Not Myself today

Everything You Feel is Real: Reflections on “Not Myself Today” 2019

By Guest Contributor on January 8, 2020

Last year marked the fifth consecutive time that UBC actively participated in the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Not Myself Today® (NMT) initiative alongside Thrive in November.  NMT is an evidence-informed campaign that aims to provide tangible ways to help employers transform mental health in the workplace, reducing stigma and fostering safe and supportive work cultures.

In 2019, 29 departments across UBC participated in the campaign. This is the highest number of departments that have been engaged in NMT at UBC since it started! Faculty and staff were encouraged to get involved in departmental events, wear a mood button, or simply ask a colleague how they were feeling. It was wonderful to hear meaningful conversations about mental health and wellbeing on campus.

Here is what some participants had to say about last year’s NMT campaign:

“I liked having discussions about mental health openly with colleagues every day.”

“I really liked the engagement and interactive nature of the activities.”

“It was a great variety of events and resources and having it over one month shows commitment to supporting workplace wellbeing.”

“It is reassuring to see mental health and resiliency strategies in practice. Thank you!”

Starting in 2020: Year-round NMT

Previously, NMT only ran during Thrive in November, but we are excited to announce that, starting in January 2020, the campus community will have the opportunity to participate in the initiative throughout the year!

A rolling registration process will be launched soon that will allow departments to promote NMT whenever it works best.  Teams can run the program for however long they like, and continue using the materials on an ongoing basis.

We encourage you and your departments to consider joining our community of partners to champion this initiative within UBC. By registering as a partner, you receive access to online resources prepared to inspire understanding and action for better workplace mental health.

If you want to register for NMT or have any questions, please reach out to Melissa Baker at melissa.baker@ubc.ca.

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Explore Your Path to Mental Health: Thrive and Not Myself Today 2019

By Miranda Massie on September 10, 2019

UBC believes that by working together to promote mental health literacy, everyone can thrive and feel motivated, enjoy life and be ready to take on challenges. That’s why the university organizes Thrive, a series of events focused on helping the community to explore their path to mental health.

Save the date: November 1-30

This year, in honour of its 10th anniversary, Thrive will be a month-long initiative and we encourage all UBC departments, units and faculties to consider being a Thrive partner. You can help expand mental health literacy and action among UBC faculty, staff and students by planning an event, promoting Thrive in November, or engaging people in conversations in support of mental health.

Not Myself Today

As part of Thrive 2019, UBC departments, unit and faculties are also invited to participate in the Not Myself Today (NMT) initiative.

NMT is an evidence-informed workplace mental health initiative that helps to build greater awareness, reduce stigma and foster safe and supportive cultures. This is UBC’s fifth consecutive year participating in NMT, and it’s an excellent way to get involved with Thrive.

Consider joining our community of partners to champion this initiative within UBC workplaces during Thrive. By registering as a partner, you will receive access to toolkits and resources that you can use to inspire understanding and action for better workplace mental health.

Visit the Not Myself Today page to learn more or to register your department, unit or faculty.

Photo credit: UBC Student Communications

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Free Events This Fall

By Miranda Massie on September 10, 2019

Stress & Resilience Three-Part Series

Join Dr. Thara Vayali in a three-part Stress & Resilience Series to explore the stress response, recognize your stress levels, build resilience, and discover the connection between empathy and stress. Click on the links below for workshop descriptions. Sign up for one event or register for the whole series.

The Working Mind: Workplace Mental Health Training

Established by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the Working Mind is an evidence-based training program designed to address and promote mental health, and to reduce stigma in a workplace setting. It includes scenario-based practical applications, videos of people with lived experience of mental illness, participant reference guides, and related handouts. The program is available in two versions: one for employees and one for managers. Click on the links below for workshop descriptions.

Partner Information Session: Thrive and Not Myself Today | September 25 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Thrive is an annual mental health literacy campaign that offers UBC students, staff and faculty opportunities to explore pathways to mental health and find strategies that will help them thrive. As part of Thrive 2019, departments, units and faculties are also invited to participate in Not Myself Today (NMT), an evidence-informed workplace mental health initiative that helps to build greater awareness, reduce stigma and foster safe and supportive cultures.

This session will give you all the information you need to host a successful Thrive event or to champion the NMT initiative in your workplace. You’ll meet other partners and get lots of ideas and inspiration! Register for the partner information session now.

