2026 June Employee Wellness Newsletter

Let's all chill out! 😎The four shifts to stay safe and injury-free this summer, stay cool at the Picklr, and more wellness trends in the news

A Summer State of Mind

Most summer safety tips revolve around wearing sunscreen, seeking shade, and staying hydrated. While those are definitely important to keep in mind, there's another aspect of our safety we'd like everyone to consider as temperatures rise and patience declines.

In the 1990's, a man named Larry Wilson recognized something foundational - that most mistakes and accidents on and off the job stem from four emotional "mind states" - rushing, fatigue (being too tired), frustration/anger, and complacency (being too comfortable or not paying attention)

What resulted was years of practical development, transitioning typical safety protocols to the SafeStart system that many workplaces use today. 

As we move through summer, it is important to recognize the emotional states that can contribute to accidents, injuries, interpersonal conflicts, and preventable chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and substance misuse.

Mindful States for Safety & Wellness: 

Fatigue

When we're tired, we're grouchy, have a shorter fuse, and simply aren't at our best. Response time is slower, and we're less alert on and off the job. Lack of sleep leads to high blood pressure, diabetes, and higher cholesterol, and also contributes to weight gain because when we're tired, we tend to crave high-sugar, highly processed foods, putting us on an energy crash-and-burn cycle throughout the day. Turn off the digital distractions in the evening, build a mindful, relaxing bedtime routine, and get more sleep!

Rushing

When we're in a hurry (because we're running behind for whatever reason-see above;), we have a spike in blood pressure, we're more easily distracted, frustrated, we feel stress (which raises cortisol levels), and we tend to take less care with tasks - which leads to mistakes and accidents.

Frustration/Anger

Frustration is stress at the boiling point. Left unchecked, it leads to anger, and the result can be saying or doing something we regret later. Both rushing and fatigue can cause us to feel stressed, become distracted, and feel frustrated. 

Complacency (boredom)

When we do something a million times (think driving to work), we tend to let our minds wander elsewhere. Repetitive tasks also lead to boredom, which means sometimes we're not as attentive as we should be to the job at hand, leading to mistakes and accidents. When you catch your mind wandering, realize that as a cue and take a mental step back, perhaps a physical work break to refresh and refocus.

As you can see, these mindsets are interconnected just like our mental and physical well-being. Learning to be more aware of our emotions and proactively address some of these situations is an important aspect of our physical and emotional safety and resilience. 

We can also view this through our 2026 theme: Building Generational Health, which focuses on moving from poverty to prosperity by promoting health, harmony, hope, and home.

The consequences of these emotions aren't just limited to daily transactions and the physical dangers they pose. They're the compounded outcomes of disharmony and lack of self-regulation brought on by the poverty mindset, lifestyle behaviors that perpetuate the cycle, and life dissatisfaction, which has siphoned our hope.  

A quick Google search for SafeStart also provided some of these techniques, which I have edited with expanded context as we move through busy, distracted days.  

Four Critical Error Reduction Techniques (CERTs) for a SafeStart 

• Trigger on the State: Notice your state  (like rushing or frustration)  before you make a mistake. Use the feeling itself as a reminder to slow down, refocus, or take a purposeful pause.
  
• Analyze Close Calls: Look at your own near-misses and minor slips (stumbling, dropping a tool, running a yellow light to red). Figure out which state caused it before a major injury happens. 
• Look for Mind State Patterns: Watch the people around you. Spotting others rushing or acting frustrated reinforces your own awareness of those dangers. 
• Work on Habits:  Start developing new behaviors for foundational wellness. Sleep, cognitive reframing, taking purposeful pauses throughout the day, building reflexive safety habits, such as moving your eyes before your body, checking your footing and surroundings, and developing and utilizing proactive situational awareness.

My encouragement for you this week and moving forward is to simply slow down, chill out, give grace to others (and yourself;), reframe negatives, and step away from tense, stressful situations when you need to for your own safety and well-being and for those around you. 

If you need guidance on managing your emotions, APS offers free, confidential ComPsych Guidance Resources for you and your family. Our Life on Mindfulness program can also help you and the kids in your life manage stress and enhance well-being. Scroll below for more information.

The Picklr & APS Have Partnered for APS Employee Sunday-Funday!

Pickleball—a sport where you can have a "mid-court crisis," volley Llama's, get pickled, dinked, cookied, flap-jacked, and falafeled with or without even going "into the kitchen." And now APS Employees and their families can play at the new Picklr East pickleball facility for FREE on Sundays!

Yep. APS Employee Wellness and The Picklr East have partnered to bring you APS Employee Sunday -Funday.  Courts are reserved for APS employees every Sunday from 12:00-2:00 p.m. 

There's no catch except please don't plan on hosting a family reunion. Bring your APS employee badge to show the fine folks at The Picklr's front desk.  This is a great opportunity to get the family out for playtime or connect with other APS friends and colleagues. 

The Pickler East is located at 45 Hotel Circle NE off Lomas and Eubank Blvd. Paddles and balls are included; however, you can certainly bring your own. 

If you have any questions, please email APS Employee Wellness at employee.wellness@aps.edu.

Health Coaching to Help You Gain Ground & Maintain What Matters Most - Your Well-being!

