The holiday season often brings with it increased demands on our time and activity. We can experience more demands and higher expectations which may result in more stress in our lives. The holiday season also brings with it colder temperatures which can cause sickness. Finding balance can be difficult with holiday events that are out of the ordinary, finding the perfect gifts, preparing the perfect meal or hosting a gathering.

Everyone has a different way of managing the busy holiday season. Here are some tips that might help you manage your holiday schedule and stay healthy this holiday season:

• Make time for exercise even if you can’t fit a whole workout in. Do half of your workout, walk home from work, or do small exercises at home.
• Stay hydrated to avoid mistaking dehydration for hunger.
• Don’t go to holiday events hungry. Eat a healthy snack before you attend an event, eat slowly and try not to stand near the snacks.
• If you decide to indulge, it’s okay to treat yourself, just be aware of portion sizes. [1]
• Be sure your expectations for the holidays are realistic. Set a budget and share responsibilities with family members if you have too much on your plate.
• Focus on everything that can go well instead of everything that might go wrong.
• Schedule time for yourself and remember to take a break when you need one.
• Enjoy the holidays and take time to reflect on the good things in your life.[2]

Your Employee and Family Assistance Plan (EFAP) through LifeWorks also has plenty of resources to assist you with managing holiday stress. Visit the LifeWorks website to view some helpful articles.

Travel Health Insurance

HUB International STRATA Benefits Consulting partnered with insurance broker Medi-Quote Insurance Brokers Inc. to offer many competitive travel insurance options.

Coverage available through HUB STRATA and Medi-Quote Insurance Brokers includes:

• Annual Plans
• Single Trip Plans
• Trip Cancellation, Interruption and Baggage Loss Insurance coverage
• Top-Up Days for travel of up to any duration available
• Full coverage for Existing Medical Conditions
• Family Rates, Travel within Canada, and Traveling Companion Discounts
• Deductible Options
• Super Visa Insurance for family members coming to Canada for extended or multiple trips

This program is 100% voluntary for any Employee requiring additional coverage, leaving the Group Plan, or in need of coverage for a family member. Log on to your STRATA Select website for more information and instructions on how to request a quote.

Login: rrc              Password: voluntary

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars at www.lifeworks.com.

If you’re a family caregiver, you may be struggling to balance the demands of your many roles. This month, LifeWorks will feature their resources on how to handle the demands and stresses of caregiving. Check out these resources:

• Podcast – Tips for the Sandwich Generation

[1] Irene Ogrodnik. November 25, 2014. “How to stay fit and healthy during the holidays”. Global News. http://globalnews.ca/news/1690984/how-to-stay-fit-and-healthy-during-the-holidays/

[2] Kristin Jenkins. December 19, 2008. “Managing holiday stress”. Public Health Agency of Canada. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/stress-eng.php

I want to write a bit about the concept of mental health and I’d like to do so in such a way that avoids dry definitions, focusing instead on a more personal perspective.

Mental health to me is:

• not happiness alone, but instead, the ability to feel a wide range of emotions;
• clarity and accuracy of thought and perception;
• the ability to cope with everyday stressors;
• feeling integrated into a community or communities, giving and receiving support as needed;
• feeling a sense of meaning and purpose.

Good mental health supports me to engage in meaningful daily activities like working, socializing, studying, and parenting. When any piece of my mental health is poor, I’m not able to fully engage in these activities and this serves as a sign to me that I need to take extra care of myself.

When I feel that pesky tickle in my throat, indicating a cold is coming on, I drink extra fluids and go to bed early. It’s similar with my mental health. Feeling lonely, confused, perpetually grouchy, or disconnected from meaning and people are some of the signs, like that tickle in my throat, that I have to take some extra care of my health.

My personal definition of mental health is only one perspective. I’m excited to bring other perspectives to you through this blog. Perhaps hearing about how I conceptualize mental health can lead to some personal reflection for you.

Think about what mental health is to you.

Think about what activities in your life are supported by good mental health.

Think about what signs indicate that you need to take some extra care of your mental health.

I’d love to hear what you come up with!

Breanna

We know that physical appearance, including the shape and size of one’s body, is of much concern in popular culture. We don’t have to look far before finding ads, editorials, and images encouraging us to change our bodies in some way. They tell us to Lose weight! Tone your tummy! Shrink your thighs! Remove unwanted body hair! and Get rid of wrinkles!

