March 2024

Reading is Enriching

Take time this month to celebrate National Reading Month and World Sleep Day (March 15) by reading -- yes, READING! Reading opens up a world of information and ideas, exposing us to different perspectives and experiences. Science supports the numerous benefits of reading.  

Alternatively, immerse yourself in a multisensory adventure by listening to audio books. Check out Collin College Library’s Libby spoken titles. Whether you read or listen, books will help you increase your cognitive abilities and overall well-being. Did you know that reading a book in bed before going to sleep improves sleep quality? 

February 2024

Enrich Work with Meaningful Relationships

We spend about a third of our life at work, so nurturing meaningful connections in the workplace is crucial to our well-being. How can we develop the skills needed to cultivate authentic connections?
These tips and exercises are an excellent way to start. They promote trust, gratitude, reciprocity, boundaries, rupture repairing, and conflict resolution. Practicing flourishing helps us connect to
a sense of purpose in our personal and professional lives.

Susan is a financial aid advisor and the foster care liaison for the district. She just celebrated her 10th anniversary at Collin College. She met Jacqueline at the Plano Campus when Jacqueline  moved to the area from Chicago in spring 2015.
Jacqueline now works at the Wylie Campus, heading up the Wylie financial aid office and the district’s veteran services programs. Even though they are no longer on the same campus, they have remained close friends.
Throughout the years, they have traveled to Chicago, gone camping, gone to movies, helped paint each other's houses, and had many pool days and card games with laughter and an outlet of support unlike any other. Their friendship has enriched their lives, personally and professionally, which has helped maintain mental wellness.

Do you have a Collin College friendship story?
Please share at https://collin.libwizard.com/f/enrichfriendships. Your story may appear in a future newsletter.

January 2024

Positive Affirmations: A New Year, A New You

Facing challenges and setbacks with a positive twist helps us disrupt negative thinking habits and build new routes in our brains to deal with threats to our self-worth. Research shows that self-affirmation alters the brain’s response to health messages and subsequent behavior change. Do you have a friendship story at Collin College? Please share at
https://collin.libwizard.com/f/enrichfriendships. Your story may appear in a future newsletter.

December 2023

Focus on Friendship: For a Peaceful Holiday Season

Whether gift-giving is triggering your anxiety or you long to be with family but can't, you can still bring joy and togetherness into your life this holiday season. This Find Peace During the Holidays article from the University of Arkansas Family Consumer Science Department offers simple tips that will help you reduce stress and feel peaceful from within.

Remember, friends can improve your health and well-being, especially during the holidays. Spending time with friends enriches those personal connections that make our friends feel like family. Friends from work count!

Take a look at Professor Brett Adams and Dr. Michael McConachie’s friendship story:
Our employment at Collin College began in August 2004, when we met at New Faculty Orientation. Brett teaches History, and Mike teaches Government. After discovering a shared interest in environmental history and politics, we taught learning communities at the Frisco and McKinney campuses during the spring semesters for four years. We have worked on college committees and discussed family and other happenings over lunches for 19 years.

We enjoy our conversations about American history, government, and current affairs. This past summer, our paths crossed on summer vacation in Medora, North Dakota, as we visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park with our families. Our friendship has added to our enjoyment of teaching at Collin College.

November 2023

Practice Gratitude Everywhere

During our daily hustle and bustle, we find time to complain. We are often guilty of using a significant amount of time to express displeasure. Focusing on life's many gifts can enhance and enrich us and others beyond measure. Take a moment to reflect on how much better your day would be if you intentionally navigated with positive gratitude rather than a negative attitude.   

The Science of Gratitude, published in Mindful (mindful.org), highlights how gratitude "has measurable benefits for just about every area of our lives." The 2020 book The Gratitude Project: How the Science of Thankfulness Can Rewire Our Brains for Resilience, Optimism, and the Greater Good describes dozens of studies.

October 2023

What is Hidden Depression?

When someone is experiencing symptoms of depression and tries to hide their true feelings, it is often referred to as “hidden depression.”

Employees experiencing depression tend to utilize eight strategies to disclose – or not – their mental health at work, according to West Virginia University research.

It may be difficult to identify someone hiding depression. Learning to recognize and help someone with hidden depression is the best we can do to help a loved one in need or ourselves.

Visit Burnalong to watch a short video on Depression: Signs, Symptoms and Lifestyle Changes. Collin College offers various health and well-being resources for employees and students.

September 2023

Self-Improvement Month

Self-Improvement Month provides the opportunity to make a conscious effort to grow personally or professionally. What that looks like is unique for each of us and requires that we set goals and take action. 

