Tactics for maintaining Mental Fitness during the …...2020/07/14 · Tactics for maintaining Mental Fitness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Progressive Relaxation Dr. Bill Howatt

Tactics for maintaining Mental Fitness during the COVID-19 Pandemic:

Progressive Relaxation

Dr. Bill Howatt

President, Howatt HR

Chief Research Workforce Productivity,

Conference Board of Canada

Jesse Adams, MSc

Chief Learning Officer, Howatt HR

Please note that once registered for one webinar, you will be automatically registered for future webinars in our weekly series.

Agenda

1 Refresher: Charging our Battery

2 Micro-skill of the Day: Fueling up with nutrition

3 Actions for today

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2 Micro-skill of the Day: Progressive Relaxation

3 Actions for today

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Recall, we are like batteries and each day we may start at a different level of charge

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Charged

Charging

Half-full

Drained

Empty

=

Resilience is built through joint responsibility

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Feel safe

Trust in direct manager

Sense of pride in work

Feelings of appreciation

Positive peer interactions

Positive customerinteractions

Absent of workplace conflict

Clear role

Understand priorities

Managingworkload

Employee ActionsEmployer Actions +

Job satisfaction

Mental fitness

Physical activity

Nutrition

Passion

Sleep

Social connections

Relaxation

Lifestyle choices

Work-life blending

Presenter

Presentation Notes

In order to optimize the employee experience, it is important to understand that it isn’t just the employees who need to get smarter about their health, or for employers to offer better programs and supports Instead, organizational resilience is built through action in tandem – joint responsibility is actually one of the key facets of the National Standard: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/media/4183 Together, employees (through daily, intentional actions) and employers (by offering impactful and holistic programs and supports) have the power to improve mental health and resiliency in the workplace Because our habits (and accompanying actions / behaviours) are all the things that we do automatically, without thinking, they help define who we are – as individuals and collectively as organizations. If you’re in the habit of getting up and working out every morning, you’re in share; if you’re in the habit of never doing what you say you’re going to do, you’re unreliable Employees can learn to give their bad habits the ‘heave-ho’, but first, they must be aware of them What is resilience? The ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens The ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity or the like; buoyancy The ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc. The way that you think changes how you feel and what you do. These are the things that we have a capacity to change Optimism can be learned, particularly when it comes to changing how we explain negative situations to ourselves Resiliency is an outcome….outcome based on a construct that to normalize failure we need to have set backs Go along on escalator – go forward and then backwards and then fall in a pothole. I am now stuck in this pothole. What do I have to change and action to get out. Life is not about perfect and wish it were Nirvana. If 30% sucks and 70% is good, you are doing well. The concept of the belief that if something is lost there is an opportunity to find another moment. We can build up our resilience. You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine – John Maxwell How to change habits mindfully According to research, a little over 90% of us don't quite stick to our New Year resolutions. That can be disheartening, and we may even take it as a personal failing or lack of willpower (it isn't). There is another way. A more compassionate approach. With mindfulness, it's possible to more easily and reliably cultivate a new habit or release an old one. And habits - small, consistent everyday choices - are what change our lives and our worlds in meaningful ways. Discover the small, doable shifts that add up to more profound changes.

Maintaining Mental Fitness: Micro-skills

• Micro-skills are small behaviours or cognitive skills you can add to your life to support mental fitness

• They are skills that can be applied to all areas of your life:

– Physical

– Mental health

– Personal life

– Work experience

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Progressive relaxation

Journaling

Flipping the switch

Mindful Hydration

Anchoring your why

Fueling up with nutrition

Prioritizing sleep

Mental Fitness Toolbox



3 Actions for today

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Stress and your body

• 45% of people with chronic headaches result from stress

• 29% of adults attribute neck and back pain to stress

• 72% of studies exploring impact of stress on digestion found a link between stress and digestive issues

• Almost 50% of people with chronic migraines have anxiety

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Jaw

Neck

Back

Hips

ChestStomach

Headaches

Battery chargeStructural and physiological alterations

Increase in muscle tension

Changes to physical posture

Reduced activity due to pain

Increased stress hormones

How does stress cause muscle pain?

