One of the largest impacts may be felt in the mental health field. We know that COVID has increased the incidence and intensity of anxiety and depression.¹ Clearly that burdens the current mental health care system. However, it also means that many more people are becoming aware of the realities of mental health issues.

While we know that 1 in 6 people experience a mental health condition in their lifetime, we now have far more people experiencing an acute episode exacerbated by the pandemic, and many more family members and friends also impacted by loved ones, finding themselves also learning how to provide support. This is working to heighten the awareness of mental health issues and may help to diminish stigmatization and accelerate a change in societal attitudes.

Moreover, COVID has had an impact on the delivery of psychological services: some therapists are offering tele-sessions. Though such sessions diminish some aspects of a complete sensory person-to-person office visit, they do have advantages, particularly seen with younger clients. While many find the office to be a stressful, formal environment, being at home may allow the client to be in  a more familiar, comfortable space making it easier for them to open up. In addition, some therapists are reporting that seeing clients in a sliver of their home space may also give them glimpses into their world, through the setting and items displayed as meaningful to them. This can be particularly helpful for working with a more reserved or reticent individual.

COVID has challenged our normal means of socialization and maintaining interpersonal relationships. While this has increased the instances of domestic violence and stoked toxic relations, it has also been an opportunity for families to strengthen their bonds and rekindle their connections as they have been required to spend more time together. There are numerous anecdotes of parents and older children conversing more and thereby gaining a better understanding of each other as well as learning to enjoy each other’s company.

Parents are learning about social influencers and TikTok and how teenage angst, while still based on the same anxieties, has transformed since their time. Teens are learning that their parents actually can may understand more than they previously assumed, even though their experiences are different, and they may also find humor and insight into their own challenges from their parents’ experiences. The slowdown that COVID has demanded has allowed many people to discover pleasures at home they were not aware of or had forgotten, from cooking and sharing a meal, to movie night in, to gardening and looking at a starry night while listening to the howl of neighbors at 8 p.m. This experience has compelled us to rediscover and reimagine community.

Connections have definitely been redefined with technology playing a far larger role. We are quick to observe the deficiencies of virtual communication, but there are also advantages. Older adults have lagged behind this generation in technological savviness, but not only that, reticently testing and dipping into their primary modes of communication. Now, we are faced with learning to communicate by their primary modes, which result in increasing the technological competency of a greater part of society. This has a number of positive ramifications. First, virtual visits allow more people to speak to one another across vast geographical distances, and not only to speak but to see one each other. Grandparents and grandchildren living states apart can visit, letters to pen pals from different countries can be replaced by real time synchronous visits. Virtual connections may actually help older people, shut-ins, and those with chronic conditions to avoid feeling lonely and isolated. We have the possibility to connect more with those we love and those we know little about to better appreciate the lives of others who are different than our own.

We also know that COVID has forced dramatic changes to learning. First, it is important to distinguish between online and remote learning. Online learning, to  professionals, means asynchronous lessons completed without real time interaction.  It allows for widespread dissemination and is less appealing to students as it is less interactive, more passive form of learning. Remote learning engages teachers and students in real time. All students do not have access to the technology needs for successful remote or online learning; however, in the twenty-first century, that access is becoming more fundamental to student success since technological skill is also significant in employability. Given that we will need to address that need, consider how learning is being innovated.  In remote teaching (as well as business), teachers and presenters can share far more material of their own design and from around the world through the enormous “library” of the web. Moreover, teachers and students become more skilled in multi-media forms of communication which also enhances their critical thinking skills.

Crisis often propels innovation, and at this time that is particularly true on the technological front. We face security concerns and a diminishing of in-person interactions, but there is also much to be gained from the expansion of our abilities to connect to others throughout the world. It can be refreshing to take a moment to consider the potential fruits that can emerge from the current storm.

Reference:

1. Mental Health America. (2020, August 11). More Than A Quarter Million People Screened Positive For Depression, Anxiety Since Start Of The Pandemic.

Content provided by:

Prof. Colleen Donnelly

University Of Colorado – English and Health Humanities colleen.donnellly@ucdenver.edu

The post Guest Article: Are There Potentially Positive Outcomes from COVID-19? appeared first on MINES and Associates.

