You, our staff, are Center For Family Services’ most valuable resource, and your overall health and wellness is our priority.
July is Social Wellness Awareness Month. Social wellness refers to the relationships we have and how we interact with others. It involves building healthy, nurturing, and supportive relationships as well as fostering a genuine connection with those around you. Your relationships help you learn to navigate the world, expose you to new ideas, and increase your self esteem. Positive social habits can even help you stay healthier mentally and physically.
Research shows that,
- Healthy social networks enhance the immune system's ability to fight off infectious disease
- Those with a social network handle stress better
- Laughter, touch, and hugging can improve mood and reduce pain
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Wellness Wednesday Workshops
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Register now for our upcoming Wellness Wednesday Workshops!
Five participants from each workshop will win a $25 Amazon gift card, and two participants from each workshop will win a $100 gift card.
Improving Teamwork and Collaborative Skills
Teamwork helps us grow as people and accomplish more than we ever could on our own. Without teamwork, many of our jobs likely would never get done. This workshop will show you ways to strengthen your collaborative skills in order to accomplish your goals and grow professionally.
Helping Others - How Volunteering Benefits Your Health & Well-Being
Volunteering allows you to connect with people and your community. In this workshop you will learn about the meaningful mental and physical health benefits that volunteering comes with. It may seem selfish to think of volunteering in terms of your own well-being, but there's no harm in acknowledging that helping others can also benefit you in the long run.
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How Well do You Know Center For Family Services - Wellness Edition
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Team up with your coworkers for this fun contest about wellness opportunities at Center For Family Services. Test your knowledge for your chance to win a Wellness Gift Box!
Entering is easy – submit your answers to all eight questions by July 25th to [email protected]. If you answer all the questions correctly you will be entered into the raffle. The randomly selected winner, along with the correct answers, will be announced in the August edition of the Wellness Newsletter.
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1.What is the name of the most recent Wellness Challenge?
2.What was last month’s (June) Wellness theme?
3.In the June edition of the Wellness Newsletter, we shared tips for smarter snacking. What was one of those tips?
4.Where is the Center For Family Services Wellness page located?
5.As a benefit to all staff, Center For Family Services offers a service that provides professional help to employees and their dependents/family members for a variety of personal, family, and workplace problems. What is this service called?
6.What day of the week are Wellness Workshops offered?
7.In the June edition of the Wellness Newsletter, we shared the benefits of taking breaks outside during the workday. What was one of those benefits?
8.We want to hear from you! For this last and final question – what wellness benefits, workshops, or trainings would you like to see from the Wellness Committee next?
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Social Wellness Activities at Work
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Social wellness is our ability to care for others while we in turn take good care of ourselves. Maintaining relationships and building connections with one another is important to your social wellness.
Building relationships with those around us such as neighbors and colleagues greatly impacts our quality of life and contributes positively to our social wellness.
Take a look at this article for a deeper understanding of social wellness and for a detailed overview. The article recommends the following 20 social wellness activities. These activities offer a great way for you to stay connected with your fellow staff and meet your wellness goals. Consider rallying your fellow staff to join with you to incorporate any of these activities into your daily routine.
- Practice mindfulness and guided meditation
- Form a weekly sharing circle
- Practice onsite and virtual yoga
- Participate in 5K runs
- Forma sports club
- Participate in marathons and walkathons
- Organize shared laughter sessions
- Schedule walking meetings
- Organize fitness challenges
- Have impromptu contests
- Celebrate work anniversaries
- Organize themed dress up days
- Have a games room
- Organize company retreats
- Acknowledge peers
- Organize office quizzes
- Form a book club
- Organize team lunches
- Incentivize healthy activities
- Organize team building activities
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Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks (about ½ of small pineapple)
- 1 large bell pepper, any color, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ large red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. water
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. dried ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- Metal or Wood skewers
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Steps
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine all ingredients. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate while you prep the vegetables and pineapple and the grill preheats.
- Preheat grill to medium-high direct heat.
- Thread meat, pineapple, peppers and onions onto skewers – alternating as you go.
- Brush leftover marinade over the kebabs.
- Grill over medium-high direct heat, turning every 5 minutes or so until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
- Remove from grill and serve.
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Summer Panzanella Salad with Grilled Corn
Ingredients
- 2 ears of grilled corn cut off the cob
- 4–6 cups diced bread, bite size pieces
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups diced cucumber
- 1 diced sweet bell pepper
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella torn or cut into bite size pieces
- 3 lightly packed tablespoons chopped basil leaves
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Steps
- Pull down the corn husks, keeping them in tact, and remove all the corn silk. Pull the corn husks back up around the corn and soak corn for 20 minutes in water. Heat the grill to medium heat. Remove the corn from the water and shake off any excess water. Place the corn on the grill and grill until kernels are cooked through, about 20 minutes, flipping occasionally. Let corn cool and then carefully cut the kernels off of the cob.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Next add the bread cubes, salt and pepper. Cook bread until crispy and brown on the outside, 10 minutes.
- Place all vinaigrette ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until combined. Add the diced vegetables, mozzarella cheese, grilled corn, and toasted bread to a large bowl and stir until combined. Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture and stir again. Panzanella salad can be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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Nurturing Your Relationships
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We know that nurturing relationships is important to your social wellness but did you know that research shows that people with a positive social wellness meter live longer, healthier lives than those who live without prioritizing this form of wellness? If you are struggling with your relationships take a look at these concepts below, they might help in attaining healthy and lasting relationships.
