What are the feelings of stress? What feelings do you have when you have anxiety? What is a typical response and when does our response or lack thereof become problematic? Since the beginning of the pandemic, many of our coping strategies, our management of typical stress and our ability to discuss it all have dwindled. So, how can we help ourselves and one another to be in the present moment of our lives and to make the now the primary focus?
November’s Community Wellness Collaborative theme was Anxiety and Stress. The focus is not only on the awareness of our feelings and emotions but learning what to do to cope with the stress and anxiety of our daily lives. Being focused on the present moment and identifying what our body and mind need to relax are key concepts in this month’s package. Strategies to fill our metaphorical “self-care cup” are explored such as body scans, meditation, journaling and tapping. Many additional resources such as books, websites, podcasts and apps for children, teens and adults are listed. We invite everyone to explore what works best for each unique situation. Making small changes to decrease our stress or lessen anxiety will increase positivity and our sense of self-worth.
The Community Wellness Collaborative is a committee that came together when the Ministry of Education announced that one of the Provincial Education Interim Plan Priorities was the Mental Health and Well-Being of students and staff across the province. The Committee exists to support the Mental Wellness aspect of Mental Health and in so doing to support the School Divisions and their focus on this priority. It also hopes to provide information to other organizations and groups (clients and staff). The focus of the committee is to concentrate on preventative strategies to remind the community of the importance of maintaining mental wellness.
From October until June, a monthly theme package is distributed by one of the representatives and their organization. The committee’s hope is that the community can learn more about a mental health wellness topic each month. The monthly theme package is distributed to organizations in Moose Jaw and is available to the community on request.
Please contact: Sarah.Phipps@htcsd.ca for more information