	Workplace Diversity & more COVID19 Resources
“Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.” ― Jacqueline Woodson Welcome to the June 2020 edition of TotalWellbeing, your guide to the 8 dimensions of wellbeing. This month’s focus will be on more COVID19 resources as well as a look at workplace diversity as many of us are either returning to work, reducing the amount we work remotely, or are simply looking at the next steps as we rebuild a sense of normality. Now more than ever it is important to embrace diversity. If the COVID19 pandemic has taught us anything it is that we are all in this boat together and we need to work together to move forward. Below we explore tips on dealing with stress and anxiety, as well as a look at some key workplace diversity factors. For more, please head over to our blog or our COVID19 Resource page where we will be constantly updating our Coronavirus related resources. Make sure to download the Coronavirus Fear and Anxiety workbook here (pdf download), provided to us by The Wellness Society. Its full of helpful tips and exercises around managing stress and setting up routines during stay at home orders and isolation. As a quick reminder, your online portal, PersonalAdvantage, also has live updates and helpful resources around current events including helpful information, current CDC news and recommendations, helpful and free webinars, as well as other resources for professional/personal development, diversity, mindfulness and tons more. Remember you can always catch past issues of TotalWellbeing on our newsletters page. This newsletter is aimed at providing helpful information about various aspects of your wellbeing and then connecting it all back to important and relevant parts of everyday life. If you have any thoughts, questions, or content you would like to see covered here please get in contact with us. You can email us directly by clicking here. To your total wellbeing, The MINES Team Stress & Anxiety Reduction Last month was National Stress Awareness Month which is good because lately there have been many reasons to share stress management strategies. The outbreak of the Coronavirus has brought a mental health crisis next to the medical crisis.  In a recent Gallup Study published on April 14, 2020, life ratings plummeted to a 12-year low. The cause of the decline is due to “current satisfaction” and not looking forward to the future. The respondents’ daily stress levels have reached an “unprecedented magnitude.” Here are some tips that can help manage stress and anxiety during this time: Consider past coping strategies – You may not have been here before, but you have likely experienced difficult situations before where you had little to no control. What were some ways that you coped? It is good to think through which strategies worked well before and try to engage in some version of those strategies now. As you think through the strategies that worked well before, you may recall some that did not work well or were not healthy, make note of those too and try to avoid them. Engage in a gratitude practice – Consider starting a gratitude log. Write down at least one thing that you are grateful for each day. After you have written down what you are grateful for, say it out loud and allow yourself to feel yourself cultivating gratitude. Noted benefits associated with gratitude include (Wellness Society, 2020): Positive mood Better sleep A stronger immune system Reduction in anxiety and stress Limit media/social media – You can check updates on the virus from credible resources such as the CDC.gov and WHO.int. There are less than informed and polarizing perspectives throughout the media as well as our social media which can leave us feeling sad, frustrated, and powerless. Practice centered breathing – Take a deep, slow breath filling up your abdomen. Allow the breath to inflate your abdominal area.  As you exhale out all your air, hollow out the abdomen.  Become mindful of your breath and how it transforms your mind, body, and emotions. Being centered: is a psycho-physiological state that is strengthened through practice allows you to be more authentic, sensitive, and open produces emotional and physical stability has a positive effect on relationships and the surrounding environment has a great impact on developing trust enables you to appreciate the nature of conflict brings you to a point of clarity, the point of power is always your choice, at any time Make certainty statements – In a time where so much feels uncertain, making clear certainty statements can be a way to reduce anxiety. Examples include, “I am certain that I am a mother of three beautiful children,” “I am certain that I am a runner,” “I feel certain that the weather is sunny today.” Check-in with friends and family- Checking in and extending yourself to others through texts, over the phone, video connections, emails, etc. This will not only help you feel less isolated and better connected but no doubt will be impactful to those who you are connecting with. You will boost their mental health as well as your own. Check out our blog or our COVID19 Resource page for more resources and more helpful information pertaining to working remote, dealing with isolation, managing stress and anxiety, downloadable workbooks and more. Remember that Your Employee Assistance Program is here to help you and your family members manage the anxiety from health concerns such as the Coronavirus. Please call us at 1-800-873-7138 to get connected right away. Also, PersonalAdvantage has a ton of great resources and FREE webinars.
Encouraging Workplace Diversity The workplaces of the 21st Century are becoming increasingly diverse. Most organizations employ a variety of people from different cultural backgrounds, religions, sexual preferences, nationalities, and others. Regardless of your personal biases or fears, the workplace is changing. It’s important for you to understand that your professional reputation and future success will depend on your ability to accept and embrace the differences of others. Some key factors include: Diversity Opportunities – Having a variety of cultures, opinions, and experience can bring new perspectives, innovative ideas, and out-of-the-box thinking. However, this variety can also lead to miscommunication and disagreements that might lead to conflicts in the workplace. Opening the Lines of Communication – Oftentimes, differences are so apparent that they can dominate our immediate impressions and weigh heavily on our reactions, interactions, and behavior. Through the development of the working relationship, professionalism, and workplace coaching, those differences will fade, allowing positive working relationships to form. Being Part of the Team – No matter what the element is that makes someone diverse, every individual in the workplace wants to be judged for his or her performance, professionalism, and personal success. When labels and stereotypes are allowed to become “workplace identities,” they can impede the sense of accomplishment anyone wants to feel. Read More Remember, your Employee Assistance Program is here to talk about workplace challenges, stressors, communication techniques, and team building. You can access free professional development tools on your PersonalAdvantage, as well as use your free wellness coaching sessions to discuss occupational wellbeing topics. If you need additional information, or to access services, please call MINES and Associates at 1-800-873-7138 today.
Question of the Month What are your main fears or stressors around returning to work or about cities lifting restrictions? What tools have you learned in the past few months that you can use to manage these stressors going forward? Would calling your EAP and talking with someone help either yourself or a household member around these worries?
If you or a member of your household needs assistance or guidance on any of these wellbeing topics, please call MINES & Associates, your EAP, today for free, confidential, 24/7 assistance at 800.873.7138.
This Month’s Focus Free Webinar: We All Matter: Diversity in the Workplace MINESblog: New to TW? Check out our past Blogs! COVID-19: For YOU, the Essential Worker! COVID-19: Stress & Anxiety Reduction COVID-19: Home Workout Essentials Important Links COVID19 Resource Page Visit our BLOG MINES and Associates Current Training Catalog Balanced Living Magazine LinkedIn MINES Archives Contact Us Email MINES
		MINES does not warrant the materials (Audio, Video, Text, Applications, or any other form of media or links) included in this communication have any connection to MINES & Associates, nor does MINES seek to endorse any entity by including these materials in this communication.  MINES accepts no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided herein, nor any additional content that may be made available through any third-party site. We found them helpful, and hope you do too!

