Given the increased amount of time we are spending sitting down, it's important to take care of our bodies to make sure we are taking care of our body and mind (see Post #1). As mentioned in our last post, we do outline some of the benefits of being outdoors, however being outside may not always be an option to us. Just because you aren't able to go outside doesn't mean you can't take a few minutes to take care your body by doing some stretches!
As the weather gets progressively nicer and phase 2 has begun to roll out in some cities across the Province of Ontario, we are learning in the news on how that would look like [4]. While we are coming out of lock down safely, the outdoors become more available to us with the change in weather. Studies have shown a positive correlation between mindfulness, positive thoughts/feelings and being outdoors [7, 8, 9]. Being 'outdoors' is a vague statement, to add clarity this can mean walking in parks or green space within the city. However, effects are stronger if you are able to get away from urban areas and hike in parks, forests, mountains etc. With plenty of greenery and wilderness [7, 8, 9].
Unlike goals, intentions are not tangible. When you make a goal, we are often encouraged to make 'SMART' goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely). For intentions, you don't need to evaluate yourself or attach an expectation to them, rather, they are something you want to align yourself with and commit to in your life, in that present moment; and for that reason are more likely to succeed than the classic 'New Year Resolutions'. Goals are more likely to succeed when we get immediate gratification from them, and expressing and embodying your intentions are a great way to do that [4].
As we mentioned in our last post there are plenty of negative effects of burning out and not having a balance between your "work life" and your "home life" (i.e. your life outside of work). In our WFH Series post no. 3 we talked about how staying busy can improve your mental health, specifically in the context of the mandated lockdown for COVID-19. Some people stay busy by working more, but our WFH Series post no. 4 aimed to make it clear that keeping busy all the time with work isn't healthy. So how can we stay busy with something in a healthy way? You guessed it, hobbies!
There are many names that fall under the general idea of 'work-life balance' (WLB) (i.e. work-home balance, work-family spill over, work-family balance, etc.). The general gist of all these technical terms is to identify how much of your work is spilling into your home / family life, or vice versa, and to make sure you aren't doing too much of one at the expense of the other.
Loneliness looks different for everyone, as some people prefer different amounts of company around them (take introversion and extroversion into account here). Rather, loneliness is defined by each individual's level of satisfaction with their connectedness to others. Someone who is used to having 10 meaningful connections and interactions a day may feel lonely if that number drops down to 6. Conversely, someone may have 6 meaningful connections and interactions a day and is satisfied by that. To this point, loneliness is what the individual considers to be 'enough' rather than fulfilling a specific number of interactions.
On Thursday, June 22nd, our Tjene team participated in our second Bloorview Bowlers fundraising event. Various companies across Toronto came together for a friendly competition, great music, as well as food and beverages to support Holland Bloorview and their continual programs and services they provide to many children and youth.
On Friday, June 9th, 2023, our Tjene team joined One Million Trees Mississauga for our fifth tree planting event. This year, we planted a total of 125 trees at Mississauga's Huron Park, which brings our team's total count to 653 trees planted to date!
Our Tjene team joins Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital for our 5th Capes for Kids fundraiser! Holland Bloorview is Canada's largest pediatric rehabilitation hospital in Toronto, providing facilities, support, resources and various programs to help many families who have children with disabilities. We are so glad to have the opportunity to give back to our community through Holland Bloorview's annual Capes for Kids fundraiser.
