Tag Archives: Wellbeing

Learning & Development, Organisational Development, Staff Success, UC News, Videos, Wellbeing

LinkedIn Learning Going Live From 9th November

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LinkedIn Learning features a digital library of over 6,000 courses covering a wide range of technical, business, software and creative topics as well as wellbeing education and personal interest. We are excited to announce that we Go Live with LinkedIn Learning through the week of 9th November 2020*.

Getting started
During ‘Go Live’ week, you will receive an activation email via LinkedIn Learning. Don’t delete it! You must activate your LinkedIn Learning account using this activation email. You’ll have the option to connect through your personal LinkedIn profile (recommended!) or activate your account using your Canterbury staff email address.

Instructions for both approaches will be available via the Learning and Development Intranet.

Once you’re in, browse around! Take a course, learn  something new and APPLY it in your day-to-day! Then share your learnings and recommended courses with your colleagues.

*Access is granted to those in continuing and long term fixed term.

Wellbeing

How to make everyday feel like a Friday!

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‘Cannot wait for Friday’

‘I wish it were Friday’

These can be a catchphrase that most of us have become accustomed to! Instead try adopting some responses like:

  • Majestic Monday
  • Thankful Tuesday
  • Wonderful Wednesday
  • Terrific Thursday
  • Fun Friday

Below are some tips to create that Friday feeling every day of the week:

Reduce next morning stress

One of the sure ways to help make your day goes well is to ensure it actually starts off well as it is far harder to have a great day if it starts off the wrong way.

Sometimes you find yourself running late, with an empty stomach or weren’t able to find the right clothes, there are countless ways you can make your morning far more stressful than it has to be.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense to try minimise the stress by being prepared the night before.

This can include:

  • Laying out your clothing for the following day
  • Preparing your bag with your computer or whatever else you need to bring
  • Preparing or at least setting out your breakfast for the following morning.

Doing this helps ensure that your workday morning will not only be easier and less stressful but it also requires less time meaning more time to sleep or exercise before you head to work. In other words, more Friday feeling!

 Make commuting more enjoyable

One of the more dreaded parts of every work day is commuting to and from the workplace. Whether you drive or take public transportation, it can often feel like a really arduous task.

There are a number of ways of doing this but the following two will have the biggest impact straight away:

  • Consider listening to catchy and interesting audiobooks or podcasts. You may very well start looking forward to your next commute for that very reason.
  • If traffic is a big problem on your commute, speak to your manager and see if it is possible if you start earlier/finish earlier in order to try miss the build-up. Having a shorter commute is bound to enhance your workday enjoyment.

Enhance your work day

With the morning and commute of the working day enhanced, the other big area that needs to be considered is your time actually in the workplace. The following are just some of the few of many different ways to help make your working day more enjoyable:

  • Make sure you are taking regular mind breaks throughout the day
  • Stretch if you are feeling tight or uncomfortable
  • If your situation allows for it, decorate your desk with something that will make you smile.

By bringing the Friday feeling to the rest of the working week, you are not only making your time at work more enjoyable but you are benefiting yourself in the process. There are countless different ways of doing this, see what works for you and give it a go, it can only make you happy.

Doing some training is another great way to add variety to your week. Why not sign up for the upcoming workshop on Growing Personal Resilience. The Growing Personal Resilience programme will take place on the Thursday 5th and Wednesday 17th November from 12.30pm and 4.30pm. There are still a few spots left so get in quick!

 

Health and Safety, Learning & Development, Organisational Development, Wellbeing

Could you use a resetting of your resilience?

I think you’ll agree that this year has tested all of our resilience. In times such as this, it’s so important to take care of ourselves.

The Growing Personal Resilience programme was developed to provide people with the practical tools to manage life more effectively, and to not turn pressure into stress. The programme is aimed at developing people’s personal strengths, helping them to become more resilient and to gain more control over their personal and professional lives.

Growing Personal Resilience programme will run on Thursday 5th and Wednesday 18 November from 12.30pm to 4.30pm.

Go to the Development tab in UCPeople to register, or access via our Learning and Development site.

Wellbeing

Look after your wellbeing, starting with the basics

While we support students within our community, it’s important to take care of our own wellbeing too. There’s no shortage of self-care activities with great mental health benefits that you can engage in. 

All of the resources and information out there can become overwhelming, so start by focusing on the basics – one at a time.