QPR Suicide Intervention Training | October 15 | 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

QPR Suicide Intervention Training is an internationally-recognized suicide intervention program designed to help you question, persuade and refer. This free QPR Training offered by UBC for students, staff and faculty will help you recognize suicide warning signs, approach someone who may be at risk, persuade the person to seek appropriate health services, and connect the person to resources that will help resolve crises. Find out more and register now.

Sit-Stand Desks & Platforms | October 22 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

This workshop will provide important information about different types of sit-stand desks and platforms available for the workplace. Understanding the pros and cons of each will assist departments, staff and faculty in deciding which option may be most suitable. Product samples will be available for participants to try in order to understand how the different models impact physical positioning and workflow. Find out more and register now.  

Office Ergo Rep Training | October 24 | 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

If your department is looking for more efficient response and support with regards to ergonomic issues for staff, consider taking this three-hour Ergo Rep Training. Learn about basic ergonomic risk factors and assessments, proper computer workstation set-up and resources to take back to your unit. Find out more and register now.

Ergo Chair Fit | Available Every Month

The UBC Workplace Ergonomics Program has equipment available for testing, including chairs. If you are looking to purchase a new chair and want to test out some options, book an appointment with the ergo team to learn more, including how to adjust the chairs properly and purchasing options. (Note: A chair fit session does not necessarily mean that your department will purchase a new chair for you. Please talk to your manager before booking a chair fit session.) Learn more and register for a session now.

30-Day Online Mindfulness Challenge | Begins Every Tuesday

This free, innovative, evidence-based training is for all UBC staff and faculty looking to incorporate mindfulness into the workplace and in their everyday lives. Content is delivered online via any device, and focuses on simple yet powerful and achievable learning objectives. After just 10 minutes a day for 30 consecutive days, participants will be healthier, more productive and better able to problem-solve and work in a team. Learn more and register for the challenge now.

Community News: September 2019

New Weekly Walks organized by UBC Recreation | Starts September 11 

Join the Move U Crew every Wednesday at noon for a free 45-minute guided walk starting September 11, 2019. It’s a great way to recharge midday and refocus for the afternoon. Look for our Move U Crew in their turquoise t-shirts! Check the schedule for a full year of walks to enjoy.

Current Meet-up Location: TEF 3, Outside Starbucks on Agronomy & East Mall

Attend UBC’s Annual Harvest Feastival | September 26

September 26 will mark the sixth annual Harvest Feastival: UBC’s biggest outdoor long table dinner featuring fresh food from UBC Farm. Spend a cozy fall evening surrounded by students, faculty, staff and friends. Don’t miss the early opening before dinner, where you can find an exclusive Dueling Pianos set and cash bar. Also, keep your after-dinner schedule clear so you can take in the amazing shows and exhibits planned at UBC’s world-class Arts & Culture District. To see the menu and entertainment line-up or to purchase your tickets (or table) today, click here.

Orange Shirt Day: every child matters| September 30

This is an annual day to recognize and raise awareness about the residential school system in Canada.  Join together in the spirit of reconciliation and honour the experiences of Indigenous Peoples.  Learn more.

Invitation: Pharmacist-led Migraine Group Appointments

The UBC Pharmacists Clinic (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences) is leading a study that surveys and evaluates the experiences of people living with migraine. Open to UBC staff, faculty and their families, the study consists of three in-person pharmacist-led evening sessions that will take place at the UBC Vancouver campus on October 23, 2019, November 27, 2019 and January 29, 2020. If you are interested in learning more about the causes, treatment options and management of migraines, please contact the research coordinator Anita Kapanen by October 9. Learn more.

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Thrive and Not Myself Today 2018: Explore Your Path to Mental Health

By Melissa Lafrance on September 11, 2018

Building and maintaining our mental health is a year-round pursuit, and Thrive is one of many mental health initiatives at UBC. Each year, when we work together as partners in promoting mental health literacy, everyone can thrive and enhance the capacity within each of us to feel motivated, enjoy life and be ready to take on life’s challenges.

This year, Thrive takes place from Oct. 29 – Nov. 2. We encourage all departments, units and faculties to consider becoming a Thrive partner. You can help expand positive mental health among UBC faculty, staff and students by planning an event, promoting Thrive Week, or getting people talking in support of mental health. Explore your path with the “Thrive 5” and find out the many more ways you can engage with Thrive.