These messages, among other factors, contribute to the development of body dissatisfaction and even eating disorders. Eating disorders are chronic, serious mental health disorders that drastically impair one’s ability to function in life and cause major emotional and physical distress. Although there are effective treatments for eating disorders, prevention is a priority.

About The Body Project

The Body Project is a body-acceptance program that helps college students resist cultural pressures to conform to the ideal standard of female beauty and reduce their pursuit of unrealistic bodies. The Body Project is supported by more research than any other body image program and has been found to reduce onset of eating disorders.

The program is meant to be offered in 4 one-hour sessions, which include facilitated discussions, activities, and homework assignments. A peer-reviewed long-term efficacy trial found the following:

“…participants in the…intervention showed a significantly lower risk for onset of clinically significant eating pathology relative to assessment-only controls (6% versus 15%), which amounts to a 60% reduction… These results suggest that for every 100 young women who complete this intervention, approximately 9 fewer should show onset of eating pathology” (Stice et. al. 2008).

RRC Invited to Facilitator Training

The College, along with Women’s Health Clinic and University of Manitoba, has been invited to take part in a two day facilitator training so that we can offer The Body Project to students. Four staff are set to attend, but we need students to join us and train as peer facilitators.

Training Details

Below is our flyer with some details as to how a student would get involved:

We appreciate your help in getting the word out to students who may be interested in this opportunity!

Breanna

Hello, I’m Breanna Sawatzky, your new Mental Health Coordinator! I’m so thrilled to be tasked with promoting positive mental health for students, staff, and faculty here at RRC. This is just my third week in the position, yet so many people have welcomed me, helping me feel at ease. I’d like to tell you a bit about myself and what I bring to the Mental Health Coordinator role.

I’ve always been interested in factors that contribute to human suffering and human flourishing. These interests led me to major in Psychology at the University of Winnipeg. During my studies I volunteered with Klinic Community Health Centre’s Crisis and Sexual Assault Crisis programs, providing person centered counselling, advocacy, and support based on an empowerment model.

I earned my honours B.A. in Psychology and worked as a Research Assistant in Psychiatry at Health Sciences Centre and the University of Manitoba. There I was privileged to interact with many people who were experiencing severe and persistent Mental Illness, some in recovery and some still grappling with unbearable symptoms.

After my research work, I served as a Mental Health Skills Teaching Specialist with the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg’s Learning and Leisure Centre. There I facilitated skill development groups, conducted one-on-one coaching sessions, and led therapeutic recreation activities with adults who had experienced mental illness and needed a supportive community to help them in their recovery. I was later the Director of that program and then Manager of Community Outreach at the Y.

I strongly believe in collaboration and have worked with several groups who are committed to mental health promotion and recovery. Some are the MANSO Health Committee; WRHA Mental Health Advisory Council; and Provincial Recovery Champions Committee.

I’m passionate about knowledge translation and participatory decision making, where service users drive service design. I know that a lot of work has gone into the Healthy Minds, Healthy College Charter and strategy up to this point. I’m so excited to start implementing programming to ensure RRC is a health promoting College.

On a personal note, I live in St. James with my husband and two children (6 and 3 years old). We love to spend time at Assiniboine Park throughout all four seasons. An awesome book club and regular yoga practice help me stay well and balanced. My family also volunteers with Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council‘s host matching program. We have been matched with a large Syrian family (they have 8 children!) who arrived in Winnipeg as refugees.

I’m excited to use Mind it! to highlight the many ways we each care for our mental health, cope with challenges, and form supportive communities. I welcome guest blog posts, so please contact me with your insights, experiences, and suggestions. Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to this blog!

You can find me in AB05 at NDC and wherever my duties take me.

I thank you for reading this and I hope to see you around campus!

Breanna

To Learn or Not to Learn: By Beverly Wood

I decided to take a Continuing Education course this fall in a new and unfamiliar field of Network Technology. I have used computer applications regularly but I am not aware of how computers interact with each other. One of the instructors teaching this course piqued my interest in this field.

