Rooted in Wellness: Occupational Wellness

Our conversation today with Cori Pence, Communications Specialist with Northwestern Community Services Board Prevention & Wellness Services is part of a year-long partnership with Northwestern Community Services Board highlighting eight different dimensions of wellness. Their "Rooted in" campaign is in its third year with 2023's message: Rooted in Wellness. Each month they will encourage and challenge community members to get involved by either participating in a monthly challenge or attending a Lunch and Learn session. The goals of the campaign are to deliver the following messages of wellness: • To raise awareness about how being mentally well impacts not only one part of who we are; • To encourage community members to become mentally well; • To foster connection and resilience in our communities by emphasizing wellness. Today's conversation featured Tracy Mitchell, Director of Wellness Services for Valley Health to talk about this month's topic: occupational wellness. Much of our discussion focused on defining, achieving, and recognizing work/life balance. Tracy told us about the employee wellness program offered to staff at Valley Health, Healthy You, and explained how it works and its impact on their employees. We talked about how to learn if your company offers an employee wellness program and if not, how to get one started.  We talked about how to know whether your work/life balance might be out of whack and the pair gave some tips and suggestions for making improvements such as monitoring the amount of sleep you get and mastering the art of saying no. This month, Cori is planning a panel discussion surrounding the topic of occupational wellness and has posted several articles with advice and techniques to find work/life balance. You can find more details, resources, and information about physical wellness on their website: https://www.nwcsbwellness.com/rooted-in-wellness-campaign/occupational-wellness  "Rooted in Wellness" is a collaborative project. Prevention and Wellness works closely with local coalitions to reach each community in their service area. These include Family Youth Initiative, Page Alliance for Community Action, Warren Coalition, and Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition. In addition, the campaign hopes to bring awareness to 2 statewide initiatives: Activate Your Wellness and Lock and Talk Virginia. Each month there will be a call to action with tips, activities, and education to build up a specific dimension of wellness. There are various ways to engage in the campaign including through social media. Stay up-to-date by following @NWCSBWellness on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for infographics, photos, resources, and quotes. As this campaign is yearlong, be sure to visit nwcsbwellness.com regularly for updates and schedule of monthly activities. Share posts and include the hashtag #NWRootedinWellness. Get involved. Be creative. Take photos that reflect what wellness means to you and tag @NWCSBWellness on social media with the hashtag #NWPhotoVoiceChallenge. Implement #NWRootedinWellness into your everyday life this year. Yard signs with wellness messages are also available as part of this effort. Reach out if you are interested in displaying a FREE sign by emailing [email protected] See signs? Take a picture and be sure to tag @NWCSBWellness and use the hashtag #NWRootedinWellness. Click here to listen to prior conversations about the Rooted in Wellness campaign.