As part of Thrive 2018, UBC departments, unit and faculties are also invited to participate in the Not Myself Today (NMT) initiative.

NMT is an evidence-informed workplace mental health initiative that helps to build greater awareness, reduce stigma and foster safe and supportive cultures.

This is UBC’s fourth consecutive year participating in NMT. Consider joining our community of Not Myself Today partners to champion this initiative within numerous UBC workplaces during Thrive Week. By registering as a partner, you will receive access to toolkits and resources that you can use to inspire positive mental health in your workplace and among your colleagues. Visit www.hr.ubc.ca/nmt to learn more about this year’s Not Myself Today initiative and to register your department, unit or faculty.

Photo Credit: UBC Thrive and UBC Student Communications

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Free Events This Month: August 2017

By Melissa Lafrance on August 3, 2017

Office Ergo Rep Training | August 15 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Location: Point Grey)

If your department is looking for more efficient response and support with regards to ergonomic issues for staff, consider taking the three-hour Office Ergo Rep Training. Learn basic ergonomic risk factors and assessments as well as proper computer workstation set-up, and get resources to take back to your unit. Find out more and register now.  

Seasonal Health Series at DHCC (Location: Diamond Health Care Centre)

Part 1 – Seasonal Nutrition: Diet & Stress | August 16 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Explore ways you can eat to beat stress. Learn how diet and dietary habits affect your reaction to stressors and how stress affects food cravings. Discover how simple diet shifts can assist with stress management. Find out more and register now.

Part 2 – Seasonal Nutrition: Summer (and beyond) Health Tips | August 23 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

This session expands on how stress affects food cravings and how to navigate summer festivities with ease. Learn about the simple dietary choices you can make to assist you this summer. Find out more and register now.   

Not Myself Today Info Session | August 22 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Location: Point Grey)

Not Myself Today is a national campaign focusing on helping workplaces achieve better understanding of mental health and to reduce stigma. As part of Thrive 2017, the Not Myself Today campaign will be implemented within numerous departments for the third year. UBC departments can easily take part in the campaign during Thrive Week (October 30 – November 3) using tools and resources to educate and engage their staff and faculty.

Join us to learn about the campaign: how your department can get involved, discover support tools and resources, and learn about mental health. Find out more and register for the info session now.

UBC Nitobe Memorial Garden Guided Walk | August 24 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Location: Point Grey)

Join us for a guided tour of the Nitobe Memorial Garden, a traditional Japanese tea and stroll garden located at UBC Vancouver. Enjoy nature while socializing and learning about the many unique features of the garden. Limited spots available. Find out more and register now. 

Ergo Your Office Tutorial | August 30 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Location: Point Grey)

Optimize your computer work environment to improve comfort and reduce the risk of injury. This one-hour tutorial combines a presentation and a practical session, giving you hands-on experience adjusting typical office equipment. By the end of the tutorial, you will know how to set up your chair, keyboard/mouse and monitor to promote neutral working postures. Find out more and register now.

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Relationship Re-Build: Three Ways to Better Connections

Relationship Re-Build: Three Ways to Better Connections

By Miranda Massie on July 6, 2016

relationships-re-build

I recently attended a conference with health promotion and human resources staff from colleges and universities across Canada.  What an amazing opportunity!  Nothing beats engaging with people who are incredibly energized and passionate about the work that they do.

Some of these colleagues I met for the first time, while others I have had the pleasure of developing personal and professional relationships with over the past five years.  Though we may only see each other in person once a year, we have created a strong and supportive community of practice.

The theme of relationships came up repeatedly in our conversations and made me realize how the strength of our relationships relies heavily on managing our own expectations.  Our thoughts, assumptions, biases and frustrations can often interfere with our ability to create and maintain healthy and supportive relationships in life and in the workplace.

Here are a few examples that I feel help to illustrate this.

Example 1: Attribution Bias

If I trip over a power cord in the office, who can I blame? I might curse the cord and whoever left it lying on the floor.  If I see someone else trip over this cord, I might think “slow down!” or “what a klutz”.

Also known as the fundamental attribution error, attribution bias is where we place emphasis on internal factors to explain someone else’s behaviour without considering external situational factors (as we might to justify our own behaviour and actions).

Example 2: Try on a different pair of shoes

Think about someone with whom you have interacted or experienced a challenging situation recently. Remember that moment and think back to the emotions you were feeling at the time (frustration, anger etc.).