You would be surprised just how beneficial a slight tweak to one area in your lifestyle can be if given some attention. 

Over the month of October focus on improving one of the four basic elements of your lifestyle below:

  1. Sleep
  • 7-9 hours
  • Regular times – i.e. consistent bedtime and wake time
  • Relax for an hour before bed (try reading a book or magazine/ listening to a podcast or music)
  • Reduce light exposure in the hours leading up to bedtime
  • On mobile devices enable ‘night mode’ (which reduces blue light)
  • Get sunlight during the day, preferably early. An early morning walk takes care of this + physical activity.
  1. Nutrition
  1. Physical activity
  • Aim for 5 hours of moderate and 2.5 hours of vigorous exercise per week
    • If that seems too much, start by aiming for 2.5 hours of moderate and 1.5 hours of vigorous exercise per week
  • Break up periods of sitting as often as possible (e.g. move every 40 minutes)
  • Do some strengthening activities at least 2 days every week, these could be lifting weights, or doing resistance exercises and body weight exercises (like push-ups)
  1. Connection
  • Keep in regular contact with your friends and family
  • Go for a walking meeting with your colleagues (exercise, productivity AND fresh air = triple bonus)
  • Try your hand at volunteering, it’s a great way to connect with your community

Looking for more information?

Have a look at the Resources for Staff Wellbeing page on the Intranet or check out our very own Wellbeing Hub for more advice about self-care.

This self-care guide for students is also a useful resource that you can use for yourself.

Wellbeing

Reflections on Mental Health Awareness Week

Last week was NZ Mental Health Awareness Week, and to celebrate a variety of events and activities were held on campus including:

  • The Wellbeing Expo at Haere-Roa, where we had various entertainment, food, gave away 100 self care-care bags and a chance to enter a prize draw
  • Lunchtime seminars on “The Importance of Sleep for Wellbeing”, “Wellbeing – Supporting Your Own and Others” and “Nutrition for Wellbeing; Practical Suggestions for improving mental health under stress”
  • A chance to “take a mate for coffee” with a buy 1 get 1 free deal at participating cafes around UC

The Wellbeing Expo was a success with hundreds of staff and students joining in with the entertainment, food and fun. Our Vice Chancellor Cheryl de la Rey and a class of kindergarten children came along and all had a go on the trampoline.

The other events also saw a large numbers of attendees – participating cafes of “Take a Mate for Coffee” were run off their feet, and the lunchtime seminars attracted a variety of students and staff who all engaged with the sessions.

Congratulations the winners of the prize draw!!

Massage voucher 1            Stephanie Stuart

Massage voucher 2            Krissy Blom

TEU $100 UBS Voucher  Janandi Schnetler

Mt John dinner and tour  Penny Earle

DoTerra Oil Kit                      Glenda Irving

Himalayan Salt Lamp         Jeni Clayton-Smith

My Food Bag Voucher      Courtney

A shout out to say thanks:

Thank you to the fabulous lunchtime presenters, Professor Neville Blampied, Professor Katharina Naswall and Professor Julia Rucklidge, who kindly donated their time to share their words of wisdom on Wellbeing.

Thank you to all the vendors who attended the Wellbeing expo and to the sponsors who provided prizes for the draw which included; Massage Vouchers for Port Hills Massage Therapy, $100 UBS voucher and mindfulness colouring book donated by the TEU, 2 tickets to Mount John Observatory for a tour and dinner donated by UC Alumni, $172 voucher for 5 days My Food Bag for 4 people, a DoTerra oil kit from Jodie O’Neill and a Himalayan Salt Lamp from Sarah Bendall.

Finally, thank you to the Mental Health Awareness Week Planning Team this week would not have been possible without their dedication and support. The Wellbeing Expo came to fruition as a result of the team being awarded one of the 2020’s UC Health, Safety and Wellbeing Initiative Awards.

Key reflections from this week

This week has reminded us that mental health isn’t just something for us to pay attention to one week of the year, rather it’s something that should be front of mind every day. At any time our own and others’ mental health can change. For that reason, it’s important that we listen to our feelings and take notice of those around us, and never be afraid to ask for help.

There are loads of great resources available to support our Wellbeing including our very own UC Wellbeing Hub and the staff UC and Me site. Have a read and keep it tucked in your ‘toolbox’, ready to get out when you need it, any time of the year.