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Constant perceived stressors

What is progressive relaxation

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• A process where you intentionally relax specific muscles one at a time

• This can be beneficial in releasing stress that is being held in a particular area of

your body (e.g., neck, back)

• This brings down your physiology stimulation to help in processing your emotions.

Releasing of tension and anxious feeling

Short circuiting of pain / stress cycle

How does progressive relaxation work?

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Focused muscle tension

What are the benefits of progressive relaxation

• Progressive relaxation can have many benefits on our lives, however research has indicated three most common impacts as

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Daily stress1.

Anxiety2.

Muscle and joint tension and pain3.



3 Actions for today

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How to focus on each muscle groups

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Muscle Group What to do

Forehead • Wrinkle into a deep frown

Around the eyes and nose • Close eyes as tightly as you can

Checks and jaws• Smile as widely as possible

• Clench teeth slightly

Around mouth• Press your lips as close together as

possible

Back of neck • Press your head against floor or chair

Front of neck • Touch your chin to your chest

(Try not to create tension in your neck and head)

1.2.3/4

5/6


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Hands • Clench fist

Wrists and forearms • Extend and bend your hands at the wrist

Biceps(front of arm)

• Clench hands into fist

• Bend your arms at elbow

• Flex biceps

Triceps (back of arm)

• Straighten arm

• Clench hand

• Flex back of arm

Shoulders • Shrug them towards your ears

Chest • Squeeze your arms into your sides

• Flex your pectoralis (chest muscles)

1

2

3/4

56


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Back• Flex your back up and away from the floor or chair

Stomach • Suck stomach into a tight not

• Flex abdominals

Hips and buttocks • Press buttock together as tightly as possible

Quads(front of upper leg)

• Straighten leg

• Clench thigh muscle hard them hard

Hamstring(back of upper leg)

• Bend knee or press heal into the ground

• Clench thigh muscle hard

Front of lower leg

• Point toes to the sky

• And lift foot off the ground

Calf (back of lower leg)

• Curl toes and foot towards the ground

• Squeeze calf

1

13

2

4 5

6 7

Lets try it out

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Preparation Create Tension RepeatRelease

Lets try it out

Step 1: Preparation

• Take a slow deep breath and hold for about 5 seconds.

• Repeat 3 times

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Lets try it out

Step 2: Create Tension

• Apply tension to the muscle group you would like to focus on (e.g., squeeze your hand)

• Take a slow deep breath and hold for about 5 seconds.

• Really focus on the feeling and applying tension to the area

• You should never feel too tense or shooting pain.

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Lets try it out

Step 3: Release

• Quickly release the tension in the focused area(s).

• While releasing the tension exhale a slow as you can and try to keep in line with the release

of your muscles.

• After about 5 seconds all of the tension should be released from the area.

• Remain completely relaxed or about 15 seconds. 20

Preparation Create Tension Release Repeat

Lets try it out

Step 4: Repeat for the same muscle group or move on to the next

• Redo steps 2 and 3 on the same muscle group another 1 to 2 times

• If you feel the tension has dissipated, move to the next nearby muscle groups

• You can do each muscle group in your whole body or stop after working through a targeted

muscle

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Next Weeks Webinar

• When: Tuesday July 21, 2020

• What time: 12 pm est

• How to find it: www.maintainingmentalfitness.com

• Micro-skill: Journaling

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https://maintainingmentalfitness.com/

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Question Periodwww.maintainingmentalfitness.com

Please note that once registered for one webinar, you will be automatically registered for future webinars in our weekly series.

https://maintainingmentalfitness.com/

Documents

Tactics for maintaining Mental Fitness during the …...2020/07/14 · Tactics for maintaining Mental Fitness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Progressive Relaxation Dr. Bill Howatt