Now, imagine that you went to sleep last night and woke up this morning to discover that you had switched places with this person.

Put yourself back in that challenging situation, but as the other person. What emotions are you experiencing now?  Is there a reason for your behaviour?

Momentarily taking ourselves out of our own experience to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes helps create empathy.  Trying to identify with someone else’s feelings and emotions can help us better understand their behavior and perhaps approach a situation or relationship differently.

Example 3: Challenging assumptions

Take a look at the posters below.  They come from an anti-stigma campaign from Healthy Minds Canada.

HMC-CancerHMC-Heart Disease

It’s obvious that we would never treat people with heart disease and cancer this way.  However, the stigmas that persist around mental illness is very real and these posters expose a double standards that exist.  They are a great example of how we can place our personal assumptions and judgments on others, creating a false basis for the relationship before it even really begins.

This month’s newsletter theme is healthy relationships and I hope that these examples will help you to look at the way that you approach your relationships with others going forward.  Supportive and nurturing relationships are key to our individual and professional success.

Be curious, be open and be understanding.

All my best,

Miranda

C of P 2016

Our Community of Practice! (June 2016)

Want to learn more about ways to foster positive relationships in the workplace?

Attend our upcoming session to learn more about the 2016 Not Myself Today Campaign:

Not Myself Today Information Session, July 12 @ 12pm

Learn about the campaign and how your department can be involved; discover support tools and resources; learn more about mental health and become involved in fostering safe, open and supportive work environments.

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Free Events This Month: July 2016

By Melissa Lafrance on July 6, 2016

free ubc events

UBC’s Health, Wellbeing and Benefits team has a great line up of free activities and events coming your way this summer. Sign up today for programs including Office Stretches & Workouts, Celiac Disease & Gluten-free,  Learn to Meditate Three-Part Series, Not Myself Today, Ergo Your Office, Eldercare and plenty more!                                                                       

Celiac Disease & Gluten-Free Diet: Myths vs. Facts – July 7, 2016 @ 12-1pm (Location: Point Grey)

Are you thinking about going gluten-free? Is going gluten-free actually healthier for you? This workshop will focus on the myths and truths of the gluten-free diet, and delve into celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

The facilitators of the session are Val Vaartnou, President of the Canadian Celiac Association (Vancouver Chapter) and Nicole Fetterly, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition & Wellness Manager in UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services. All staff and faculty are welcome to attend.

For more information and to register, click here.

Learn to Meditate Three-Part Series – July 11, 18, & 25, 2016 @ 12-1pm (Location: Point Grey)

The three-part Learn to Meditate series is back by popular demand for summer 2016! Wendy Quan will provide an introduction and basic concepts of meditation and mindfulness techniques. This three-session course, tuned for the working environment, is designed for those both new and experienced in the world of mindfulness meditation.

For $35, you can learn to cultivate personal resilience, learn techniques to reduce and manage stress, and gain confidence to practice meditation and mindfulness. For more information and to register, click here.

Not Myself Today Info Session – July 12, 2016 @ 12-1pm (Location: Point Grey)

Not Myself Today is a campaign focusing on helping workplaces achieve better understanding of mental health and reduce stigma. As part of Thrive 2016, the Not Myself Today campaign will be implemented within numerous departments for the second year. UBC departments can easily take part in the campaign during Thrive week (Oct 31 – Nov 4) using tools and resources to educate their staff and faculty.

Join us to learn about the campaign and how your department can get involved, discover support tools and resources, and learn about mental health. For more information and to register, click here.

Ergo Your Office – July 27, 2016 @ 12-1pm (Location: Point Grey) 

Optimize your computer work environment to improve comfort and reduce the risk of injury. This one-hour tutorial combines a presentation and a practical session, giving you hands-on experience adjusting typical office equipment. By the end of the tutorial you will know how to set up your chair, keyboard/mouse and monitor to promote neutral working postures. For more information and to register, click here.

Eldercare 101 – July 27, 2016 @ 12-1pm (Location: Point Grey) 

Join Home-to-Home, a seniors advisory and assistance business, in this one-hour session on eldercare planning and management. Participants will learn how to develop eldercare plans related to housing, how to avoid crisis situations, access resources, budgeting, legal considerations, and gain a greater awareness of eldercare options and resources. For more information and to register, click here.

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