-being.

Bethany employees have access to a wide range of resources such as:

• LifeWorks Blog
• Webinars and Events
• 24/7 Specialist Counselling

Link:
Bethanycaresociety.lifeworks.com
username: bcs
Password: eap
Phone: 1-877-207-8833
Phone App: LifeWorks WorkAngel

Additional resources:

Sun Life
Retirement Readiness Recorded Webinar by The Leslie Group
(Document on Connections)

Mental health suffers from a major image problem. One in every four people experience mental health issues at some point in their lives – yet, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 40 percent of countries worldwide have no mental health policy. Across the board, it seems we struggle to talk about it respectfully and responsibly.

Poor mental health can affect us at work. It is associated with:

• Decreased productivity
• Mood irritability
• Increased interpersonal conflict
• Increased absenteeism, and short-term and long-term disability

Creating a safe and healthy workplace environment is essential. Talking about our challenges can be difficult due to the stigma associated with opening up about our mental health. What is stigma?

Stigma is when someone views you in a negative way because you have a distinguishing characteristic or personal trait that’s thought to be, or actually is, a disadvantage (a negative stereotype). Unfortunately, negative attitudes and beliefs toward people who have a mental health condition are common. (www.mayoclinic.org)

Here’s how we can reduce stigma in the workplace:

Ask and listen. If you know someone who might be struggling with a mental health problem, ask questions and listen. If that person is open to help, you can:

• Help set up an appointment with a doctor
• Provide information about LifeWorks, Bethany’s EAP Provider
• Advise that a manager is spoken to

Don’t judge. Mental illness is just that – an illness that needs treatment. Read, listen and learn about mental health.

Reach out to a support network. Recovery from any illness requires a support network that includes medical professionals, family, friends and employers. Confiding in a close family member or friend, talking to a therapist or joining a support group can be helpful.

Encourage co-workers to seek out the support of others. Human connection is vital to both our mental and physical wellbeing, yet illness often isolates us. Encouraging those to spend time with family and friends or seek social connections.For more information, please contact:

Lesley MacKinnon
Manager, Safety
Lesley.Mackinnon@BethanySeniors.com

Or

Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeBe an advocate for mental health. Educate yourself on mental health. Support others struggling with mental health by guiding them to the appropriate resources.LifeWorks supports employee health and well-being.

Bethany employees have access to a wide range of resources such as:

• LifeWorks Blog
• Webinars and Events
• 24/7 Specialist Counselling

Link:
Bethanycaresociety.lifeworks.com
username: bcs
Password: eap
Phone: 1-877-207-8833
Phone App: LifeWorks WorkAngel

Other resources:

Access Mental Health | Alberta Health Services
www.albertahealthservices.ca

Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
cmha.calgary.ab.ca

The Distress Centre
403-266-HELP(4357)
www.distresscentre.com

Regular physical activity has many mental health benefits. The longer you maintain your exercise schedule and the more often you exercise, the more benefits you’ll see. Research shows that regular physical activity can help:

• Reduce day-to-day stress
• Reduce the risk of cognitive decline, measured as a slowing in attention, memory, and concentration
• Increase self-reported happiness and lower levels of depression and loneliness
• Reduce feelings of fatigue, improve sleep quality, and lower your risk of insomnia
• Boost self-esteem, itself a key sign of good mental health and overall well-being

There is no single reason why physical activity has mental health benefits. Instead, research suggests that benefits come from the combined physiological, psychological, social, and neurological effects of exercise.

• Physiological: Physical activity both boosts your body’s production of chemicals that help you to relax, feel more pleasure, and feel less pain, and reduces the amount of cortisol (i.e., “stress hormone”) that your body produces
• Psychological: Regular physical activity helps to increase feelings of self-esteem. Short bursts of exercise can also make you happier in the moment by interrupting negative trains of thought
• Social: People who exercise regularly tend to have bigger social networks and stronger relationships with friends and family. The regular face-to-face interaction that comes from group exercise (e.g., fitness classes, team sports) boosts your mood and can help to prevent depression
• Neurological: Physical activity helps your brain to use and produce more dopamine and serotonin – chemicals produced in your brain that make you feel happy. People who exercise regularly also have more blood flow to the brain, and better brain functioning

For strategies to start an exercise routine and to stay motivated, please check out the tips below.

