Welcome to the fourth edition of the PDST Wellness at Work newsletter, designed to support your wellbeing while working from home. This week, try to get out into the fresh air as often as you can!
WELLNESS AT WORK VIDEO SERIES - 20 MINUTE YOGA PRACTICE FOR YOUR BACK
GO TO GROUND
Gardening improves physical health and produces nutritious homegrown goodies, but its therapeutic benefits extend beyond that. From relaxation and stress relief to formal therapist-directed programs, mental and emotional wellbeing get welcome boosts along the garden path. Read about 10 psychological benefits of gardening here.
Grow It Yourself is a not for profit social enterprise helping people to grow some of their own food at home, at work, at school and in the community. Visit their website to learn about what to plant, when! Explore their online shop, watch video tutorials, and participate in daily growing and cooking challenges. To nurture a garden will feed more than your body, it will nourish your soul.
No garden? No problem! Click here to learn how to cultivate your garden using containers that will suit any sized space.
The Living Classroom. Follow Paddy Madden's month-by-month guides to help you to share the benefits of gardening with your students. Learn how to work in tandem with the seasons to minimise the effort and maximise the rewards. Click here to find out more.
Chocolate kimberly biscuit cake
This is a great way to use leftover Easter Eggs... if there was such a thing! No actual Chocolate Kimberley Biscuits were harmed in the making of this cake.
Ingredients: 1 tin condensed milk, 200g milk chocolate, cup of small marshmallows, 1 x 300g packet of Ginger nut biscuits
Method: 1) Melt the chocolate and condensed milk together in a saucepan over gentle heat. 2) Leave to cool for 20 mins. 3) Add the cup of marshmallows and stir in broken biscuits. 4) Press into a loaf tin lined with cling film. Leave to set overnight.
Have you tried the other recipes in our Wellbeing Recipe Book? Send in your photos to us and we'll include a selection of them in an upcoming newsletter!
Tap into your creative side
Being on lock-down won't stop you from taking that trip you've always wanted to the best art galleries and museums in the world. Click on the links below to experience them from the comfort of your own home...
Click here to get creative at home with guided art activities from the Glucksman Gallery, Cork
Always wanted to draw with Don Conroy? Click here to experience this fantastic activity - new drawings each week!
Share the magic of art with the little ones in your life using the guided activities and learning opportunities on the Tate Kids website.
Creativity is CONTAGIOUS... pass it on! - Albert Einstein
FIT FROM HOME CLUB
Greetings from all in the Fit from Home Club! We hope you enjoyed last week's Fit from Home content and had an opportunity to participate in exciting activities and cook some nutritious recipes during the holidays.
This week in Fit from Home we will explore 1) sleep including the super power effects good quality sleep has on the body and mind, 2) a couch to 3k plan (week 3), 3) a 15 minute yoga flow to ease stress, 4) an animal flow workout, 5) skipping challenges and 6) much more!
It is never too late to join Fit from Home, simply join using the log in code (ttfewb3) on Google Classroom. We greatly welcome any suitable ideas, activities and feedback on Fit from Home!
Contact us: margaretfoley@pdst.ie kateoneill@pdst.ie
Click here to access a 14 day free trial for the FIIT app. Bring the Gym Home with 500+ workouts, 18 goal-based training plans, group classes etc.
Sleep is essential nourishment for your body and mind. As you rest, growth hormone which promotes cell reproduction, repair and regeneration, is released into the bloodstream and the production of certain types of immune cells peaks. Although you might not be able to control all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep. Start with these simple sleep tips.
REFLECT
Self-care is not a reward for hard work, it is part of the process. It is the careful repetition of simple habits, which work together to soothe you and make sure you're at your optimum emotionally, physically, and mentally. Implement simple self-care habits every day by regularly including in your life a little bit of love and attention for your own body, mind and soul.
Here are 10 ways to look after yourself during this unprecedented time: 1) Stay active. 2) Take 10 minutes each day to breathe or meditate. 3) Connect with your friends. 4) Help someone in your community. 5) Make a hearty, home-made meal. 6) Take a break from the news. 7) Listen to music. 8) Declutter your living space and donate what you don't need. 9) Watch or read something uplifting. 10) Learn something new.
Read: Greater Good's Guide to Wellbeing during Coronavirus. Practices, resources, and articles for individuals, parents, educators, and health care professionals facing COVID-19. Click here.
We love hearing from you
Send us your suggestions and wellbeing tips, and share your experiences with us by contacting any member of the Primary Health and Wellbeing Team here. You can find all previous editions of the Wellness at Work Newsletter on the Teacher Wellbeing section of the PDST website. Take care.
Credits:
Created with images by Dawid Zawiła - "untitled image" • v2osk - "Taking The Scenic Route" • Daniel Öberg - "Replanting small plants" • Gabriel Jimenez - "Poor mans garden" • Erda Estremera - "Cheerleaders" • NeONBRAND - "untitled image" • Tim Cooper - "garden path" • Steve Johnson - "Mixed media painting" • RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist - "untitled image" • Kristian Egelund - "Holding a pair of Nike shoes" • Ray Hennessy - "Bird perched on flowers"