The start of a new school year can be both exciting and frightening for children and parents alike. Returning to routines, adjusting to schedules and interacting with new people can cause nervousness and stress.

To help Brock employees and their families adjust to the changes that come with back to school, the University’s Employee and Family Assistance Program provider, LifeWorks, has released several new wellness newsletter resources focused on handling the back-to-school rush, coping with anxiety and adjusting to middle school, high school and college or university.

The collection of articles is just one example of the many wellness resources Brock University’s Health Management and Wellness Team creates and curates each month for employees.

In addition to the back-to-school reads, the September Employee Wellness Calendar features several virtual opportunities, including an online Zumba class, a webinar offering immune boosting strategies and a webinar led by a TEDx Talk speaker discussing suicide prevention.

The calendar also promotes The Working Mind, which is an education-based program designed to address and promote mental health and reduce the stigma of mental illness in a workplace setting. A four-hour session for employees will be offered in September, while a seven-hour session for those who manage or lead people will be offered in October.

Brock community members are also reminded of the University’s year-long initiative to make kindness the norm. The workplace kindness calendar theme for September is ‘appreciation.’ Kindness suggestions for the month include posting a positive online review of a local business, inviting a colleague who is often quiet in meetings to share their thoughts, and telling a friend that you appreciate them.

Additional employee wellness resources are available on the Health, Safety and Wellness Toolbox on SharePoint, including recordings of wellness workshops, such as Ergonomics 101, In a Nutritionist’s Pantry and Virtual Yoga.

Questions about employee wellness resources and ideas for future wellness workshops and resources can be emailed to employeehealth@brocku.ca