August 2017: Environmental Wellbeing and Communication

Get Involved!

Welcome to the August issue of TotalWellbeing! If you have been following TotalWellbeing you know that every month we focus on one of the 8 Dimensions of Wellbeing. August’s focus on the environment usually immediately goes to the fate of our world in regards to pollution and recycling. However, this month we hope you will consider how your environment relates to communication. Take a moment to listen to your surroundings (environment) and ask yourself what does it say to you, and in turn what do you say back either verbally or with your actions? This two-way interaction is happening everyday whether we are aware of it or not, and it is important to understand this connection when considering your environmental wellbeing. Every person, animal, and plant communicates and each respective environment is effected by how these entities interact with each other and their surroundings. Keep in mind communication can be passive or active; think about talking versus subconscious body language. Both can be equally effective depending on the situation.

For a closer look at this month’s topic and helpful resources please check out The Path and The Connection below or view our latest infographic on the importance of communication. Always feel free to print these resources and post them around if you feel they would be helpful.

On MINESblog July was a great month to be talking about mindfulness, wellbeing, and reducing stress. First, we took a moment to use “National Father/Daughter Take a Walk Day” to highlight the importance of communicating with the people you love. We celebrated “Toss Away the Could Haves and Should Haves Day” with a post to help you let go of the past and move forward. Next, we wrapped up with two more posts; one about the MINES Health Champion designation from the American Diabetes Association to help boost awareness of the disease and provide some resources around how others can help the cause. Finally we wrapped up the month with a post about the cultural nuances of Emojis in honor of communication and National Emoji day.

As always, for more information please check out the links to the left or hit the share button to send us a message. To be notified when we post more resources and articles make sure to subscribe to MINESblog. See you next month!

To your total wellbeing,

The MINES Team

The Path: How do we communicate about our environmental wellbeing?

You can improve your environmental wellbeing and general health by occupying pleasant, stimulating environments, according to SAMHSA. Your environment includes those external factors that influence the other seven areas of your wellbeing (emotional, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual). So, as we look at how you can commune with your environment, we are looking at how you deal with those external factors. Are you able to verbalize how you are feeling in regards to your emotional state? Are you able to communicate to your loved ones about how you are planning your will and estate? Are you able be in your work environment and succeed, or is there something that would make it better for your overall wellbeing? If you are struggling with any of these, take a moment this month to consider how you can fix that. Is there a conversation you can have with someone or a proposal you can present to your work to increase your environmental wellbeing? Or does your body language convey something that it shouldn’t? What a great time of year to get outside and enjoy the weather, and ponder these things!

For example, here are some great reminders of how to improve your environmental awareness and therefore your environmental wellbeing.

Check it out here!

There is so much more to communications than the spoken word, in fact, over 60 percent of your message is communicated without words. Check out this month’s webinar to learn about non-verbal communication, communication channels through social media, and perceptions of communication through one’s appearance.

Check out the webinar here!

The Connection: Get Involved

Wellbeing does not simply start and stop at the individual. Our community is connected to each of our own individual wellbeing in a huge way. When we are well we can better function within our community.  We can help our fellow humans thrive, and in turn, when our community is prospering, it helps each of us reach our goals as individuals. So why not help our community so we can all thrive together? Each month we will strive to bring you resources that can help you enhance the wellbeing of those around you or get involved with important causes.

This month enhance your communication and community by working together for the benefit of the environment. It’s a win/win!

See how you can help here!

We’re happy to announce that PersonalAdvantage, an online benefit available through MINES, has been redesigned and is better than ever. It still has tons of the same great resources for all the dimensions of wellbeing that we discuss here, along with some articles and assistance for Estate Planning, and now has a new look, easier navigation, and works great on mobile too. If you haven’t checked it out yet, or want to see what resources they have for this month’s topic check out the link below. You’ll need your company login, so make sure to get that from your employer or email us and we’ll be happy to provide that to you.

Check Out PersonalAdvantage Here!