HOW TO GET STARTED AND STAY MOTIVATED

Before you get started, ask yourself why you want to exercise, and what types of exercise might be best for you based on your physical (dis)abilities, personality, and goals.

Consult your family physician for help in developing a healthy and realistic exercise plan.

• Schedule exercise in your day when you tend to have more energy
• Find free or low-cost activities that you enjoy (e.g., walking, cycling, or pick-up sports)
• Don’t push yourself too hard and strive to find an environment where you feel comfortable and motivated

Once you’ve started your exercise program, there are many ways to help you stick with it.

Excerpts taken from the “Psychology Works” Fact Sheet: Physical Activity, Mental Health and Motivation by the Canadian Psychological Association.

For more information, please contact:

Lesley MacKinnon
Manager, Safety
Lesley.Mackinnon@BethanySeniors.com

Or

Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeLifeWorks supports employee health and well-being.

Bethany employees have access to a wide range of resources such as:

• LifeWorks Blog
• Webinars and Events
• 24/7 Specialist Counselling

Link:
Bethanycaresociety.lifeworks.com
username: bcs
Password: eap
Phone: 1-877-207-8833
Phone App: LifeWorks WorkAngel

Other helpful links:

Alberta Health Services COVID19

Public Health Agency of Canada

Mindfulness—an awareness of the moment—can help you in many areas of life. When you’re aware of your experiences on a moment-by-moment basis, you can direct your focus away from negative thoughts like worry and self-doubt and be present in a calmer way. Research has found that mindfulness has helped people manage physical and mental health concerns that range from diabetes to stress to anxiety and depression.

Mindfulness has a variety of physical and mental health benefits, including helping you sleep better, improving well-being, even helping ease chronic pain.

Recent studies have suggested that regularly practicing mindfulness meditation creates physical changes to the brain. For example, doctors have long known that as we get older – we experience shrinkage in a specific region of the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain associated with working memory and certain types of decision-making. That’s why it’s harder to remember certain things as we get older – we have less “gray matter” there.

According to a study by researchers at Harvard Medical School and published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, after eight weeks of regular mindfulness meditation, 50-year-olds had the same amount of gray matter as 25-year-olds. Research has also found that participants in mindfulness programs showed changes in the amygdala—a part of the brain that affects fear, stress, and anxiety – which correlated with lower stress levels.

How mindfulness can help you

The more you practice mindfulness, the more you may gain from it. Experts generally recommend that you start by practicing mindfulness for five minutes per day, gradually working up to 15 to 20 minutes a day. This will give your mind time to “settle” into being fully present in the moment.

Practicing mindfulness can help:

• Have more satisfying relationships. Several studies have found the ability to be mindful can predict satisfaction in relationships, perhaps because greater self-awareness helps people communicate thoughts or feelings to others
• Manage a health condition. Doctors may recommend mindfulness meditation, along with other treatments, for health concerns including diabetes, chronic pain, eating disorders, and some types of heart disease
• Manage feelings of stress and anxiety. Therapists sometimes use mindfulness in combination with other treatments to help people cope with unwanted thoughts that interfere with work, relationships, or the ability to enjoy life

For more information, please contact:

Lesley MacKinnon
Manager, Safety
Lesley.Mackinnon@BethanySeniors.com

Or

Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeLifeWorks supports employee health and well-being.

Bethany employees have access to a wide range of resources such as:

• LifeWorks Blog
• Webinars and Events
• 24/7 Specialist Counselling

Link:
Bethanycaresociety.lifeworks.com
username: bcs
Password: eap
Phone: 1-877-207-8833
Phone App: LifeWorks WorkAngel

Other helpful links:

Alberta Health Services COVID19

Public Health Agency of Canada

• Simply take a moment to contemplate and reflect.
• Pause to consider what you are going to say before speaking. Take a two- or three-ring pause before picking up the phone to think about your intention.
• Deliberately give your full attention to whatever it is you are doing. When you’re with your family and friends, focus on being fully present with them. When you’re at work, direct your focus and attention there.
• Try not to dwell in the past or think about the future.
• Slowly stretch each part of your body. Be aware of your breathing as you stretch
• If you’re making a cup of tea, just make a cup of tea. If you’re spending time with your child, just be with your child.