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The importance of keeping the routine

Keeping a workout routine at home will help in a variety of ways. First off, a routine will help add structure to the day and give you a goal to reach adding motivation to your mix. You will also enjoy all the benefits that exercise has to offer including better mood, reduced risks of chronic disease, better sleep, increased concentration, more energy throughout the day, and the list goes on.

Key elements of a workout routine

1. Warm-up – A warm-up gets your body ready to really move. Your warm-up should include a short duration (5-10 minutes) of light exercise such as walking, a slow pace on a real/stationary bike or elliptical, and some light stretches.
2. Cardio – You should aim to get about 150 minutes of cardio per week. For cardio, your activities can include jogging, running, or even brisk walking. Just make sure to keep that heart rate up. If you own a treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike, these work great for cardio. Even a jump rope offers a great, and cheap, form of cardio you can do at or around your home.
3. Strength – This is any form of exercise that uses resistance to increase muscular strength. You should aim to do strength training at least twice a week, and there are several ways to do this. Bodyweight exercises are probably the easiest and most practical for at home workouts as you don’t need any equipment, just some space and your body. If you have some dumbbells or resistance bands, you can throw those into the mix. Just be sure to start slow, don’t use too much weight, and make sure to get at least a day of rest in between workouts, or at least work different muscle groups each day, to give your body a chance to recover. Don’t forget that eating well and getting plenty of sleep is key to your recovery period!
4. Flexibility – A more flexible muscle is a stronger muscle. Maintaining and improving your flexibility also decreases your chance of injury during workout and daily activities, increases blood flow, and will help you stay mobile later on in life. Stretching should be something you do every day. You can do basic stretches or even try a home yoga routine. Again, make sure to warm your muscles up first, start slow, and when you’re stretching make sure to pay attention to your body. You should not feel any pain while stretching.
5. Cooldown – Basically the same as a warm-up but at the end of your workout. A cooldown gives your heart a chance to slow down gradually, and your muscles to relax while still circulating blood so that you don’t get a build up of lactic acid which can increase soreness. Again, some mild walking, light stretching, and some nice slow movements should do the trick.

