March 2022 Employee Wellness Newsletter

Allow time for good things to grow, 30 ways to well-being, pet therapy for employees, and more wellness trends in the news.

Wellness Wire: Create Space to Allow Good Things to Grow

This March has been about how to turn over a new leaf for our wellness. That's not easy - I know.

Once we make the human connection between our emotional triggers and actions - and how those behaviors actually make us feel - we can start to clear our mental and physical clutter. The mindsets and habits holding us back from better health, and replace them with wellness-oriented endeavors that will ease stress, boost our energy, and help us feel better – every day.

This will create space in our emotional and physical environment so we can plant the seeds of well-being and allow good things to grow. What does ‘creating space’ look like?

• Realign boundaries and reset expectations around work/family roles. Give yourself permission to be unavailable from one of your many roles so you can show up for your wellness.
• Carve out time for wellness buffers like stretching, exercise, meditation, or even just a quick "breather from the moment" before work, between meetings, at lunch, after work, or before bedtime.
• Limit TV/social media, Internet surfing (especially during the week) to create more time for walking, hiking, gardening, a home project, reading a fun novel, playing with your kids, journaling, exploring – whatever it is that piques your curiosity, reconnects you with something you’ve let go and brings you joy.
• Literally, clear the clutter from your physical environment. If that feels overwhelming and you don't know where to start, we have simple resources in the March 13-25 Google Event Calendar.

Realize that - just like in nature - we may not see immediate results from our actions. Be patient.  Dormant times don't mean nothing is happening underneath the surface for our well-being. It takes months for nature to go through this process, give your wellness efforts the same consideration.  Eventually with time, space and light you, too, will bloom. 

Since there's nothing quite like the spreading of wildflower pollen in the wind, please help plant seeds and share these wellness wires with your colleagues. Check out the new and ongoing programs below to help you plant and nourish your well-being one day at a time. 

Upcoming Wellness Wire Issues

• March 1: Wellness Wire - March-On 
• March 8: Wellness Wire - Our Human Connection
• March 15: Wellness Wire - There's More to Clutter Than Meets the Eye

APS Employee Wellness Programs & Events

APS Employee Wellness offers many free programs to help all employees (regardless of benefits coverage or full/part-time status) lower their risk for disease, attain lifestyle and weight loss goals as well as manage stress and mental health issues.  

• 30 Ways to Well-being is a new email-based program. Register and you will receive daily wellness emails with simple yet innovative practices to do every day. This will bring new awareness for you around stress, sleep, movement, nutrition, connection, and more! This is an ongoing program. Enroll and engage at your own pace. 
• New! Pet therapy for APS employees. If you would like to offer your staff or department a couple of hours of furry-cuddle-stress-relieving therapy time, fill out this request form. Please note accommodations must be made for any colleagues who have allergies to dogs. 
• Health Coaching: Open to all APS employees. If you would like help with managing a chronic illness, weight loss to improve your health, or to simply feel better, APS offers free Health Coaching to all APS employees.
• Livongo: Get your life back and manage diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity with this personalized program- Livongo. The name is short for Live On The Go! Because having a chronic illness can hinder our positive life experiences. We want you to get that back and feel better! Participants receive one on one expert coaching, integrated tools to manage blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight loss. *This program is free for eligible employees and dependents under APS Benefits.
• Life on Mindfulness: Check out your new Life on Mindfulness portal with password APSLOM. This program is a free, flexible program for all employees that offers weekly drop-in meditations, new monthly content, and Saturday workshops. Links for weekly drop-ins and the Saturday sessions are in the APS Employee Wellness Calendar. Enroll in the Life on Mindfulness Program for all content and email reminders. *The Life on Mindfulness program is open to all APS employees.
• Do you feel like you need to lose weight, manage your nutrition and get more movement but you just don't know how to start? The Pre-Diabetes Prevention Program may be for you! Join this national pilot program from the CDC and through NMSU. Options for online/virtual and continuous, personal coaching for one full year. *Open to all APS employees.
• 2022 Employee Wellness Incentive Program: This is a voluntary wellness reward program for all full-time APS employees. The new year and program have begun for 2022. You have until January 14 to submit points for 2022. Get those points in and redeem for any number of rewards like New Mexico Sports & Wellness memberships, LesMills OnDemand, Stone Age gym passes, Wecks, Flying Star, or Sports Systems gift cards. If you haven't participated, take time to read more about it, log in to your Wellness@Work well-being dashboard, and get started this year. *Open to all full-time APS employees.

Mental Health Resources

• Effective January 1, 2022, there are new APS mental health benefits with no cost/co-pays for covered employees and dependents. 
• All APS insurance benefits plans offer virtual and digital mental health services. 
• Mental Health Corner: We are all facing continual stress and uncertainty in our home and work lives. Burnout is the result of this ongoing, chronic stress. But we can ease this burden with wellness practices and outside support. Click on the Mental Health Corner for a list of different community and APS resources for mental and behavioral well-being as well as direct resources you have under your APS health insurance plan. 

• Nourish Your Green Zone: What is your green zone and how can you grow it? Our capacity to manage stress and burnout in a more healthful way can improve when we Nourish our Green Zone! Sign up for this ongoing, self-paced virtual program. *Open to all APS employees.

• My Stress Tools: For interactive, online, and app-based resources to help manage stress and anxiety and build resilience try MyStress Tools.*Open to all APS employees.

Your monthly dose of fitness, nutrition, and wellness trends!

News: Get Your Sleep Before a Big Game.
Athletes who skimp on sleep may be increasing their risk for injury, according to a small study.

Nutrition: Mega Heart-Healthy Fat:
An analysis of more than 135,000 people found a link between supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and a reduction in risk for cardiovascular disease. For more guidance on heart health and diabetes, APS offers Livongo free for employees covered under APS Benefits.

Mind-Body: Running and Mental Health:
Running, including jogging, sprinting, marathon running, orienteering, and treadmill running, has positive implications for mental health, according to a study. If you need help getting started, join the Desk to 5k training program great for all levels!

Recipe: Roasted Salmon With Blueberry Sauce:
The flavan-3-ol antioxidants you will get in this sweet-savory berry sauce may help shave down high blood pressure numbers.

Video: Drop Step Squat:
This dynamic plie squat helps improve lower body strength from multiple angles while also training balance, coordination and muscle control.