From: Arlana Vadnais <Arlana.Vadnais@umanitoba.ca>
Subject: Mental health and wellness resources during COVID

Good morning,

I hope you are all doing well and staying safe and healthy!

In light of May being Mental Health Month, not to mention all the changes our world has experienced over the last couple months related to COVID-19, I wanted to reach out to remind you of some of the resources and supports we have available to us (see below).  Some are specific to the UM, and some are publicly-available supports. 

I have attached an additional resource list to this email; while it is geared towards students, many of the community resources are available to staff and faculty as well. 

There are also two upcoming events to highlight:

• Prayers of the People: Together We Grieve, Together We Celebrate, Together We Share Our Gifts (May 14th). Open to students, staff and faculty.
• Doing Well During Stressful Times: Managing the New Normal of Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 22^nd).  Open to all staff and faculty.

See below for more information about these events.

If you have any questions about resources for yourself or others, or if you would like information about further resources available to students, please let me know. 

I encourage you all to reach out for help if you need it, whether to one of the resources listed below or to a friend or loved one, and take care of yourselves as much as possible.

Stay well,

Arlana

Events/Workshops

· Prayers Of The People: Together We Grieve, Together We Celebrate, Together We Share Our Gifts

May 14, 5:00 PM, YOUTUBE LIVE

An Inter-faith gathering welcoming all UM community members to collectively grieve the challenges imposed by this pandemic, regain perspective, and celebrate the strength and hope we have in one another. Event will be streamed live on YouTube and will also be available on demand after.  View at https://umanitoba.ca/student-supports/spiritual-services

               Hosted by Student Support, but open to all UM students, staff and faculty

· Doing Well During Stressful Times: Managing the New Normal of Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic

May 22, 10:00-11:15 AM, via Zoom

Register by email to Arlana at arlana.vadnais@umanitoba.ca. Zoom link will be sent out to all registered participants on May 21^st.

Most of us are well practiced in managing stress and it is rare to face a stressor that we haven’t had experience with previously. Managing stress related to a pandemic? That is new to most if not all of us and it therefore isn’t surprising that some people are struggling right now. Join us for a 75 minute webinar focused on managing COVID-19 stress and doing well during this truly unique time. Counsellors form the Student Counselling Centre on campus (David Ness and Natalia Mozol) will provide practical strategies for managing social isolation, physical distancing, COVID-19 “overload”, negative thinking and worry and more. Participants will be provided workshop materials following the session. This session will be offered via Zoom and staff are invited to participate as they would like (e.g., ask questions via chat function or live using audio and mic, activate video, simply listen, etc.). It is important during this time to take action to be as mentally healthy as possible and not simply wait for better times to come.

• Learning & Organizational Development is moving many of their workshops to a synchronous online format, particularly those in their certificate programs. Please check LODReg for workshops located “Online.” Examples of these include Time Management, Effective Virtual Meetings, and Conversational Skills.  They are also offering new one-hour Learning Labs for groups and teams (topics include “So now you are working from home…Challenges and Opportunities” and “Resiliency.”) To register or learn more about an LOD Workshop, please visit: LODReg.  If you are interested in scheduling a session for your unit, please contact Joshua Hartlin at Joshua.Hartlin@umanitoba.ca for more information.

Mental Health Supports

· Many UM student services are available online or by phone.  For more information, go to http://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/students. Find out more about emotional wellness during COVID-19 here.

· All employees (staff and faculty) and their immediate family have access to the Employee & Family Assistance Program which provides free, 24/7 crisis supports, counselling, and wellness resources (www.workhealthlife.com or 1-800-387-4765).  Sign up to their Heartbeat Newsletter for up-to-date resource information, wellness articles and webinar opportunities.

NEW!  Online Group Counselling to support you during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  Group topics include anxiety, parenting and communication skills for managing relationships. Go to www.workhealthlife.com and click on the Online Group Counselling link for more information.

· The Province of Manitoba has created a new mental health virtual therapy resource, available to all Manitobans.  AbilitiCBT is a new digital therapy program from Morneau Shepell, available to all Manitobans experiencing low to mid symptoms of anxiety due to the pandemic.  Find out more here.

· The Canadian Mental Health Association is offering continued support through their Wellness Support Lines, which includes peer support, BounceBack® CBT coaching for depression and anxiety, workplace and youth mental health education, brief intervention and supportive counselling and service navigation. 

· Canada Life has a number of free resources to help you with your mental and financial health, which are designed to help you successfully navigate this challenging time.

· Many people are experiencing anxiety related to COVID-19; this workbook has coping and self-care activities to help you manage your anxiety.  https://thewellnesssociety.org/free-coronavirus-anxiety-workbook/

Staying Well

• The faculty of Kinesiology & Recreation Services has been posting free workout videos on their youtube channel, taught by the regular instructors at the Active Living Centre.  They have focused on workouts that are easy to do without equipment for those who don’t have gym equipment at home.
• Mindfulness can be a useful tool in managing stress and increasing your resilience. Check out this article and set of free resources from Mindwell: Ten Ways to Stay Well During the COVID-19 Crisis for more information on how mindfulness can help you during this time.
• At-Home Workspaces: Check out the attached documents on best practices for ensuring that your at-home workstation is as ergonomically correct as possible.
• Mental health and resiliency videos:
  • Check out these daily videos posted by the Conference Board of Canada (scroll down to the videos section) for tips on coping and thriving during COVID
  • Also, a video by our Employee & Family Assistance Program that does a good job of working through the discomfort we experience around the unknown, found here.

Coping with COVID-19

• News and social media reports about COVID-19 are becoming widespread and can increase our anxiety and stress around what is already a challenging time.  The American Psychology Association has shared five ways to view coverage of the coronavirus to help you manage your anxiety, put news reports in perspective and maintain a positive outlook.
• For up-to-date, reliable information, go to Manitoba Health, the Public Health Agency of Canada, or the World Health Organization
• The Mental Health Commission of Canada has created the COVID-19 Resources Hub to share credible information and resources about maintaining mental health during this time of crisis.  The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction has done similarly to share information on the Impacts of COVID-19 on Substance Use.
• Article: How to Stay Mentally Healthy While Staying at Home
• Article: Tips for Coping with COVID-19

COVID-19 Information for Parents

• The World Health Organization has numerous resources available for parents; check out:

· ‘Parenting in the Time of COVID-19’

· ‘Connecting the world to combat coronavirus: #HealthyAtHome – Healthy parenting’

· A Children’s story book to help children and young people cope with COVID-19

· UNICEF also has provided 8 tips on how to talk to your child about COVID-19 and 6 strategies for teenages to protect their mental health during COVID-19

Crisis Response Training Course for Essential Workers

The Mental Health Commission of Canada has developed a crisis response training course for essential workers. We know that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers are facing a number of new challenges while at work, which may be affecting their mental health. This course is specifically designed to help provide individuals with the tools and knowledge to better understand their own mental health and the mental health of others.  Find out more here.

Arlana Vadnais, B.A., M.A.

Employee Wellness Specialist

& Campus Mental Health Facilitator

Human Resources & Student Support

137 Education Building

University of Manitoba

Tel: (204) 474-8323

Fax: (204)474-7448

Twitter: @UMHRdept

The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

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