Keep track of what you’re doing

No matter what you choose for your home workout routine, it is important to track what you are doing to help set and maintain goals, gauge progress, and hit milestones. Here’s what you should be keeping track of:

• Distance – Miles run/walked, laps swam, yards sprinted, etc.
• Time – The minutes, seconds, or other fractions of time you spent doing a particular exercise.
• Intensity – Mainly for strength training. Track pounds lifted and repetitions of each exercise.
• Milestones and personal bests – Keep track of your best times, heaviest lifts, and longest runs/walks. These “bests” will help motivate you and give you something to beat.
• Other details – Anything else you want to track that may help you. This can be time of day you worked out, who you worked out with, personal metrics such as heart rate, weight, or even blood sugar levels for diabetics.

Stay motivated

• Challenge yourself and set goals – Setting goals like best times, weight lifted, or workouts per week are a great way to give yourself a goal to hit which will give more purpose and satisfaction to your efforts.
• Find a workout buddy – Finding a household member, or even a friend that you can have a virtual workout with over Facetime, Google Hangouts, or some other video call platform can be a great way to make workouts more fun and even competitive to boost motivation.
• Schedule your workouts – Again, in addition to adding structure to the day, scheduling your workout ensures there is time for it. If something comes up, make sure to reschedule your workout immediately. Don’t skip it!
• Make it into a habit – The key here is keeping to your routine. Keep the routine long enough and working out just becomes something you do. It will no longer be a chore or something you “have to do.” It will become an integral and important part of your day you will not want to miss.

Resources

• Your surroundings and your body – You don’t need a fancy home gym or a bunch of equipment to workout. You just need your body and some space. You can find tons of great bodyweight exercises online, and don’t forget to get outside and walk/jog around the block.
• Cheap equipment – If you want to do more than just bodyweight exercises but don’t want to break the bank, look for cheap and practical equipment. There are lots of options including a jump rope, a small set of dumbbells, a yoga mat, and exercise balls. These are all great additions to your home workout and can be found easily online.
• Free Workout Apps and Videos – Online you can find a ton of great and free workout videos and apps. These include Aaptiv, for tons of voice-guided workouts. Fitbit Coach, for video workouts that you don’t even need a Fitbit for. Asana Rebel, for accessible, guided yoga routines. Adidas Training and Running, for a bunch of free audio and video workout guides. FitOn for a mobile-friendly workout video streaming experience. These are just a sample of what’s out there and are also free. Make sure to look around for an app or videos that fit your style and goals.

To Your wellbeing,

– The MINES Team

Remember: You should only work out if you are healthy enough to do so. Consult a doctor if you are just starting a workout routine, and refrain from working out when sick or injured.

If you or a household member is experiencing stress, anxiety, hardships, or just want to talk about your physical wellbeing and need help, please remember that your employee assistance program is here for you. MINES counselors and wellness coaches are experienced and available. We offer counseling with licensed mental health professionals via telephone, video, and online text/message-based platforms as well as telephonic sessions with professional wellness coaches that can help you set and reach your personal wellness goals.

The EAP is available 24/7 at 800-873-7138 or visit www.minesandassociates.com
For more resources related to COVID-19 and remote working please click here.

The post COVID-19 Resources – Home Workout Essentials appeared first on MINES and Associates.

The month of April is National Stress Awareness Month and this April, there are so many reasons to share stress management strategies. The outbreak of the Coronavirus has brought a mental health crisis next to the medical crisis.  In a recent Gallup Study published on April 14, 2020, life ratings plummeted to a 12-year low. The cause of the decline is due to “current satisfaction” and not looking forward to the future. The respondents’ daily stress levels have reached an “unprecedented magnitude.”

