Showcasing CPS leaders and champions who personally model healthy behaviors and truly believe in creating opportunities for school employees to take better care of themselves!

Donny Silver - Media Specialist, Rock Bridge High School

Per Donny's co-worker "Donny Silver isn't just an avid cyclist – he's a beacon of positivity on two wheels! Rain or shine, Donny pedals his way to and from school, logging even more miles on weekend adventures. No matter the weather, his signature smile shines through. Even when faced with comments about chilly temperatures, Donny's infectious optimism prevails.

If you want to nominate an employee to be spotlighted for their wellness efforts, fill out this short Google Survey.

As we approach the end of the school year, I know those who are lucky enough to get it are thinking of what to do over summer break. For a small few, you will be starting a new phase in your life...retirement. So I wanted to take this time to congratulate you as you embark on this new chapter in your life. As you embrace retirement, I hope your days are filled with joy, relaxation, and countless adventures! But I also hope you take the time to focus on your health and wellness to maximize your retirement health. Here's to health, happiness, and endless possibilities in your retirement journey!

In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, I wanted to share MHTTC's 30 Days of Mental Health Challenge Calendar with you all!

Throughout the month of May, I wanted to guide you on a journey to prioritize self-care, mindfulness, and emotional well-being. Each day you will be provided with a simple yet impactful activity designed to promote mental wellness and cultivate resilience. Whether it's practicing gratitude, engaging in relaxation techniques, or connecting with others, this challenge offers an opportunity to nurture your mental health and foster a supportive community. Together, let's embrace the power of self-care and spread awareness about the importance of mental health.

Practicing gratitude - regularly focusing on the positive parts of your life - has time and again been proven to be a powerful health habit. Research has shown that practicing gratitude can enhance mental wellness and possibly promote lasting change in perspective. Gratitude and its mental health benefits can also positively affect your physical health.

Given the many benefits of gratitude journaling, there is clear rationale is figuring out ways to adopt this habit in our everyday lives. With the everyday ease and usage of smartphones, using gratitude journaling apps is a great option! Below are some gratitude apps that I kept coming across that boast wonderful results! I encourage you to explore and try adopting this health habit to help boost positivity, increase self-esteem, and overall improving satisfaction with daily life!

Delightful

Presently (Android users)

365 Gratitude Journal

Grateful: A Gratitude Journal (iOS devices)

Gratitude Happiness Journal

As we enter summer break, this is a good reminder to engage in regular self-skin cancer screenings. By being proactive and conducting regular self-exams, you can detect any abnormalities early on, leading to timely medical intervention if needed. Self-screening empowers individuals to take control of their health and increases the likelihood of successful treatment. Click on the link below for instructions on how to do a skin self-exam.

As you learned from reading the article above, a healthier gut can lead to a happier mind. So now you may be wondering, what foods do I need to eat to get a healthier gut? Below are the types of food that result in the biggest gut health benefits.

• High-Fiber Foods Like Beans, Oats, and Fruits: Both types of fiber (soluble and insoluble) help with gut healthy by assisting with digestion and preventing constipation.
• Probiotic Foods Like Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kombucha, and Kefir: Eating probiotic foods can help boost your body's population of beneficial bacteria. When eating probiotic foods, make sure to check labels for live, active cultures, which indicates the bacteria in the foods are still living.
• Prebiotic Foods Like Asparagus, Bananas, and Garlic: It's not enough to eat plenty of probiotic-rich foods - you also have to eat foods that help keep these health-promoting microorganisms alive. Prebiotic foods can be though of as nutrient-dense food for your healthy gut microbes; when you eat prebiotic foods, you effectively feed the good bacteria that keeps your gut in balance.
• Synbiotic Foods Like Yogurt Paired with Blueberries: Synbiotic foods combine prebiotics and probiotics into a single, uber-healthy gut microbe-supporting meal!
• Anti-Inflammatory Foods Like Fatty Fish, Flax Seeds, and Walnuts: Anti-inflammatory foods contain nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids, that can help cool down inflammation in the body.

And don't forget to drink plenty of water! Water not only enables fiber to do its job properly in your gut, but also helps keep your digestive system - and the rest of your body - running smoothly!

TeachWell: TeachWell is a text-based wellness program from the Missouri Department of Mental Health as a thank you to educators. This comprehensive program aims to support the mental health and well-being of educators, recognizing that their emotional and mental well-being directly impacts their ability to create a positive learning environment for students. TeachWell offers a series of courses addressing key topics such as preventing burnout, seeking help, the benefits of movement, managing depression and anxiety, and fostering resilience through self-care and team care. Sign up for free bite-size wellness exercises that come to you via email or directly to your mobile device.

Mental Health America Webinar: May 9 @ 12pm Healing from Within: Somatic Practices for your mind and Body, This Mental Health Month, we are equipping individuals with the tools they need to take care of their mental health. Exploring options for support and care can be overwhelming, and finding practices that work for you is essential. To best care for your mental healthy, you need a variety of tools to help you cope. This session will explore one tool for healing - somatic practices. Somatic techniques are being used to help cultivate a mind-body connection, regulate emotions, and release stress, tension, and trauma. We will discuss how simple but powerful exercises impact mental health and how you can explore somatic healing for your mental health. Sign up for the webinar here.

Mother's Day Goat Yoga: May 12th @ 10am or 11:30am Take part in this unique and memorable experience. No yoga experience needed. This is the perfect surprise for your animal loving mom figure in your life (all ages welcome). Check off an item on your bucket list!

Freedom Walk: May 18 @ 10am at the Lamp Shelter at Cosmo Park. You're invited to Columbia, MO's 2nd annual Freedom Walk on behalf of the Kirsten Haglund Foundation! Join in the celebration of eating disorder recovery and raise life saving funds for treatment scholarships. The Freedom Walk will include a pre walk warm up with Hot Lotus Yoga, silent auction, and speakers ranging from advocates with lived experience to mental health clinicians. Sign up here to join the walk!

Safe a Life Event: May 29 @ 12pm at Blue Note. The Boone County Overdose Response Coalition, in collaboration with Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, will host a Save a Life: opioid education and naloxone distribution event. Save a Life is a series of monthly, free-to-the-public events. The programs feature education and conversation around how community members can help prevent opioid overdose deaths through the use of naloxone. Click here to read more about these events.

Empowering Teams: Inclusive Culture for Employee Well-being: May 30 @ 11:00 In this session, The Solution Consulting Co. will delve into the complexities of dominant culture norms within organization settings and explore strategies for fostering inclusivity and belonging. Click here to register.

Below are local gyms that offer educator discounts to CPS Staff. I am working to increase this list, so if you have a gym you would like me to reach out to, please let me know! To download the PDFs, you must open this newsletter in the internet browser by clicking "view in browser" at the top.

Employees who are benefit eligible (working 30 hours or more per week), their spouses, and children age 13 and over are eligible to receive services at the EAP free of charge.

For more information click on the brochure on the right, or to schedule an appointment, contact the EAP at 573-815-6034 or at eap@boone.health.

Boone Health Employee Assistance Program is located at 1605 E. Broadway, Boone Medical Plaza 2, Suite 200, Columbia, MO 65201.

This newsletter is brought to you in collaboration between the following CPS departments:

• Nutrition Services
• Occupational Health
• Physical and Health Education
• Psychological Services (Outreach Counseling & School Psychology)
• School Counseling
• School Nursing