At exam time I always ask WHY I do this to myself. I could be outside enjoying the gorgeous fall weather, hiking, walking the dogs or simply enjoying our backyard. But, I am inside studying/reading/doing assignments. Why? “It is my LOVE of learning,” I tell myself. But why do I love learning despite the knowledge of the hard work involved in order to do well?

Some of the benefits of learning are:

• Prevents boredom with life creeping in (emotional health)
• Makes me happy (physical & emotional health)
• Provides an opportunity to engage with other people and make new friends (social health)
• Keeps my mind active, alert and healthy (intellectual health)
• Good for personal and professional growth
• Gives me a sense of accomplishment and an enhanced quality of life

So, when was the last time you learned something new?

Learning does not have to involve exams and homework. Have you been thinking of trying your hand at something new? Maybe it is a canning class or learning how to fix your own bike or knitting, etc. The world is a fascinating place; there are so many interesting things/topics to learn about. This winter, I encourage you to take the time to learn something new. You may be surprised how good it makes you feel.

While we enjoy the fall season, don’t forget to set aside some time for exercise and fitness. While the days become shorter and more crisp in Winnipeg, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy the outdoors while working being active. There are many outdoor options in the city, from various parks, to green spaces, playgrounds and sport fields. One hidden gem at the Assiniboine Park is the Terry Fox Fitness Trail.

Created over 30 years ago, the Terry Fox Fitness Trails is area where people of all fitness levels can enjoy exercise in the beautiful Assiniboine Park. Re-opened in June of 2016, and located in the South-East corner of the park, the 1km Trail has been extensively renovated and has replaced all 12 pieces of it’s fitness equipment.

The beauty of the park is that you can create a workout that fits you on that day, the only limit being your imagination. Along the running trail, each piece of equipment has signage explaining each exercise with diagrams. The trail is open year round, 24 hours a day.

Click Here for a Global News video touring the updated Terry Fox Trail

Click Here for the Assiniboine Park Map

Winter is fast approaching and being prepared for the season is important. Consider preparing a winter driving kit including the following items:[1]

• Warm clothing (gloves, toque, boots)
• Blanket
• Sand
• Small shovel
• Ice scraper and snow brush
• Nonperishable snacks
• Extra windshield washer fluid
• First aid kit
• Paper copy of a local map
• Flashlight with batteries
• Flares
• Waterproof matches
• Battery jumper cables

Additionally, be sure to properly maintain your vehicle. Your tire condition and pressure and fluid levels should be checked regularly. If you don’t already use winter tires it may be a good idea to consider purchasing some. Manitoba Public Insurance currently offers a Winter Tire Program with financing at a low interest rate for up to $2,000 per vehicle.[2]

You are eligible for the Winter Tire Program if:

• You are an individual (not corporate) Manitoba Public Insurance Customer
• You purchase qualifying winter tires for a passenger vehicle or light truck registered under your name. This symbol will be displayed on qualifying tires:
• You have no financing restrictions or outstanding arrears with Manitoba Public Insurance

For more information on the Manitoba Public Insurance Winter Tire Program and complete eligibility requirements, vist their website here.

Avoid Shoveling Injuries[3]

Shoveling is a common cause of back injuries in the winter, but you can avoid injury by following some of these tips:

• Use an ergonomic, light weight shovel
• Warm up your muscles with a short, full body activity and stretching
• Bend at your hips and your knees, not at your lower back
• Lift with your leg muscles
• Shovel small amounts of snow at a time or layer by layer
• Walk to where you want to pile the snow instead of throwing or reaching
• Take a break if you feel overworked and take this time to stretch your arms, shoulders and back
• Wear good winter boots with treads to avoid slipping
• If you have a snow blower use it instead, but be sure to keep your back straight and use your leg muscles to push through the snow

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars at www.lifeworks.com.

It’s a busy time of year, and managing overload and flexibility can be overwhelming. LifeWorks has the resources to help you balance all of life’s demands. Check out this months’ recommended podcast:

• Tips on Making Flexibility Work

[1] Tips to Prepare for Winter Road Conditions. CAA. http://www.caa.ca/tips-to-prepare-for-winter-road-conditions/. November 5, 2012.

[2] Winter Tire Program, Manitoba Public Insurance, http://www.mpi.mb.ca/en/rd-safety/winter-tires/Pages/winter-tire-program-overview.aspx. 2016.