Through self-improvement, you have the opportunity to create a healthier lifestyle and a heightened sense of self-awareness. Additionally, you may find that you build better problem-solving skills, which can make you more adaptable to changes in the future.

After all, life is not static. Instead of letting life speed by you, take the initiative to improve yourself and let it lead you to amazing things. 

There is no limit to how or how often you can practice self-improvement. The list provided is not exhaustive; however, it is an excellent place to start.

25 Self-Improvement Ideas

1. Wake up earlier.
2. Read books.
3. Shift your circle of awareness.
4. Practice mindfulness.
5. Find a mentor.
6. Find an accountability partner.
7. Work on your financial goals.
8. Journal.
9. Start exercising.
10. Drink more water.
11. Eat well.
12. Take courses.
13. Be honest with yourself.
14. Invest in yourself.
15. Try a new hobby.
16. Practice gratitude.
17. Volunteer.
18. Create a focus plan.
19. Admit your mistakes.
20. Declutter your life.
21. Create a daily routine.
22. Let your past go.
23. Try a minimalist challenge.
24. Learn to say “no.”
25. Take a social media detox.

August 2023

Make a Wellness Activity Part of Your Family's Routine

Create family memories and strengthen relationships while improving physical and mental health. There are many inexpensive ways to incorporate wellness activities into your family's routine. 

Try going for walks or hikes in your neighborhood or local park, dancing, singing, meditating, or just talking about your feelings. Drawing, doing photography, and visiting an art exhibition are great activities for self-expression. Don't forget about cooking healthy meals together! 

The book Family Fit Plan: A 30-Day Wellness Transformation by Dr. Natalie Digate Muth sets the stage for long-term, lasting improvements in nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress, and screen-use habits. 

Check out this Family Health and Wellness Challenge or try a 20-Minute Kid's Yoga in Burnalong. For more family-friendly wellness activities, visit BetterFamily.com.

July 2023

Breathing Outside the Box

Mindfulness and stress-reduction are hot topics these days and the number of wellness classes, books, gyms, trainers, and products on the market are enough to make anyone feel more stressed! Thankfully, the Wellness Committee is here to demonstrate how you can fight stress and be more mindful using something very simple, your breath.

Breathing exercises have been used for thousands of years and continue to be used today by everyone. Breathing exercises activate the parasympathetic nervous system and the body’s rest response. There are many benefits to breathwork, including lower cortisol levels, reduced stress, and increased focus.

In ashtanga yoga practices, breathing exercises are known as pranayama, roughly translated as “life-force control.” The following is a simple pranayama you can perform just about anywhere. Its yogic name is antar-bahir kumbhaka or “breath retention,” however it also goes by box breathing, 4-4-4-4 breathing, equal breathing, and many others. It is even taught at Collin College’s Leading for Excellence Academy!

The exercise is very simple to perform and takes about two minutes.

1.     Find a comfortable seated (or standing) position.

2.     Eyes can be closed or open. If open, soften your gaze and look towards a fixed object, not a digital screen.

3.     Exhale completely.

4.     Inhale slowly and with control while mentally counting to four.

5.     Pause at the top of your exhale, again counting to four.

6.     Exhale slowly and with control for a count of four.

7.     Pause after your exhale for a count of four.

8.     Repeat three to four (or more) times.

June 2023

Work Out with a Friend!

Finding a physical activity you enjoy and having a partner will help you stick with it.

As the NBC Better by Today article states, “When it comes to fitness, there’s some truth to the old adage ‘strength in numbers.'”

Join a group class or start your own, talk to your friends, co-workers, neighbors, or take your dog and get moving together. A workout buddy can make all the difference.

There are plenty of reasons to exercise with a friend.

Tell others!

Do you have a friendship story at Collin College to share?
Tell us by completing this form. Your story may appear in an upcoming Wellness Committee newsletter!

Deer Oaks EAP

Employee Enhancement Newsletter

• On-Demand Seminar- Available June 20: Keeping an Open Mind
• The Effects of Psychological Stressors in the Workplace
• Overcoming Parental Guilt
• Tips for a Sustainable Lifestyle

Supervisor Enhancement Newsletter

• Supervisor Excellence Webinar Series: Emotional Intelligence for Supervisors, July 10, 1 p.m.
• The Effects of Psychological Stressors in the Workplace
• Mentoring
• Ask Your EAP!

May 2023

The benefits of laughter

How to harness the power of humor

Resources