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Stress is something everyone deals with, especially when life gets busy or tough, but managing it is really important for both our body and mind. If we fail to manage stress, it can grow to more serious issues such as anxiety, disease, and difficulty sleeping. Luckily, there are a lot of ways to handle stress, like learning to relax, staying organized, or talking to someone when we feel overwhelmed. Simple things like breathing exercises, setting priorities, or finding time for hobbies can help us feel calmer and more in control. Learning to manage stress can make life seem more manageable and a lot more enjoyable.

Learn to Relax: Practice simple relaxation techniques like deep breathing, stretching, or meditation to calm your mind and body.

Stay Organized: Use planners, to-do lists, or apps to keep track of tasks and avoid last-minute stress.

Make Time for Fun: Balance work with activities you enjoy, like listening to music, drawing, or hanging out with friends.

Exercise Regularly: Even a short walk or a quick workout can help you feel less stressed and more energized.

Talk It Out: Share your feelings with someone you trust, like a friend, family member, or school counselor.

Think Positive: Focus on the good things in your life and remind yourself that it’s okay to make mistakes.

Sleep Well: Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every night, so you feel rested and can handle challenges better.

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Implementation Steps

Setting: Corporate Workplace

1.  Assessment: In this step, things like conducting surveys on health challenges and barriers to change should be done. Eating unhealthy, smoking, bad physical activity, and bad sleep are all examples of common health challenges that may occur in the workplace. With the information from the survey, you can then incorporate things like on-site facilities like gyms, cafeterias, fitness areas, or stress management programs to help workers. Another thing that the company could do would be to partner with wellness programs and collaborate with gyms, clinics, or wellness organizations. Doing this will help provide expertise and allow shared resources to enhance the program.

2. Program Design: In this step, designing a wellness plan using Social Cognitive Theory can help the employees drastically by benefiting their health—things like Educational Workshops where there are sessions on meal prepping, stress management, and smoking cessation. A Peer-led support network can encourage employees to encourage and have shared learning and support. Lastly, changing up the environment and putting healthy snacks in vending machines, making more smoke-free areas, and making gym memberships cheaper are good options

3. Kickoff and Communication: In this step, the program will be launched with an engaging event to introduce its benefits. This will include emails, posters, and team meetings to promote the wellness plan and encourage participation.

4. Tools for Engagement: Provide apps for tracking progress (e.g., diet, exercise, or smoking cessation) and set up reward systems such as points for achieving goals, redeemable gift cards, or extra time off.

5. On-Site Interventions: Offer weekly health check-ins, cooking demonstrations, and group fitness classes. Build flexibility to accommodate diverse schedules and needs.

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Health and wellbeing are extremely important because they allow us to live longer, feel better, and avoid illness. Taking care of our health means doing things like going to regular doctor check-ups, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly. It’s not just about fixing problems when they happen but also preventing them before they start. For example, taking vaccinations, keeping up with health exams, and learning about healthy habits can all make a big difference. When we focus on health education and take small steps to improve our daily routines, we can stay healthier and enjoy life more.

There are many ways to promote health and wellness, such as:

Preventive Care

1. Routine Health Check-Ups

Schedule regular appointments with healthcare providers for comprehensive physicals.

Emphasize early detection of chronic conditions through screenings (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels).

Encourage women to follow mammogram and Pap smear schedules and men to stay updated on prostate and colon cancer screenings.

2. Vaccinations

Promote awareness campaigns about flu shots, COVID-19 boosters, and childhood immunizations.

Offer convenient access to vaccination clinics through workplaces or community centers.

3. Dental and Vision Health

Highlight the importance of biannual dental cleanings and eye exams.

Provide information on oral hygiene practices, such as proper brushing, flossing, and using fluoride toothpaste.

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Spiritual practices are activities or routines that help people connect with their inner selves, find peace, and develop a stronger relationship with the world or a higher power. These practices are not limited to a single religion or belief system, but can be tailored to individual preferences or cultural contexts. Below is a list of common ways to practice this.