[3] Snow Shoveling Techniques to Prevent Low Back Injuries. Peter J. Schubbe, DC. Spine-health™. http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/ergonomics/snow-shoveling-techniques-prevent-low-back-injuries. December 16, 2013.

The RRC Wellness Initiative is a movement at the College that’s partly formal, and partly organic. Formal: The wellness committee, the wellness steering group, and RRC departments. Organic: The many informal groups and individual students and staff who participate in wellness conversations and actions each day.

These actions, both strategic and grassroots, are moving the needle on wellness programming, resources and supports for students and staff.

Two years ago, the wellness committee created a definition of wellness.

In part, we call it “a positive state of well-being, driven by a lifelong, dynamic process of change and growth within oneself, with others and with our environment. It is distinct from the concept of “absence of illness”. Our concept of wellness is holistic – it involves multiple dimensions, including emotional, social, spiritual, physical, intellectual /career, environmental and financial. These dimensions interact continuously, influencing and being influenced by one another individually and collectively. Do you find that this description resonates with you?

Interestingly, some leading research refers to wellness as a skill, not just a state. I’m interested in that concept – the idea that we can develop the ability to cultivate and maintain stronger wellness over time is a powerful one.

Many people find that when we speak of wellness in terms of dimensions, it’s easier to look at the areas that seem less in balance and to gain perspective on why and what to do about it (if anything!) For example, I’m not going to train for a triathlon this year because my husband just started a new business. I want to help him with his set up because emotional and financial wellness is more important to me and my family right now than completing the big race. So, that’s okay with me. Seeing this choice in the context of wellness dimensions, I  I feel less likely to put on the self-guilt about not tackling the triathlon.

Meanwhile, I’ve also noticed how much spiritual wellness has been a huge focus for me in the last year, and I can see how that’s filled a gap in my life compared to previous years, so it reinforces for me that this dimension is really feeling healthy right now and I want to keep that up.

What dimensions feel more in balance for you right now, and less in balance? Do you have a sense of why and does it make sense for you right now? If not, consider taking steps to work on that dimension of wellness this year. This might include using resources and supports available here at RRC, or it might involve things external to the College. Or both!

RRC uses the visual of a “wellness wheel” to get our definition across in an approachable way. Have you seen the wellness wheel around campus? It’s on event posters, on display banners and posters, and has been incorporated into various guide books and communications. Keep an eye out for it – it highlights events and programs that tie into the initiative.

Speaking of events, the Wellness Committee has done a ton of work over the past two years to deliver events and programming for the benefit of students and staff. This year, we expanded on our partnership with the Students’ Association to deliver Thrive Week from October 3 to 7 – a mental health awareness week for staff and students (previously just for students). Highlights we heard across the board were the therapy dogs and the featured speaker Nova Browning Rutherford. Our next signature event will be the 2nd annual Get Movin’ Challenge throughout February. We look forward to distributing pedometers, signing people up, giving away prizes, and reducing sedentary behavior during the coldest month of the year! We also have other key goals for the year, including the development of some personal wellness self-assessment tools, adding new wellness activities to our next RED Forum, and better targeting our newest employees to get them plugged into RRC wellness.

Lastly, I mentioned earlier that wellness at RRC includes grassroots individual conversations. I invite you to read an amazingly candid and heartfelt story from an RRC student named Cassandra Cardy who has initiated a conversation about her mental health with her readers via a blog post. It’s up on the Mind It! site and it’s profoundly moving. I urge you to check it out.

Republished with permission from Cassandra Cardy, a student in Red River College Creative Communications program.

I dipped low this summer. I have dipped before in my life and usually justified the feelings of sadness and guilt with hormones or growing up.

I got up, left the house without saying goodbye to anyone like I was doing every day, and I got into my car.

I didn’t know where I was going but I had a phone number my friend gave me a couple weeks ago and I couldn’t live with myself another day. I don’t like saying “myself” because from February-August I was not myself. In fact, what I was experiencing was a deep longing for my old self. I missed her. I missed her like I missed a dead person, like she was never coming back. I don’t know how, when or why she left.

I drove down the highway toward town with nowhere to go. No desires. No wants. No purpose. Nothing was making me want to do this again tomorrow. There was no point to any of this.

