CommonHealth Wellnote

September 24, 2024 / Get Well

How can your  Virginia State Employee Wellness Program help? The CommonHealth programs and campaigns cover a variety of health topics and are available in a range of formats to meet the needs of different workplaces. Highly skilled Wellness Consultants provide the latest on stress, sleep, nutrition, exercise, and more for faculty/ staff meetings, special events, conferences, benefit fairs, safety meetings, lunch and learns, etc. They provide traditional, in-person presentations and displays as well as virtual presentations, on-demand videos, and seasonal health-related challenges that are fun and engaging. Visit the website to see how CommonHealth can help you.  If you’re looking to book an event in October, connect sooner rather than later to ensure you get a date that works for you.

Click here to view this week’s CommonHealth Wellnote. Check out this week’s highlights below.

  • Spotlight on Mental Health: Self-Care for Mental Health: Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. This can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. You can start today with small acts of self-care that lead to big impacts on your overall wellbeing. CommonHealth partner WeightWatchers® has a few expert tips to stay mentally healthy.
  • Keep your regular routines: Sticking to a typical schedule helps avoid a rise in stress hormones. This includes prioritizing sleep hygiene, getting enough rest, and eating balanced meals.
  • Reframe self-talk: When a negative thought comes up, imagine what you would say to a friend and talk to yourself this way. It can also be helpful to give yourself a personalized reality check when negative thoughts around food and eating arise.
  • Sidestep stress-eating: Ask yourself if your stomach is really grumbling or if feelings are fueling your appetite. If you’re dealing with complicated emotions rather than actual hunger, calling a friend, going for a walk, or doing another non-eating activity may help you feel better than eating will.

The Office of Employee Wellness and Wellbeing encourages our colleagues to make their self care a priority. Check out our offerings this month for self -care month.

  • Try It This Week: Breakfast Grilled Cheese

You won’t want to skip breakfast ever again with this easy, delicious recipe! Canadian bacon brings a similar salty smokiness you expect from regular bacon but with fewer Points®, while eggs with perfectly runny yolks and gooey, melty cheese keep things classic.

Learn more about special pricing available to benefits-eligible employees, their spouses and adult dependents at WW.com/CommonHealth.

  • Benefits Buzz: Wellness and Lifestyle Coaching

If you have a health benefits plan through the Commonwealth of Virginia, you have access to a wellness and lifestyle coach. Your coach can help you reach health goals such as losing weight, quitting smoking, managing stress, and more.

Please check with your health plan or refer to the member handbooks on the DHRM website for more details. For those who may not have access to a state benefits plan, you still have FREE access to health coaching through TimelyCare!

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

Image of a vase shaped like the profile of a human head with brightly colored wild flowers coming out the top of it. Text: CommonHealth Wellnote,

Submitted by:
Faith Redd-Walker, OEWW, employeewellbeing@nvcc.edu