Wellness, and why it matters at work
Editor’s Note: In support of Mental Illness Awareness Week in Canada and World Mental Health day which falls on Oct. 10, annually, this week we are talking about wellness in the workplace on the blog.
Serena Feizi a is part of the Ontario Internship Program and has a background in Kinesiology and Sport Business Management. In the fall of 2018, she underwent surgery after she tore her ACL ligament, a common sports injury that impacts movement significantly. Her transition back to the Ontario Public Service was physically and mentally taxing. She’s been on a mission ever since to prioritize self-care and find simple, effective wellness “hacks” to bring back to her workplace.
That’s why she connected with Lyndsey Fonger, a Senior Content Designer here at the Ontario Digital Service (ODS) who is also an accredited yoga therapist.
As our Chief Empathy Officer/Chief Digital and Data Officer, Hillary Hartley, often says, “We’re in the business of shipping culture,” and wellness is an essential ingredient for a healthy workplace.
We hope after reading this piece you feel empowered to bring wellness into your own workplace.
Hi Lyndsey. Let’s take a step back. How did your journey with the Ontario Public Service get started?
My journey started in 2006 when I got a temporary contract with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC). I spent over a decade there, and learned a lot about the impact our systems, attitudes and behaviours have on people, our health, and our ability to take part in society and maximize our potential.
My human rights background is foundational to my work as a content designer at the Ontario Digital Service. Empathy for people is central to creating human-centered digital experiences that meet diverse needs.
What fueled your passion for health and wellness?
I was tired of feeling stressed out and frustrated.
For many of us, the competing demands of work and daily life compound over time, particularly in a ‘digital’ world where we’re constantly connected and multi-tasking.
The continuous pressure takes a toll on our mental and physical health. I wanted to heal and found relief through yoga, meditation and mindfulness-based practices. The more I learned and practiced, the better I felt, and I wanted to help others feel better, too.
I did some yoga teacher training courses, and then spent a couple of years studying yoga therapy.
Earlier this year, I got my yoga therapist certification. Now I’m using what I learned to support organizational health and wellness initiatives at the office.
How do you fuse mental health and wellness practices into your work life?
Mental health is an integral part of our wellbeing, and can’t be separated from our physical or emotional health.
With that in mind, I take a holistic and integrated approach to self-care that includes daily:
- yoga
- meditation
- mindfulness
My goal each work day is to take care of myself, and the people I come into contact with, so that we can deliver results. To that end, I practice:
- focusing on one task at a time
- breaking long or complex tasks into smaller pieces
- taking short breaks to rest my eyes (cupping eyes with the palms of hands helps to alleviate strain)
- drinking enough water (warm water is best, especially in colder weather)
- tuning into my natural breath cycle
- breathing consciously for a few minutes
- walking meditation to and from meetings
- mindful eating (to notice smell, temperature, texture, flavours)
- giving myself time to process feelings, information and experiences
- setting intentions for the outcomes I’d like to create
- letting go of thoughts and narratives that aren’t serving me well
Why does wellness in the workplace matter?
Many public servants are knowledge workers, which means we manage a heavy cognitive load.
Over the course of a day, we have to process and synthesize a lot of information, solve problems, be creative, manage relationships, and so on.
For any of us to do those things well, we need to be relaxed, focused and at ease. The problem is that, too often, we can feel stressed out or stretched too thin. Stress causes our nervous system to go into fight or flight mode, which means the decisions we make, and the interactions we have, are driven by the survival instinct. The rational part of our brain goes offline, and our effectiveness declines.
By taking care of our mental health, we’re better able to show up in the ways we’d like to show up.
What can people do on the daily to improve their mental health and overall wellbeing?
A simple mindfulness practice that includes breathing and bodily awareness can go a long way.
If you’re not sure how to begin, start with your breath.
Sit quietly and start to observe your natural breath cycle for a few moments and take note of what you notice. From there, try counting the number of seconds it takes for you to inhale and exhale. Then see if you can make your exhale twice as long as your inhale. This type of technique is called conscious breathing.
The importance of conscious breathing cannot be emphasized enough.
Many of us hold our breath and don’t notice we’re doing it, or our breath is too shallow, keeping us in a stress response.
When we’re stressed and anxious, nothing is more valuable than being able to intentionally drop into a restful and relaxed state. Regular breathing practice and proper rest allows the body and mind to release accumulated stress and return to a more balanced state.
Finding a teacher is also a good idea. A qualified yoga teacher or therapist is really the best way to learn, especially when you’re starting out.
I came across the following statement, “Wellness is a shared responsibility.” What are your thoughts on this?
Wellness is a shared responsibility because of the interdependent nature of the relationships we have with one another, our environment, and our shared social-historical context.
We each have a responsibility to do our best work for the public, look after ourselves, and treat one another with respect and dignity.
At the same time, organizations have a responsibility to create and maintain a healthy, inclusive environment that is safe and supportive for everyone. That means clarifying organizational values and taking steps to prevent, identify and address:
- inequality
- systemic barriers
- microaggressions
- discrimination and harassment
The Ontario Digital service is working to create a diverse and inclusive organizational culture, and wellness is part of that.
Can you speak to the concept of digital burnout, particularly as we work in an increasingly digital world?
Digital burnout is fatigue and stress caused by prolonged use of technology.
The continuous flow of information often overstimulates and divides our attention across devices, issues and tasks, causing our internal systems to overload. Our executive functioning gets maxed out, and we need a reboot.
Do you have suggestions for managing digital burnout?
We can ease digital burnout by limiting screen time and cultivating our ability to pay attention.
Deep and meaningful work is only possible when we’re relaxed and intentionally focused on a chosen object or task for a sustained and uninterrupted period of time.
To succeed in the digital era, the best thing we can do is unplug — at least for a little while each day. This means:
- turning off your screens
- sitting quietly
- breathing deeply
- making time to meaningfully connect with people from our colleagues to our loved ones
- getting outside
- moving everyday
- starting to explore what it means to generate your state of being with intention from inside out
Finally, Lyndsey, how can others champion wellness in their workplace?
To be a workplace wellness champion, lead by example.
Start by prioritizing your own self-care.
Your actions have the power to inspire and spark transformation in others. Establish your own daily wellness practice, cultivate self-awareness, and learn how to set healthy boundaries. When we feel balanced and well, we’re better able to fulfill our responsibilities and leverage our strengths and privileges to help and support others.
Start with peers but work towards support from leadership.
Peer support is amazing, and having wellness champions at a staff level is really important, but for any initiative to succeed it also needs to be championed by leadership and formalized in practical ways.
Workplaces can become unhealthy and psychologically unsafe for people because of organizational instability, discrimination, harassment and bullying. When people find themselves working in these types of environments, a restoration process may need to happen before meaningful wellness work can begin.
Overall, it’s important to understand the current state of your workplace and then collaborate with leaders and other champions to establish a vision for the future state.
Try some things, test, iterate, and continuously strive to improve based on feedback and results!
Some additional questions for consideration:
- How do you prioritize your own self-care?
- Are you workplace wellness champion?
- How do you check in with yourself and others about mental health?