I pulled into the truck stop I drive by every day for 20 years and parked in the foreign parking lot with semis and road-trippers using the bathroom.

I call the number for a mental health nurse my friend gave me. It rang and it rang and her friendly voice came on at the end and said to leave a message. I rested my head on the steering wheel.

Forty-five minutes later I was in Brandon putting a Toonie in a parking meter. I stepped around the smeared tent caterpillars on the sidewalk while walking to the downtown clinic.

I walked passed the brochures on suicide and abortion. I walked passed the pile of sticky Home Sense Magazine on the coffee table waiting room. A lady’s head stuck out from behind the admin counter and when she looked at me from over her glasses I began to sob.

“I need help.”

Read More →

As part of Red River College’s group benefits, Employees in Flex Options 1, 2, 4 or 5 may have coverage for a variety of dental benefits. Your coverage is based on your Flex Option choice.

Preventive and Basic Services

• Recall exams, twice per calendar year* provided within the same year)
• (only once where a complete oral exam is also
• Bitewing x-rays, twice per calendar year*
• Complete series of x-rays, one per 24 months
• Panoramic x-rays, one per 36 months
• Complete oral examinations, one per calendar year
• (initial examination with a new dentist)
• Polishing, scaling and fluoride, twice per calendar year*
• Minor restorative services (fillings, posts, prefabricated
• crowns for primary teeth)
• Periodontal and Endodontic services
• Oral surgery

*must be separated by an interval of at least 5 months

Major Services

• Crowns, Onlays, Inlays and Veneer Restorations
• Dentures, maintenance and repairs
• Bridgework

Orthodontics

• Coverage for dependent children under child’s 18^th birthday)
• the age of 19 (treatment must start before the
• Diagnostic services and treatments

For detailed dental coverage information refer to your benefits booklet.

The above is a summary of the provisions of the group plan. In the event of a discrepancy between this summary and the group contract, the terms of the group contract will apply.

Pre-Determination of Dentalcare Benefits

Before incurring any large dental expenses ($500 or more), or beginning any orthodontic treatment, ask your dental service provider to complete a treatment plan and submit it to Great-West Life. The benefits payable for the proposed treatment will be calculated, so you know if the expenses are eligible and the approximate portion of the cost you will have to pay.

Are you prepared for Flu Season?

With the fluctuating temperatures and more time spent indoors, the flu season can sneak up on us. Health Canada suggests the flu vaccine is the most effective way to protect yourself against the flu. Flu vaccines are free and are available at a variety of venues such as doctor’s offices, nursing stations and pharmacies.[1]

In addition to getting vaccinated each year, consider following these tips to prevent the flu this season:[2]

• Wash your hands frequently
• Use the bend of your arm when coughing and sneezing instead of your hands
• Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces at work and at home often
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat healthy foods and exercise
• Get lots of rest

Check out the Government of Canada website for more information here.

Fall Cooking

Try this Spiced Up Butternut Squash Soup recipe to keep you warm this fall:[3]

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp mild curry powder or paste
• 3 cups sodium reduced vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup 0% fat plain Greek yogurt (optional)

1. Peel squash and cut into quarters. Remove seeds and further cut into cubes.
2. In a soup pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onion, garlic and curry powder. Cook while stirring for about 2 minutes or until onion starts to soften. Add squash, broth and cilantro or parsley, if using. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about 25 minutes or until squash is tender.
3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth. Stir in pepper.

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars at www.lifeworks.com.

It’s that busy time of year again, whether you’re moving or adjusting to a transition, LifeWorks can support you with resources to help you adapt to change. Check out this months’ recommended podcast:

• Coping with Loss

[1] Because it’s about them too. Get Vaccinated. Don’t Spread the Flu. Manitoba Health. 2016. http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/flu/index.html

[2] Prevention of flu (influenza). Government of Canada. 2015. http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/diseases-conditions-maladies-affections/disease-maladie/flu-grippe/prevention-eng.php

[3] Spiced Up Butternut Squash Soup. Government of Canada. 2014. http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/healthy-eating-saine-alimentation/tips-conseils/recipes-recettes/butternut-squash-soup-soupe-courge-butternut-eng.php