Here are some tips that can help manage stress and anxiety during this time:

1. Consider past coping strategies – You may not have been here before, but you have likely experienced difficult situations before where you had little to no control. What were some ways that you coped? It is good to think through which strategies worked well before and try to engage in some version of those strategies now. As you think through the strategies that worked well before, you may recall some that did not work well or were not healthy, make note of those too and try to avoid them.
2. Engage in a gratitude practice – Consider starting a gratitude log. Write down at least one thing that you are grateful for each day. After you have written down what you are grateful for, say it out loud and allow yourself to feel yourself cultivating gratitude. Noted benefits associated with gratitude include (Wellness Society, 2020):

• Positive mood
• Better sleep
• A stronger immune system
• Reduction in anxiety and stress

3. Limit media/social media – You can check updates on the virus from credible resources such as the CDC.gov and WHO.int. There are less than informed and polarizing perspectives throughout the media as well as our social media which can leave us feeling sad, frustrated, and powerless.
4. Practice centered breathing – Take a deep, slow breath filling up your abdomen.  Allow the breath to inflate your abdominal area.  As you exhale out all your air, hollow out the abdomen.  Become mindful of your breath and how it transforms your mind, body, and emotions.

• • Being centered:
    • is a psycho-physiological state that is strengthened through practice
    • allows you to be more authentic, sensitive, and open
    • produces emotional and physical stability
    • has a positive effect on relationships and the surrounding environment
    • has a great impact on developing trust
    • enables you to appreciate the nature of conflict
    • brings you to a point of clarity, the point of power
    • is always your choice, at any time

5. Make certainty statements – In a time where so much feels uncertain, making clear certainty statements can be a way to reduce anxiety. Examples include, “I am certain that I am a mother of three beautiful children,” “I am certain that I am a runner,” “I feel certain that the weather is sunny today.”

6. Check-in with friends and family- Checking in and extending yourself to others through texts, over the phone, video connections, emails, etc. This will not only help you feel less isolated and better connected but no doubt will be impactful to those who you are connecting with. You will boost their mental health as well as your own.

7. COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING EXERCISE

Irrational Beliefs:  A – B – C – D – E

Based on the work of Albert Ellis, Ph.D., human beings cause themselves grief, worry, and heartache based on a series of irrational beliefs.

Activating event such as a statement or comment

Belief that becomes self-talk

Consequence- emotional response

Dispute- what is the evidence?

Effect

To Your wellbeing,

– The MINES Team

If you or a household member are experiencing any stress, anxiety, or hardships that you would like to talk to someone about, please remember that your employee assistance program is here for you. MINES counselors are experienced and available. We offer counseling with licensed mental health professionals via telephone, video, and online text/message-based platforms.
The EAP is available 24/7 at 800-873-7138 or visit www.minesandassociates.com
For more resources related to COVID-19 and remote working please click here.

The post COVID-19 Resources – Stress & Anxiety Reduction appeared first on MINES and Associates.

Many parents face homeschooling their multi-aged children with understandable anxiety and fear. Wrangling children is difficult enough, but how do you deal with children of different ages and needs beyond what the school may or may not be providing?

Flexible scheduling: While many educational professionals promote routine, a flexible routine often decreases anxiety and allows for more success.  Consider the day as a series of blocks of time (1-2 hours) and divide the blocks into types of activities:  physical activity (play and exercise),  reading (quiet time for language and literacy activities),  math,  science, social studies (which can be adjusted as age-appropriate) and art.  Consider five hours a week for each subject (which can be adjusted for age and the subjects that need to be covered given your school district), but allow yourself the flexibility to change the time you a block during the day depending on your children’s attention, interest and activity level, as well as your own.  Sunny day when the kids are very energetic?  Have them learn about plants, animals or natural phenomenon outside, make that a 2 block session and do more social studies on a different day. Raining day? An additional block of reading and language studies may work best.  Setting weekly goals, as well as allowing for daily flexibility, can decrease everyone’s stress.

