Your Well-Being Matters
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 13, 2021 ) — Amid the joy and celebration of the holidays and new year, many of us may also experience feelings of stress and isolation. And while many conditions have improved since our last holiday season, others of us still feel some uncertainty and continue to cope with the loss of loved ones, control or activities we used to enjoy during this time.
If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone. To combat these feelings, UK Human Resources (HR) Health and Wellness gathered these simple tools to help you create more calm, hope, and connection and handle any difficult feelings you encounter through the new year and beyond.
“With the challenges and changes of the past year, we want our employees to know that HR Work-Life and Health and Wellness genuinely care about your well-being,” said Jody Ensman, HR Health and Wellness manager. “Your well-being matters, and we are here to support you now and throughout 2022.”
The dedicated team of work-life and well-being experts in Human Resources offers blog posts, videos and more whether you feel:
- stressed and overwhelmed;
- burned out;
- worried or frustrated;
- sad or languishing;
- disconnected; or
- not even sure where to begin.
31 Days of Gratitude Challenge
In addition to these resources, you’re invited to join the 31 Days of Gratitude Challenge happening Dec. 15 through Jan. 14. During the challenge, you’ll receive daily suggestions on ways you can practice gratitude, but you are encouraged to practice in ways that feel meaningful to you.
Why gratitude? Practicing gratitude regularly contributes to your well-being. Studies show that regularly practicing gratitude can ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, increase happiness, strengthen connections with others and more.
“Gratitude doesn’t have to end with Thanksgiving,” said Jakob Hester, wellness specialist with HR Health and Wellness. “We know the profound impact regularly practicing gratitude can have on our minds, our bodies and our relationships. But we also know it can be difficult to maintain. So we want this challenge to be a fun and engaging way to help our employees keep that energy going through the new year.”
Interested in participating in the challenge? Visit your Health and Wellness dashboard. You’ll find a link to the MoveSpring app where you can learn more about practicing gratitude and log your progress. Participants will be eligible to win one of 25 copies of “Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything” by BJ Fogg, Ph.D. Those who practice and log 21 or more days of gratitude will receive an additional entry for the drawing.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.