1. Meditation

Guided Meditation

Yoga Nidra Meditation

2. Prayer

Structured Prayer

Gratitude Practice

3. Mindfulness

Mindful Breathing

Body Scan

4. Exercise

Lifting weights

Cardio ex. walking, running

5. Journaling

Writing down your thoughts, feelings, or experiences.

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Healthy sleep habits are important to have in order to promote sustainable sleep. This is commonly known as sleep hygiene (Astle et al., 2024). These are habits that will promote good sleep hygiene.

Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends (Astle et al., 2024).

Sleep in your optimal environment; minimal noise, no light or use night light, preferred temperature (Astle et al., 2024).

Try not to use your phone or electronics at least an hour before sleeping, instead try reading a book or meditation (Astle et al., 2024).

Common sleep disorders are:

Insomnia - having issues falling asleep, not being able to stay asleep, and nonrestorative sleep (Astle et al., 2024).

Sleep apnea - when a person stops breathing for a short period of time while they are asleep (Astle et al., 2024).

Circadian-rhythm disorders - are due to the disturbance of the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle (Astle et al., 2024).

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Evaluation Methods

1. Tracking Participation: Monitor employee enrollment and engagement in wellness activities

2. Behavioral Outcomes: Measure specific metrics, such as the percentage of participants reducing fast food intake, quitting smoking, or meeting physical activity goals.

3. Health Metrics: Track biometric data (e.g., blood pressure, BMI, or cholesterol levels) through periodic health screenings.

4. Employee Feedback: Conduct regular surveys to assess satisfaction with the program and identify areas for improvement. Feedback ensures the plan evolves to meet participants' needs.

5. Organizational Impact: Evaluate workplace indicators such as absenteeism, productivity, and healthcare costs to assess the broader benefits of the wellness plan.

6. Adjustment Process: Use evaluation data to refine the program, adding or modifying components based on participant needs and outcomes (e.g., increasing accessibility of healthy food options or expanding smoking cessation support).

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Low Engagement: Due to busy schedules or doubts about the advantages of health initiatives, employees may not be motivated to take part.

Access Issues: Not every employee has equal access to resources like workshops, apps, or gyms on the premises.

Resistance to Change: Some might find it difficult to break bad habits like smoking or eating unhealthy.

Sustained Motivation: Programs may lose their initial enthusiasm over time, which could result in decreased participation.

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Boost Engagement: Provide rewards for engagement, such as extra time off, team challenges, or gift cards. Programs should be customized to meet the needs of employees; for example, by providing virtual or flexible scheduling choices.

Enhance Accessibility: Make sure that all employees can use the resources, such as free wellness tools, like apps, or online exercise programs.

Promote Gradual Change: To boost confidence, set small, attainable goals, such as replacing one fast-food meal with a nutritious one or going for quick walks during breaks.

Sustain Interest: Update programs frequently to provide new tasks, events, and rewards.

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A wellness plan grounded in Social Cognitive Theory may help people in embracing healthy behaviours by promoting self-efficacy, using positive reinforcement, and addressing social and environmental issues. Long-term advantages, such as increased productivity, morale, and health, can result from creating a pleasant workplace culture. This will offer support networks, and tailor wellness programs to fit the requirements of staff members.

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Making small, deliberate changes is the first step on the journey toward holistic wellness. Let's put our well-being first by choosing methods that work for us and encouraging one another to adopt healthier habits. Promoting a culture of wellbeing at work, school, and home is beneficial to everybody.

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Strategies to manage stress, depression, and anxiety can include:

Breathing exercises, eg. box/square breathing (Renner, 2013).

Regular exercise, healthy diet, and good sleep (Renner, 2013).

Engaging in relaxing hobbies (Renner, 2013).

Surrounding yourself with people who care for you (Renner, 2013).

Therapy involves working with your therapist to explore your thoughts, feelings, and challenges, while also developing skills to cope effectively and discover solutions to your problems (Centers for Disease Control, 2023).

Medications like antidepressants may be prescribed to help improve mood and enhance coping abilities (Centers for Disease Control, 2023).

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Techniques to enhance emotional resilience, self-awareness, and emotional regulation:

Journaling - gratitudes, moods and feeling throughout the day, emotional experiences (National Institutes of Health, 2022).

