Wellness Resources

Creating and following an intentional stress management plan is a great method for keeping your emotional health strong and positive. Often, we think we do not have time to manage stress, but it does not take much time to manage stress effectively if you have a plan in place. Other resources include:

• Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know
• Managing Stress | CDC
• Social Wellness Checklist
• Emotional Wellness
• Stress vs. Anxiety
• Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Meditation: In Depth
• Two Minute Relaxation
• Mindfulness Coach-Mobile App Practicing mindfulness means grounding yourself in the present moment. Mindfulness has been shown to be helpful for reducing stress and coping with unpleasant thoughts and emotions. Mindfulness Coach will help you practice mindfulness meditation.

State Employees may also contact the Employee Service Program to work with an ESP Counselor in developing a personalized stress management plan.

If stress is like our body’s low fuel indicator coming on, then burnout is more like your engine warning light is flashing.  Burnout can be characterized as a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by unrelenting, prolonged, or repeated stress. It can be a result of personal or work-related stress stemming from a lack of control, adequate support, or conflicting tasks.  Learning to recognize the signs and taking action early on can help offset stress from proceeding to burnout.

• Burnout: 5 Signs and What to Do About It
• Job Burnout: How To Spot It And Take Action
• Burnout
• How To Handle Employee and Manager Burnout (With Tips)
• Mitigating Employee Burnout: 6 Action Items for Managers

Wellness is a broad concept that includes many areas of our lives. There are several components to wellness that are at the core of achieving positive health and balance.  The building blocks of general wellness are taking care of our preventative health needs, eating well, and sleeping regularly. Think about your daily routine and consider how you are doing in these core areas. Below are resources to assist you in laying the foundation for creating a healthier routine.

• Michigan Health and Wellness Fact Sheet is an excellent resource for information and strategies on how to get started towards a healthier you. The Michigan Health and Wellness 4 x 4 Plan lays out strategies for reducing obesity and improving health and wellness.
• Exercise: 7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity
• Physical Wellness Toolkit
• Exercise and Physical Activity offers information on how to fit exercise into your life, get motivated, and how physical activity can help to stay healthy as you get older.
• There are more than 12,500 miles of state-designated trails and pathways in our state, making Michigan home to one of the largest interconnected trail systems in the country. Check out the DNR State Trails to find a trail near you.
• Pure Michigan Fitness endorses local, regional, and state events consistent with the Governor's Council mission to promote healthy choices, while offering a physical activity event open to all participants, regardless of skill level or age.
• Take Charge of Your Health is an online tool to get personalized preventative services recommendations for yourself or a loved one. There are also a variety of resources on nutrition, physical health, and everyday healthy living.
• choosemyplate.gov offers resources on menu ideas, creating a healthy meal plan, and tips on navigating the grocery store to find budget-friendly and healthy options.
• nutrition.gov is a USDA-sponsored website that has resources on a variety of health topics including dietary supplements, nutrition and health issues, shopping, cooking and meal planning among others.
• Sleep & Health Education Gateway is a resource from the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard medical School that offers resources on assessing your sleep needs, adopting good sleep habits and also has additional information on sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea.
• Why is Sleep Important? is an article from the National Institute of Health that describes the importance of the benefits of sleep and having a consistent sleep schedule.

There are also an abundance of different mobile apps that can help you along your fitness journey. Consider using apps that count your steps, track your work outs, monitor your calorie consumption, and provide new ideas and group challenges to help motivate you to achieve your fitness goals.

Working adults generally have daily opportunities to exercise their brain through the work they do. Although change can often bring about resistance, it is actually a great brain exercise to learn new processes or tasks. Doing puzzles, playing memory word and video games, learning new skills, and reading are all great ways to keep your brain exercised.

• Memory Loss: 7 Tips To Improve Your Memory
• Brain Exercises: 22 Ways To Improve Memory, Cognition, and Creativity