Enjoy This Week’s CommonHealth Weekly Wellnote

Enjoy this week’s CommonHealth Weekly WellNote, made possible through Virginia’s Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM):

Many people exercise and eat healthy to keep their stress levels in check, but if you are seeking some complementary ways to relieve stress and feel your best, perhaps try these strategies.

Laugh More: It may be a funny meme, a quick but silly YouTube video, or even a sitcom, but whatever you try to step out of the moment and find a reason to laugh, do it. Laughing warms your heart and cools down your body’s stress response at the same time.

Connect Socially: Authentic connections with others can be genuinely uplifting! Being with friends and family brings joy and a distraction from what creates your stress. It may even provide opportunities to laugh more.

Sleep Better: Sleep allows you to be better prepared to handle life. Go to bed at a reasonable time that allows you to get 7-8 hours of sleep. Journaling before bed may help your brain shut off more quickly, if your thoughts keep you up. Check out CommonHealth’s Better Nights Ahead program for more ideas to help you snooze better.

Meditate: Whether you initiate a regular practice or only do so in the face of stress, meditation can be a great way to minimize the effects stress has on your body. You can meditate on your own or with an app in your living room. New to the practice? CommonHealth’s Relearn to Relax can be a great resource to get you started.

Stay Well!

If you have questions regarding this week’s communication or the CommonHealth program, please reach out to your respective campus coordinator below:

Alexandria-Kathy Clement or Najeeb Baha
Annandale-Regina Sanders
Fairfax/College Staff-Angel Mori
Loudoun-Gert Heslin
Manassas-ThuyTien Ngo-Nguyen
Springfield Medical Education Campus (MEC)-Corrine House
Woodbridge-Georgette Harris

Submitted by:
Charlotte Calobrisi, AVP of HR, CCalobrisi@nvcc.edu