Practicing mindfulness (National Institutes of Health, 2022).

Looking at problems from a different perspective - use as a opportunity for growth, look at the positive side (National Institutes of Health, 2022).

Be compassionate to yourself (National Institutes of Health, 2022).

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Adults need around 2,000 calories a day but this can vary due to age, size, gender, physical activity level, and overall health (American Heart Association, 2024). Based on consuming 2,000 calories a day, these are recommended foods and serving sizes:

2 ½ cups of vegetables, such as spinach, kale, carrots, and cucumbers (American Heart Association, 2024).

2 cups of fruit, like strawberries, an apple, or an orange (American Heart Association, 2024).

3-6 oz of grain products, with at least half being whole grain. For example, pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, and bread (American Heart Association, 2024).

3 cups of dairy, like yogurt, milk, and cheese (American Heart Association, 2024).

For protein, the DRI is 0.8 gram per kilogram of body weight (Sizer et al., 2024). Protein sources can include poultry, fish, beef, beans, lentils, and nuts (American Heart Association, 2024).

About 9 teaspoons of fat and oil, avoiding tropical oils, animal fats, and partially hydrogenated fats (American Heart Association, 2024).

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Adults should engage in a variety of physical activities and limit prolonged periods of no movement (Astle et al., 2024). Guidelines to the how much and the types of physical activity, are as follows:

Moderate intensity aerobic activities, eg. swimming, for 150 minutes a week (Astle et al., 2024).

Vigorous intensity aerobic activities, eg. running, for 150 minutes a week (Astle et al., 2024).

Weightlifting and other muscle-strengthening activities, 2-3 times a week (Astle et al., 2024).

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Holistic health therapies are alternative approaches that can be used instead of the typical medical treatments (Astle et al., 2024). Examples of holistic health therapies that can easily be integrated into daily life are:

Chiropractic medicine - focuses on aligning the spine, joints, nervous system, and musculoskeletal system, in order to improve the body’s overall function (Astle et al., 2024).

Cupping therapy - uses small cups and suction on the body’s acupuncture points to promote Qi and reduce chronic pain in the neck and back (Astle et al., 2024).

Massage Therapy - manipulation and stimulation of soft tissue and pressure receptors in order to increase circulation, promote pain relief, and muscle relaxation (Astle et al., 2024).

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Having healthy relationships are important as they give you a support system, improve your life and can make you both happier and healthier (National Institutes of Health, 2018). Things you can do to maintain and build healthy relationships and connections are:

Share thoughts and feelings, and actively listen to others (National Institutes of Health, 2018).

Setting clear, healthy boundaries (National Institutes of Health, 2018).

Set time aside to bond with family and friends (National Institutes of Health, 2018).

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Volunteer for events within your community, eg. church/place of worship, school, community centre (National Institutes of Health, 2018).

Staying active together, like joining an intramural sports team or participating in exercise classes (National Institutes of Health, 2018).

Join a hobby group for something that interests you (National Institutes of Health, 2018).

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What are Values and Beliefs?

Values are the fundamental principles or standards that govern your behavior, such as honesty, compassion, hard work, or freedom.

Beliefs are ideas or convictions that you hold to be true about yourself, others, or the world, such as "people are fundamentally good" or "hard work leads to success."

Aligning your values and beliefs with your daily actions entails ensuring that your lifestyle reflects what you care about and believe in, resulting in a life of integrity and purpose. The following is a list of examples of alignment we may see in our daily life.

1. Value: Integrity

Belief: "Honesty builds trust."

Action: You remain truthful even when it's inconvenient, like admitting a mistake at work.

2. Value: Compassion

Belief: "Helping others is essential to a good life."

Action: You volunteer regularly or support friends in need.

3. Value: Health

Belief: "Taking care of my body supports my goals."

Action: You make time for exercise, healthy eating, and sufficient sleep.

4. Value: Family

Belief: "Strong family bonds create happiness."

Action: You set aside time for family dinners or check in with loved ones regularly.

5. Value: Learning

Belief: "Growth is essential for success."

Action: You pursue new skills, read regularly, or seek personal development opportunities.

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Health Education

1. Workshops and Webinars

Host sessions on balanced nutrition, portion control, and meal preparation techniques.

