Winter scene with people and dog

Happy Holidays! 

Thanks to everyone who joined our first Learn:Well webinar on November 30! We learned a lot about Canopy, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and the free, confidential benefits that they offer to ESD 112 staff and family members. For example, did you know that Canopy can help you minimize holiday stress through their mental health services, seasonal discounts, and self-care resources? You can watch the video of the webinar to learn more, and if you want to take advantage of Canopy’s free benefits, you can create an online account through my.canopywell.com and use ESD 112 as the company name when you register.

We now invite you to take a moment to think about wellness during this busy holiday season. Our focus this month is on social health, boundaries, and self-care – all things we thought everyone could relate to this time of year!

Live:Well – Social Wellness

Holiday Stress graphic

When you think of social wellness, you likely think of your interactions and connections with other people – and you’re right! Positive, meaningful relationships with your family, friends, coworkers, and community have a significant impact on your social wellness, as well as your mental, physical, and emotional wellness. However, social wellness also includes your basic wellbeing, like having a safe living space and access to nutritious food.

As you think about your own social wellness this holiday season, who and what are you grateful for? Share your answers with us by posting on this interactive Padlet!

This 2-minute video explains what social wellness is, why it’s important, and how it can impact other areas of your life, including your mental and physical health.

Want to learn more about social wellness? We’ve included some helpful resources below:

We know that sometimes the challenge with social wellness is having too much of a good thing, especially during this busy time of year! Keep reading to find information and tools on the topics of creating boundaries and taking time for self-care.

Content written by Be:Well member, Alissa Jolly

Woman drawing line around her bodyBoundaries

The holidays are a busy time of year. Family and friends are gathering for various seasonal activities, and many have not seen each other in years due to the pandemic. And sometimes, when people haven’t seen each other in a while, it can bring up emotions from past experiences and relationships and bring with it some anxiety. One thing that can help during this time of year is setting boundaries. Setting boundaries means communicating our needs to those around us, which will help us to feel more comfortable in those situations that bring about those anxious feelings.

Learn more about setting boundaries with the resources below from author Nedra Glover Tawwab, a NY Times best-selling author, therapist, and relationships and boundaries expert.

  • FREE Boundaries Quiz, which includes an ‘8 Steps to Healthier Boundaries’ guide
  • Set Boundaries, Find Peace, the NY Times bestselling book
  • Set Boundaries Workbook, which includes exercises for understanding your needs and setting healthy limits
  • Prefer a podcast? Listen to one (or ten!) of Nedra’s podcast guest appearances.

Content written by Be:Well member, Samantha Leonard

Self-Care

Woman in bathtubSetting boundaries is an important form of self-care, but there are many other ways to care for yourself during this busy season and throughout the year. Things like going for a brisk walk outside, spending time with animals, getting enough sleep, or avoiding your phone in the morning all count as self-care. These are small ways to help ease your mind and decrease the stress you may be feeling. The Trauma Stewardship Institute’s Tiny Survival Guide for self-care offers some great tips for how to care for yourself when you are feeling anxious. If you want more ideas for self-care and wellness, check out our Be:Well Winter Wellness trees!

Content written by Be:Well member, Samantha Leonard

Winter Wellness Trees

We welcome you to branch out this season and check out the tags on our Winter Wellness Trees!  The Be:Well team will be decorating two trees at the ESD 112 main campus with tags that offer a wellness activity or positive affirmation. One tree will be in the main reception area and the other will be in the large hallway near the River rooms.

You can take a tag for yourself, take one to give to someone else, write your own tag, or just read a new one each time you pass by. These trees are a reminder that practicing wellness can be a quick and simple thing to fit into your day, and we hope they provide some wellness inspiration for you this season.