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- Become a master of commitment
- Make commitments you can stand by
- Break the cycle of blame and criticism
- Shift your attention away from “fixing the other person” and onto more creative expressions for resolving conflict
- Become a master of verbal and nonverbal appreciation
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Staying Connected at Center For Family Services
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It's important to have social connections in both your personal and professional life. Feeling more connected to your team members and the organization you work for leads to an overall happier outlook and healthier well-being.
As a growing agency, Center For Family Services is committed to finding new and innovative ways for you to remain connected to each other. Through ongoing free wellness activities, trainings, and workshops Center For Family Services is dedicated to bringing you opportunities that not only connect you to your fellow teammates but provide you with educational experiences that will enrich your wellbeing and encourage your professional growth.
Center For Family Services’ Lunch and Learns, hosted by the Intercultural Competency Committee, is a great example of an opportunity meant to educate and inspire. Whether you’re a participant or panelist, Lunch and Learns are a great way to interact with and learn more about colleagues across the agency. Be on the look out for more exciting Lunch and Learns coming this fall.
Lastly, one of the best ways to stay connected, and make an impact, is by joining a Center For Family Services’ committee. Not only will you meet new staff, but you will play an important role in shaping the agency and the employee experience.
To stay up to date with Center For Family Services activities and committees or to join a committee, visit the Employee Portal.
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10,000 Step Challenge Wrap Up
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This year’s 10,000 Step Challenge has come to an end with a record breaking 232 participants. Together, you’ve taken millions of steps and walked countless miles.
Regardless of whether you successfully completed each week's challenge, you should be proud of making movement a priority for the last 7 weeks.
Our finale raffle winners were, Lori Henry, Merve Yildiz, Branden Battle, Kristen Rosario, Ingrid Vaca-Bullaro, Brenna Gentile, Jordyn Bronsky, Andrea Mitchell, Yodanna Fernandez, and Lynn Risely. Congratulations to all winners and thank you to everyone who made this challenge a success!
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Tips to Keep You Healthy all Summer Long
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The summer season is a great time to make your health and wellness a priority. The days are longer and warmer, produce is at its best, and there’s a sense of renewal in the air.
As you shift your focus to your overall well-being these next 3 months, refer to the following tips to stay safe:
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Be active; be cool – regular physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and your well-being. The warm weather can make it easy to exercise outdoors, just remember to exercise in the morning or evening, when it’s likely to be a bit cooler outside and wear lightweight, loose fitting clothing.
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Stay hydrated – whether your exercising or just lounging by the pool, drinking plenty of water during the hot summer months will help you stay hydrated. Aim for 64oz. a day.
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Eat right – Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a healthy outdoor meal with family and friends. Browse your local farmers market for fresh, local produce like strawberries, peaches, plums, tomatoes, corn on the cob, and asparagus. The more colors in your diet, the better! Just remember to thoroughly wash your produce before cooking.
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Stay safe in the sun – Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to UV rays from the sun. Protect your skin from the sun when you go outside by covering up with a wide brim hat and sunglasses, applying broad-spectrum sunscreen, and avoiding tanning beds.
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Heat stroke vs. Heat Exhaustion – Spending too much time in the heat can lead to dehydration, heat exhaustion, or even heatstroke. Be sure you know the difference.
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Heat Exhaustion – includes heavy sweating, dizziness, and lightheadedness. If untreated, it can lead to heat stroke.
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Heat Stroke – includes high body temperature, confusion, and unconsciousness. If you or someone you’re with shows signs of heatstroke, call 911.
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Don’t let bugs ruin the fun – Summertime means more time outside, which also means dealing with bugs. Use insect repellent before heading outside to avoid bug bites or allergic reactions, just be sure to spray in a well-ventilated area.
The Wellness Committee wishes you a healthy and safe summer!
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Wellness Wednesday Recordings
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Not able to make it to last month's Wellness Wednesday Workshops? We have you covered!
You can view recorded versions of previous workshops as well as handouts on the Wellness Committee page of the Employee Portal. Scroll to the "New, Free Virtual Wellness Events & Resources" section to view our Stress Awareness Month resources and more.
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Coming Up Next Month
- Our Next Quarterly Wellness Challenge
- How Well do You Know Center For Family Services winner and answers
- Exploring the Pillars of Wellness
- Information on the Empower Run & Walk
We want to hear from you! Let us know what wellness activities you’d like to see by contacting us at [email protected].
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Interested in Joining the Wellness Committee?
Wellness events and activities are brought to you by our Wellness Committee. If you are interested in supporting the health and wellness of our staff, consider joining the committee, where you can share your creative ideas and perspectives on wellness.
For more information, please contact Joshlin Bartley at [email protected] or call 1-856-651-7553 x40135
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Wellness tips from Center For Family Services are of a general nature and are not meant to replace any medical treatment or advice. Center For Family Services is not a medical provider and does not have licensed health care professionals on staff. Individuals looking for medical treatment or advice are encouraged to always seek assistance from a qualified medical professional. These tips are of an informational purposes only.
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