Hands-on activities: Educators know that elaborative learning, deep understanding versus an ability to memorize and repeat by rote, is promoted by hand-on, engaging activities.  Consider creating puzzles and games for your kids that can also be adjusted to be age-appropriate. For example, download a map of the US (or any part of the world) and leave off the state (country) names and have them fill them in; older child? Cut off the map and have them put it together. Older still, fill in capitols (and look up a fact about each state or country).  There are also a number of science experiments that can be done with household goods, and while doing the experiment may be entertaining and introduce younger children to scientific principles, older children can research how the experiments work further to enhance their knowledge. i Older students can be encouraged to use the internet, and the Khan academy is not only helpful for more complex subjects but offers educational support in subjects where parents may feel in over their heads.ii

Outdoor activities:  Allow for physical exercise, time to blow off steam, and numerous learning opportunities for all ages.  Young children can learn about plants and animals by observation and encouraged to draw and write about what they see to work on their language skills. Older children can be encouraged to take their real-world observations about plants and animals, weather, geographical formations or historical sites to the internet and further research these topics.

Reading and storytelling: Literacy and language studies include reading, comprehension, writing, and other communicative skills.  Having children of different ages actually facilitates developing these skills.  Encourage older children to read to younger children; this not only develops the reading skills of the older child but the comprehension skills of the younger child, particularly if you ask questions and encourage them to discuss what they have read.

The best way to learn is to teach: Having older children work with younger children on their reading actually helps to develop the older child’s comprehension as well, in addition, younger children are less intimidated and anxious working with other children rather than adults. Older children also develop leadership skills, patience and empathy working with younger children.

Having children draw pictures of what they read is another form of elaborate rehearsal and furthers cognitive development.  Encourage children to tell and write stories. This improves their communication skills.  Younger children learn about plot and progression by telling stories to others and often take great pride in doing so.  Older children can write and illustrate their own stories as well as transcribe the stories of younger siblings.   Encourage imagination and exploration. Have younger kids that are into dinosaurs? Let them draw and play with dinosaurs. Let the older kids supervise and actually look up the dinosaur types and the prehistoric periods to enhance their science education and teach their younger siblings at well.

Art is not only important in and of itself as a form of expression but it also allows kids to process hands-on, in ingenious ways, what they have learned which facilitates long-term memory and learning.  Children also develop fine motor skills, learn about self-expression, and simply have fun.

Kitchen math and science:  Once or twice a week consider making meal-time a learning opportunity. Children of all ages can make menus, and using My Plateiii or other online tools, can learn about nutrition.  Cooking allows students to learn about weights and measures and following recipes is an excellent way to introduce kids to the lab experiments they will do in higher grade science class.

Many of these activities allow a parent to share educational activities with the family so what may have seemed to be a burden placed on one or two parents become a shared responsibility where the family as a “village” participates in “raising” one another.

TV and Movie Binging does not have to be a passive activity: Enjoy those family times.  But you can also discuss what you have watched over a snack or meal.  What makes the main character heroic? What makes the villain evil? Is it what he does? Is it how he looks?   What do you think of how they were portrayed? Are they like you? Would you do what they did? Discussing what kids think about what they are watching offers parents a great insight into how they are perceiving the world around them and offers the opportunity to interact and influence the views they are forming.

Self-care for the mom or dad juggling so much.  Taking care of yourself during this time of added stress is extremely important.  If you kids aren’t earlier risers, you don’t have to get them up the same time they attended school.  Take some time before they get up for yourself, have a cup of coffee and read the paper, take a long bath or a walk, center, and if they are earlier risers take some time at the end of the day, have a treat of your choice, unwind to music or a show, meditate or do some yoga. Taking care of yourself lowers your stress and makes it easier to show up for your kids.

Prof. Colleen Donnelly

University Of Colorado – English and Health Humanities colleen.donnellly@ucdenver.edu

i STEM: 20 Kitchen Science Experiments Your Kids Will Love https://modernparentsmessykids.com/stem-20-kitchen-science-experiments-kids-will-love/

ii Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org

iii My Plate. https://www.choosemyplate.gov

This post is an article from Professor Colleen Donnelly, from the University of Colorado,  English and Health Humanities Department. MINES is Cross-posting to share information and resources and is no way representing the material as our own.

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