Be:Well February News

Happy New Year! We hope that your year is off to a great start and that your new year’s resolutions are still in full effect. Either way, remember there is always time to set a goal you want to achieve!

Newsletter content prepared by Be:Well members Samantha Leonard & Chelsea Jacobson

Live:Well – Emotional Wellness

This month’s featured topic is emotional wellness. Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times. This doesn’t always come easy, and it takes work and practice just like anything else. The National Institutes of Health has an Emotional Wellness Toolkit that provides six strategies for improving your emotional health. They include building resilience, reducing stress, quality sleep, strengthening social connections, coping with loss and practicing mindfulness.

Another thing that can impact your emotional health is the way you think. The Mayo Clinic published an article called “Positive Thinking: Stop Negative Self-Talk to Reduce Stress” which explains the benefits of positive thinking. These benefits include an increased lifespan, lower rates of depression, greater resilience to illness, and better cardiovascular health – to name a few – and all of which can increase your emotional wellness.

American Heart Month & National Wear Red Day: Friday, February 2

Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women, killing more women than all forms of cancer combined? Or that most cardiac and stroke events can be prevented through education and lifestyle changes? The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement was launched in 2004 with the goal of raising awareness for cardiovascular disease in women. It is also a great reminder to be active and focus on keeping your heart healthy! We invite you to join us and wear red on Friday, February 2nd to support awareness of cardiovascular disease.

Take photos of your team wearing red and send them to bewell@esd112.org – we’d love to share them! And, if you’d like, feel free to include a description of who you are wearing red for.

The American Heart Association has many great resources on things you can do to prevent cardiovascular disease. The topics listed below are just some of the many you can find on their website:

Hearts of Affirmation:

Last year, the Be:Well team decorated the breakroom with hearts-of-affirmation. Each handmade heart had a positive affirmation written on it. This was done to encourage emotional wellness. It was such a big hit that we will be doing it again this year! The hearts will go up on Monday, February 5th and will stay up through February. Please stop by the breakroom for some positivity, and you can even add your own affirmation to a heart and leave it in the breakroom!

Random Acts of Kindness Day: Saturday, February 17

With Random Acts of Kindness Day occurring this month, the Be:Well team is providing ideas for how to be kind on that day – and every day – and will be hosting “Kindness Week” from Monday 2/12 – Friday 2/16 with activities in the ESD 112 Vancouver campus breakroom. Activities include:

We look forward to spreading kindness with you this month!

Using Yoga to Cultivate Self-Kindness

Content written by Breana Higgins

When thinking about spreading kindness, it’s important to consider yourself as well. In yoga, there are what’s called “8 limbs” of the practice. Most commonly known in the West include movement, breath and meditation. While lesser known, invaluable aspects of yoga called the Yamas and Niyamas invite us to walk with compassion, understanding, and integrity throughout our daily lives; both on and off of a yoga mat. Yamas and Niyamas serve as reminders that yoga is so much more than challenging shapes and expensive apparel. Rather, yoga is an invitation to live embodied.

The very first Yama of Patanjali Yoga Sutra is Ahimsa, meaning “non-violence,” or “non-harming.” Ahimsa is the foundation of the 8 limbs of yoga – calling us to practice non-judgment and cultivate kindness and compassion for ourselves so we have the capacity to extend it out to others.

There are countless ways in which we may call in ahimsa to our daily lives. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

Thank your body for carrying you through each day.
Affirm your value, strengths and uniqueness.
Practice self-forgiveness.
Give genuine compliments.
Prioritize rest and nutritious meals.
Aspire to create solutions rather than dwelling on problems.
Resolve conflicts peacefully.
Perform random acts of kindness.
Observe your anger and learn how to channel it constructively.
Provide a listening ear and practice empathy.
Try to make someone else smile. It will make you smile, too!
Take inventory of what you’re grateful for when you wake, and say what you’re thankful for as you reflect on the day before going to sleep.
Chant, sing, dance, celebrate your very existence!
Remember, yoga is a practice – we are always adjusting, evolving, learning and growing.
Give yourself grace knowing that there is humanity in our mistakes, and we can always try again
Interested in learning more about the practice of yoga and self-kindness? Join the February Be:Well Monthly Movement Break featuring Breana Higgins leading yoga!

Upcoming Be:Well Events

Monthly Movement Break – Yoga with Breana Higgins
Wednesday, February 21, 2:00pm
Skamania Room

Be:Well is hosting a Monthly Movement Break in partnership with rotating ESD staff members to share a specialty skill (ex: yoga, dance, self-defense, etc.) and take a 15-30 minute break and get our bodies moving! This month, we will be doing yoga with Breana Higgins – we recommend bringing a pillow or blanket.

Save the Date! ‘Couve Clover Run – Sunday, March 24

We’re taking the Wellness Walks to the next step (get it?) at the 10th Annual ‘Couve Clover Run on Sunday, March 24! Throw on your green shirt, grab your shamrock accessories, and join us at this family-friendly event where you can walk or run the scenic 1, 3, 7 or 10 mile routes along Officer’s Row, Fort Vancouver and the Columbia Waterfront. Kids 12 and under are free! It’s fun and it’s also for a good cause – the race supports local charities, including the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools and Evergreen School District Foundation. Click here to register – we’ll see you at the finish line!

Wellness Walks

Come join us for a weekly wellness walk! We are rotating the days and times to accommodate as many different schedules as we can. Meet in the ESD 112 lobby at the times listed on the monthly Wellness Walk schedule to take a stroll outside. We plan to walk, rain or shine, so please plan accordingly.

First Tues of the month @ 10:00am (February 6)
Second Wed of the month @ 3:45pm (February 14)
Third Thurs of the month @ 10:00am (February 22)

If you aren’t at the ESD 112 Vancouver campus, we welcome you to get a group together and take a walk at your location, at a time that works best for you. We’d love for you to share any pics and email to bewell@esd112.org.

Want to Join the Be:Well Team?

We are looking for folks who are passionate (or just plain curious) about wellness. Feel free to fill out this Quick Form to submit your Be:Well committee member application. We meet virtually, and we welcome individuals who work remotely, in the field, and/or at the ESD 112 main campus.