Wellness Tips
NYS-Balance is a resource and referral program offered through the Governor's Office of Employee Relations' Work-Life Services. This negotiated benefit is available to the following: CSEA, PEF, UUP, GSEU, DC-37, and NYSCOPBA, and M/C employees*. 3rd Thursday of the month Consumer Credit Counseling Service Affordable Housing Partnership Nickels & Dimes - Wellness Councils of America Online Financial Bulletin
US Dept. of Energy - Consumer's Guide to Energy Savings SEFCU Financial Education Classes Cornell Cooperative Extension Energy & Money Management Capital District Food Pantries NYS Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance (MyBenefits) NYS County Departments of Social Services Homeless and Travelers Aid Society Workforce Development Institute Childcare Subsidy Capital District Carpooling and Mass Transit Information NYS-Ride CDTA Be sure to check UAlbany's Office of Environmental Sustainability and Parking & Mass Transit for more commuter information. Environmental Sustainability's UAlbany Green Scene Parking & Mass Transit Management
NYS-Balance Monthly Webinars
*If you are an eligible employee and would like access to NYS-Balance but do not have the login/password information, please contact Brenda Seckerson.bseckerson@uamail.albany.edu Webinar Details
12 noon - 1 pm
Register for the webinar on the NYS-Balance website. To participate, you will need an internet-connected PC and a phone. If the webinar is not scheduled during your break/lunch time, view it later online. http://www.nysbalance.ny.gov/WELLNESS TIP # 1
Financial Well-Being
The state of our personal and family finances is a contributing factor to our sense of well-being. Striving to maintain or achieve "financial wellness" in a time when prices keep rising can be challenging and stressful. The resources below might offer you the support you need.*Support Services*
New York State's new pre-tax tranportation program that
allows state employees to pay for transit far expenses
on a pre-tax basis through payroll deduction.
Zipride
University at Albany's own ride-sharing website!
IPool2
(Sponsored by CDTA and the Capital District Transportation Committee)
This website allows users to place carpool ads and find park and drive locations.
The program is for individuals who work or live in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, or Saratoga County.
VPSI Vanpooling
Vanpools are a commuting option for UAlbany employees.
UAlbany employees can ride the CDTA bus #10, 11, 12, 63 and 90
as well as any UAlbany bus for free with their ID card.
The CDTA also has a trip planner option. On their web site,
click on the trip planner logo under the “connecting the region” section.
Put in your destinations and the time you wish to depart.
A trip showing the bus routes will be displayed along
with your estimated travel time.Books Available From the EAP Library:
WELLNESS TIP # 2
Building Your Resiliency Toolkit
Resiliency is defined as the ability to “bounce back” or to adapt and move forward after facing the adversities and inevitable changes that occur from time to time in our lives. By strengthening our ability to be resilient, we develop trust within ourselves and recognize that we are able to persevere despite set backs or difficult experiences. The more resilient we become, the less stress we will incur and the more empowered we will feel when faced with life’s challenges.
The following links provide information to assist you
with building your resiliency toolkit.
How would you describe your sense of resiliency during difficult times?
Take this resilience assessment to discover your strengths
and your areas for growth.
How do we develop resiliency?
American Psychological Association
NYS Office of Mental Health: Resilience
What can I add to my resilience “toolkit” to enhance my ability
to “bounce back”? What skills do I need to develop?
Mayo Clinic Adult Health
*Reaching In Reaching Out Skills Videos
*Reaching In Reaching Out Resilience Curriculum
Resources for College/University Programs
What can I do as a parent to support my child’s sense of resiliency?
US Dept. of Health & Human Services – Administration for Children & Families
Great Schools
The Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets
*Reaching In Reaching Out Guidebook
Embrace the Future Resiliency Resource Centre
Workplaces and organizations can also build resiliency.
For Supervisors/Managers:
How Managers Can Build Organizational Resiliency (HR Management)
Strengthening Workforce Resiliency in the Public Sector
(The Public Manager.Org)
*The Skills Videos, Guidebook, and College/University Curriculum Resources are
used with permission from Reaching IN…Reaching OUT
(http://www.reachinginreachingout.com/)
an evidence-based training program that teaches adults the skills to handle
life’s challenges with resilience and shows them how to pass those
skills along to young children, birth to seven.
WELLNESS TIP # 3
On Being Mindful
Are you constantly on the go? Are you always “plugged in” somehow? What if you decided to take a moment each day to “be awake and fully aware?”
Eastern meditation (Buddhist) focuses on the concept of mindfulness—being “in the moment” and noticing without judgment. Try designating 5—10 minutes a day to being mindful—fully aware of what is going on inside and outside of yourself without judgment. Just notice.
You can do everyday things in a mindful way—like washing the dishes, making the bed, or eating a meal. Practicing mindfulness can relieve stress and bring you moments of peace throughout your busy day.
"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
Founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, & Society at the University of Massachusett Medical School
How to do Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness Meditation -A Contemplative Practice
Neurological Reason for Doing Mindfulness Meditation
