Albuquerque Public Schools
May 2024 Employee Wellness Newsletter
The art of the "flight check", APS wrap-around mental health services and more well-being trends in the news.
Wellness Wire - Flight Check
There are several checks and balances, lists- if you will, that get marked off and a thumbs up "ready for lift-off" before a plane accelerates down a runway carrying hundreds of passengers to destinations all across the globe. Obviously, we want and expect a heightened level of safety before the wheels go up and we soar through the air in a metal tube. Without those flight checks, we know several things can go wrong with some devastating consequences.
A long time ago a fellow trainer gave me this great saying about doing a “Flight Check” before approaching physical activity. The concept from that level is to assess how your body is feeling - back, knees, neck, etc. before movement or exercise. I've expanded it to include our emotional and mental well-being and how that intersects with distraction, the potential for accidents/injury, and conflict.
“Flight Check” means intentionally assessing our emotional and physical state of being before taking action.
Yes, this can be as simple as stretching a bit before gently getting out of bed (versus a full-throttle bolt;)
But it's also being mindful of our physical environment and distraction to avoid an accident, slip, trip, or fall, or our internal, emotional environment to steer clear of conflict before we fly off the handle. Practicing the "art of the flight check" allows us to pause, assess, adjust accordingly, and then move forward - safely. It's an action that requires intention.
We have different seasons of overwhelm and fatigue. You may be weary and tired. Tensions in work or personal life may be running high. When we feel stress and it's left unmanaged in a positive, proactive way, our outlet can result in unintended outbursts of anger and rash behavior. Practicing the flight check elevates awareness of our physical and emotional state to avert a potential disaster and from doing or saying something we may regret later.
Most of the 35,000 + decisions we make every day are subconscious. We make them without even realizing there is a choice to be made. Yet, many decisions we make are conscious. Some are spur of the moment, off the cuff, and influenced by emotion. This is what leads to turbulence.
It is not uncommon for a person to redirect their stress and anger from one situation and impose it on another person or situation. This leads to confusion, hurt feelings, and misunderstandings (or sometimes, worse). All of which dramatically affect our physical/emotional well-being and collective workplace wellness.
This week, I encourage you to conduct a "flight check" before embarking on your day, a meeting, or an interaction. This simple step can help us navigate through potential challenges and ensure a smoother journey. We can avoid a lot of turbulence by ascending to this higher elevation. If you're struggling with unchecked stress or personal and professional life situations, APS Employee Wellness offers resources to help. Keep scrolling below for more information on these services:
- APS Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - Free, confidential counseling to all APS employees and immediate family members. (Virtual and in-person appointments.)
- Life on Mindfulness - Free, flexible expanded meditation program for all employees. Meditation relieves stress, depression, and anxiety.
- Free virtual and in-person mental health services for all employees covered under APS Benefits plans.
- When we don't feel well we don't react well. APS offers Livongo for weight loss, blood pressure, and diabetes with wrap-around mental health support and Hinge Health for physical therapy, injury, and pain management. Both Livongo and Hinge Health offer free health coaching.
Our physical, mental & emotional well-being are intricately connected and emotions have a way of steering us toward unhealthy, hurtful behaviors.The good news is we have the power to control and re-direct those behaviors with this intentional, simple, first step of 'the flight check' and utilizing the resources available for help with managing our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Remember our 2024 phrase is to 'be intentional'. Intentional days create a life on purpose and help us navigate difficult circumstances.
For ongoing Benefits information, wellness updates, and good ole fashion fun, connect with APS Employee Wellness on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and the APS Employee Wellness Calendar. If you have questions contact Becky MacGregor at becky.macgregor@aps.edu. Thank you & let's initiate lift off for a healthy, safe & stress-free summer!
Wellness Wire - Underrated & Overlooked
APS Employee Wellness Mental Health Programs
APS offers all employees, regardless of full or part time status, mental health support through the Employee Assistance (EAP) program. EAP services offer short-term, free, confidential counseling to employees and their immediate family members. Employees covered under APS Benefits have additional resources. For a complete list of benefits and community resources, please check the mental health resources page.
Since our well-being is intricately interconnected with how we feel and function, chronic illnesses, injuries, and other psychological factors impact our mental health. APS offers an integrated approach to help those struggling to manage their well-being holistically.
- Health Coaching - If you want to get started on the road to better health and wellness but you're not sure how to start, APS offers free health coaching to all APS employees. *Open to all APS employees.
- Hinge Health gives you the tools to conquer joint and muscle pain including back, neck, knee, and shoulder pain, recover from injuries, prepare for surgery, increase strength and mobility to stay healthy and pain-free. The program also offers free health coaching to complement your physical therapy journey. *Available at no cost to employees and eligible dependents covered under the APS Benefits plans.
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Livongo is a holistic program that empowers people with chronic illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and other health challenges to feel better and do more. Livongo is an integrated solution with free 1-1 health coaching, mental health support, and connected device monitoring. Depending on your health condition you'll receive a blood pressure cuff, glucose meter/test strips, and/or connected scale. It's all seamlessly integrated through a mobile app with results you can share with your doctor. *Available at no cost to employees and eligible dependents covered under the APS Benefits plans.
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Life on Mindfulness: Mindfulness meditation is scientifically proven to enhance mental and emotional well-beng. Enroll in the Life on Mindfulness Program for all content and email reminders. This site is mobile phone optimized so you can access a wide variety of recorded meditations anytime, anywhere. After you enroll, check out the new Life on Mindfulness website with the password LIFEONMINDFULNESS. This is a free, flexible program for all employees that offers daily drop-in meditations, new weekly and monthly content, featured meditations, and a short Sunday "Sesh" to prepare mindfully for the week ahead.Everything is recorded and available for on-demand access. *The Life on Mindfulness program is open to all APS employees.
Schedule Pet Therapy!
This is 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 that accommodations must be made for any colleagues who have allergies to dogs.
Wellness Trends in the News
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