C&T Scene: It’s decompression December!

    Over the past year, C&T Scene has used its section in the Learn and Grow newsletter to share with you information on topics of interest to C&Ts.  Each article is aligned with a C&T Performance Dimension and is designed to expand your knowledge and grow your skills.  This month we urge you to think of ways to decompress 2022 and focus on … you and your well-being!

    There are three factors that determine wellness—a balance of nutrition, physical activity, and well-being. Well-being is how we feel and how we function. A wellness article on the Paul Hamlyn Foundation site lists the following factors as positive influences on our mental well-being:

    • Economic security
    • Empowerment
    • Feelings of security, mastery and control
    • Positive interactions with others
    • Physical activity
    • Stable and supportive family environments
    • Healthy diet and lifestyle

    While we may not be able to tackle everything on the list, we can take small steps.  Consider some of the ideas below to tip the scales in a positive way and get you on your way to improving your overall wellness. 

    Peruse the Being Well at Yale website
    Employees’ well-being is an important asset to an employer.  Did you know that well-being is one of the 12 dimensions in Yale’s workplace survey?  Yale offers many programs to support individual wellness goals from stress reduction and smoking cessation to weight reduction.  Check out the Being Well at Yale site for additional information.

    Consider enrolling in Laurie Santos’ class ‘The Science of Well-Being’.

    • Improving your well-being starts with a commitment to change behaviors.  Psychology professor Laurie Santos explains how happiness works and says that “even when we choose what we think will make us feel happier, we don’t often choose well.”
    • Through her class the “Science of Well-Being”, Dr. Santos challenges our thinking and provides evidenced-based strategies you can apply through easy assignments. Over 3.3 million participants have enrolled in Dr. Santos’ course with overwhelmingly positive feedback.  

    Give to your community

    • Feed your soul by giving or volunteering to organizations such as United Way.
    • Studies have found that volunteering can boost your mood, help your cardiovascular system, reduce risk of dementia, and even help you live longer! Volunteering provides a sense of purpose, allows you to connect socially, and helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety.   
      –To read more, check out these articles in the Journal of Health Psychology and at the University of Calgary.

    Create a fun environment for you and your team
    Use December to help others decompress and enjoy team spirit by creating an easy and fun activity staff members can participate in. 

    Community coloring:

    • Erect a large coloring poster in a breakroom and keep markers or crayons nearby.
    • Those who pass by will likely add their artwork to the poster.  
    • The finished product will be one that many people had a hand in completing.

    Pet pictures:

    • Have employees post on the break-room bulletin board photos of their pets.
    • Added bonus: Make a game out of this by matching staff members to their pets. Winners get bragging rights.

    The answer is!

    • Write a question on the community bulletin board or Teams post for another inclusive and engaging activity. Colleagues can post or write responses to your question. Possible questions could be, “What is your dream vacation?”, or “What are you most looking forward to this December break?”. Reading responses could be fun and uplifting.  

    Whatever you choose to do, use December as a time to decompress from the year’s events. Come January you may have a renewed, recharged, and fresh perspective to tackle 2023.