Sometimes, the path forward may be paved with good intentions, but it's rutted with insecurity stemming from past perceived failures and motivational setbacks. But you don't have to travel this road alone! If you're struggling, wellness coaching is the perfect avenue to help you navigate emotional and physical health issues and get back on the path to well-being. Try one of these APS programs that offer personalized health coaching and enroll today. 

1. Health Coaching: This service is offered through our Solutions Group wellness partner. Get help shifting lifestyle habits, managing a chronic illness, weight loss to improve health, or simply feel better. APS offers free Health Coaching for all employees. *Open to all APS employees.
2. APS EAP offers free, confidential counseling and lifestyle/well-being coaching services through ComPsych Guidance Resources. *This is open to all APS employees and immediate family members. 
3. Livongo/Teladoc is an integrated program for diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and weight loss. Livongo offers wrap-around, integrated mental health services and health coaching. *This program is open to all eligible employees and dependents covered under APS Benefits.  Getting started is easy!
   • Text “GO APS” to 85240 to learn more and join
   • Join by visiting  https://www.livongo.com/aps
   • Call 800-945-4355 and use the registration code: APS
4. Hinge Health: Get the relief you need to feel and function better with this virtual physical therapy program by Hinge Health. Hinge Health gives you the tools you need to conquer joint and muscle pain, including back, neck, knee, and shoulder pain, recover from injuries, prepare for surgery, and stay healthy and pain-free. Hinge Health also offers a one-of-a-kind, industry-leading women's pelvic floor program. 
   
   Click here and learn more to register. Begin your journey today with a team of physical therapists and health coaches! *Hinge Health is available at no cost to employees covered under the APS Benefits plans and eligible dependents.

Build Rest & Renewal Intentionally With A Life On Mindfulness 

If there is one practice that is scientifically proven to help regulate our stress, shift our thinking from poverty to prosperity, and reframe setbacks as opportunities for positive behavior change, it's mindfulness. Meditation also directly impacts neuroplasticity for behavior modification and regulates our habenula to keep our neurochemical reward system running smoothly. 

This is a free, flexible program for all employees that offers daily drop-in meditations, new weekly and monthly content, and featured meditations. See the link below to enroll in the Life on Mindfulness program for all content and email reminders. Everything is recorded for on-demand access. Links for daily drop-ins are available in the Employee Wellness Google Calendar. This site is mobile-optimized, so you can access a wide variety of recorded meditations anytime, anywhere. *The Life on Mindfulness program is open to all APS employees. 

The mindful center has a new page and a new daily schedule. This allows you the opportunity to flex meditation times and enjoy a stretch break. 

New login information for Life on Mindfulness

• If you have not enrolled in the Life on Mindfulness program, enroll here.
• If you are already enrolled, click: https://themindfulcenter.com/login and go to the top right, orange "member login" button. 
• Enter the email that you registered with. You can click the 'remember me' button for quicker access moving forward.
• Enter the new password: LOMPREMIUM

 The site is 'mobile-ready,' meaning you can view and listen to meditations anytime, anywhere on your phone. Each week, there are new meditations, recorded past meditations, featured workshops, and meditations

Youth on Mindfulness Page on the Life on Mindfulness Platform

Bring mindfulness to your students and add another Goal 4 skillset to your classroom! The Mindful Center has added a Youth on Mindfulness page. This is free for APS employees, and educators can use any of the meditations in the classroom. These mediations are suitable for students aged 10-18. 

To get to the Youth Meditations: 

• Click on your Life on Mindfulness account. 
• Go to the "Member Login" top right orange button and log in.
• Click the top left menu "Life on Mindfulness".
• Scroll down to the "Meditate Now" button and click.
• Scroll through the audio options. All 18 audio meditations are age-appropriate.
• Note: Additional youth content is regularly updated under the "Youth on Mindfulness" tab. 

 Wellness Trends In The News

Recipe for Health: Mushroom-Quinoa Curry Burgers A meatless burger seems like such a good idea: a nice round of plant-based protein that fits in a bun with favorite toppings. But the manufacturing process that produces that burger may diminish the possible health benefits, observes nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD, speaking for the Mayo Clinic News Network.

Self-Care Tips for Summer Warm weather is here; nurture yourself with these suggestions from fitness and wellness experts from across the country.

Testosterone Optimization in 2026 Focuses on Lifestyle Precision Over Quick Fixes Interest in testosterone health has surged in recent years, but the conversation is shifting. Rather than focusing narrowly on supplements or quick fixes, current best practice emphasizes lifestyle-driven testosterone optimization. This is a multidimensional approach grounded in training, recovery, nutrition, and metabolic health.

Stay Active, Eat Well and Actually Enjoy Your Summer Travel We’re heading into summer, which means more time away from home—for vacations, long weekends and spontaneous trips. The challenge isn’t just staying “on track,” but doing so in a way that still lets you relax and enjoy the experience. Instead of relying on basic tips alone, a smarter approach is to plan for flexibility. read more »

Why Form Matters in the Standard Squat The squat is one of the most effective lower-body exercises—but only when it’s performed with sound technique. Poor form doesn’t just reduce results; it increases the risk of injury and reinforces inefficient movement patterns. It ensures the right muscles do the work. A well-executed squat primarily targets the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. read more »