July 24 is International Self-Care Day—and this provides an opportunity to raise awareness about this topic and the important role it plays in leading a healthy lifestyle.

Self-care is about making choices that help your physical and mental health, such as eating healthy, getting enough sleep and exercising. The date chosen for International Self-Care Day (24/7) is a reminder that self-care is important to lifelong health, and its benefits are experienced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What is self-care?

Self-care is any intentional act that takes care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory, it’s something we often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood, reduced anxiety and better relationships with oneself and others.

What isn’t self-care?

Self-care is not something that we force ourselves to do, or something we don’t enjoy doing. Self-care should be things we do to recharge our batteries rather than things that drain us. Self-care isn’t selfish, in fact it helps us better take care of others!

Although self-care means different things to different people, see this basic checklist below that can help you find what it means to you:

• Create a “no” list, with unhealthy habits, such as too much screen time at night. Eat a nutritious, healthy diet
• Get enough sleep. Adults usually need 7-8 hours of sleep each night
• Exercise. In contrast to what many people think, exercise is as good for our emotional health as it is for our physical health. It increases serotonin levels, leading to improved mood and energy. Choose a form of exercise that you like!
• Follow-up with medical care. It is common to put off checkups or visits to the doctor
• Use relaxation exercises and/or practice meditation
• Spend enough time with your loved ones
• Do at least one relaxing activity every day, whether it’s taking a walk or spending 30 minutes unwinding
• Do at least one pleasurable activity every day; from going to the cinema, to cooking or meeting with friend – socially distancing of course!
• Look for opportunities to laugh!

Finally, remember to add self-care to your mental fitness plan that we explored last month to boost your overall health and wellness.

For more information, please contact:

Lesley MacKinnon
Manager, Safety
Lesley.Mackinnon@BethanySeniors.com

Or

Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeLifeWorks supports employee health and well-being.

Bethany employees have access to a wide range of resources such as:

• LifeWorks Blog
• Webinars and Events
• 24/7 Specialist Counselling

Link:
Bethanycaresociety.lifeworks.com
username: bcs
Password: eap
Phone: 1-877-207-8833
Phone App: LifeWorks WorkAngel

Other helpful links:

Alberta Health Services COVID19

Public Health Agency of Canada

Do you have a Mental Fitness Plan?

Thinking about your emotional well-beingand assessing your mental health regularly has never been more relevant. Dedicating a short time weekly to your mental fitness will reap significant benefits to help you feel rejuvenated and more confident.
Here some simple ways to practice daily:

• “Collect” positive emotional moments -Recall times when you have experienced pleasure, comfort, calmness, confidence, or other positive emotions
• Exercise–Regular physical activity improves psychological well-being and can reduce depression and anxiety. Joining an exercise group or a gym can also reduce loneliness, since it connects you with a new set of people sharing a common goal
• Enjoy hobbies–Bring balance to your life by exploring something you enjoy free of the pressure of everyday tasks. It also keeps your brain active
• Keep a journal–Jotting down your thoughts can help you gain perspective, release tension and even boost your immune system
• Share humour–Laughing can go a long way to keeping us mentally fit
• Treat yourself well–Cook a good meal or have a bubble bath. Call a friend or relative you haven’t talked to in ages. Whatever it is, do it just for you
• Enjoy Nature –Go for a walk in the woods or at a park. Plant flowers and vegetables and set up a bird feeder to draw nature to your surroundings
• Social Connection –Plan virtual visits with family and friends using Zoom, GoTo, or FaceTime

Click here to download a template for committing to a weekly or monthly mental health plan. Take time to write down your goals and stick with it!

For more information, please contact:

Lesley MacKinnon
Manager, Safety
Lesley.Mackinnon@BethanySeniors.com

Or

Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeLifeWorks supports employee health and well-being.

Bethany employees have access to a wide range of resources such as:

• LifeWorks Blog
• Webinars and Events
• 24/7 Specialist Counselling

Link:
Bethanycaresociety.lifeworks.com
username: bcs
Password: eap
Phone: 1-877-207-8833
Phone App: LifeWorks WorkAngel

Other helpful links:

Alberta Health Services COVID19

Public Health Agency of Canada