Provide practical lessons on managing conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

2. Community Events

Organize health fairs offering free screenings, health consultations, and educational materials.

Collaborate with local fitness centers for demonstrations of yoga, Zumba, or strength training.

3. Digital Resources

Develop e-learning modules or podcasts focusing on wellness topics such as sleep hygiene or mental health awareness.

Use social media platforms to share infographics, short videos, and reminders about healthy habits.

4. Disease Prevention Campaigns

Educate communities about preventing lifestyle-related diseases through initiatives like "Quit Smoking" programs or heart health awareness months.

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Adapting to change is really important because life doesn’t always go the way we expect. Being adaptable can help you deal with new situations, challenges, and unanticipated problems. It’s about focusing on what you can control and staying positive even when things are tough. By learning to solve problems, leaning on friends or family for support, and giving yourself time to adjust, you can get through almost anything. It is also important to be patient with yourself and learn from every circumstance so that you can be ready for whatever comes next.

Tips on developing resilience and the ability to adapt to life changes and challenges:

Stay Flexible: Understand that life doesn’t always go as planned. Be open to changing your approach when things don’t work out the way you expected.

Focus on What You Can Control: Instead of worrying about things you can’t change, put your energy into actions you can take to improve the situation.

Learn from Challenges: Treat setbacks as opportunities to grow. Think about what went wrong and what you can do differently next time.

Develop Problem-Solving Skills: Break big problems into smaller, manageable steps. Focus on solving one step at a time.

Practice Optimism: Try to find the positive side of tough situations. Believing that things will get better can help you stay motivated.

Build Support Systems: Surround yourself with supportive people who encourage you and help you adapt to change.

Stay Patient: Give yourself time to adjust to new situations. Change can be uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier with time.

Be Kind to Yourself: Remind yourself that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed. Take breaks when you need them and avoid being too hard on yourself.

Try New Things: Exploring new hobbies or learning new skills can help you build confidence and adaptability for future challenges.

Set Small Goals: When dealing with change, set short-term goals to stay focused and feel accomplished as you adapt.

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What is Self-esteem?

Self-esteem is your overall sense of self-worth or value. It reflects how much you appreciate and accept yourself, including your strengths, weaknesses, and the way you view your abilities and place in the world. High self-esteem means feeling confident and deserving of respect, while low self-esteem involves self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy. It plays a crucial role in how you interact with others, handle challenges, and pursue personal goals.

Strategies to improve self-esteem and body image include:

Challenge Negative Self-Talk - Helps to break the cycle of self-criticism by replacing it with self-empowerment. Over time, this increases confidence and emotional resilience.

Practice Self-Compassion - Recognizing flaws as part of being human. Instead of judging oneself, practice self-kindness. It is important because it promotes self-acceptance and reduces stress caused by perfectionism or harsh self-judgment.

Set Realistic Goals for Body Image - Focusing on what your body can do rather than solely on appearance promotes a healthier body image. It encourages sustainable habits and reduces the influence of societal pressures to conform to unrealistic standards.

Celebrate Small Wins - Acknowledging and celebrating even minor achievements helps you feel competent and motivated. It reinforces progress and builds a habit of recognizing your value.

Surround Yourself With Positive Influences - The people and media you engage with influence your self-perception. Positive influences uplift and inspire, while negative ones can lead to comparison or insecurity. A supportive environment nurtures self-esteem and emotional health.

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What is Personal Development?

Personal development is the intentional effort to improve one's mental, emotional, and physical abilities. It includes setting goals, learning new skills, and developing habits that are consistent with your values and aspirations. Personal development enables you to become more self-aware, overcome obstacles, and realize your full potential in both your personal and professional lives.

Examples of practicing Personal Development:

SMART Goals Framework

Break Goals into Smaller Steps

Regular Self-Reflection

Continuous Learning

Develop a growth mindset

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Behavior Change Theory: Social Cognitive Theory (SCT)

Social cognitive theory is a behaviour change theory that emphasizes and describes the influence of other individual experiences, actions of others, and environmental factors on individual health behaviours (Awal, 2023). This theory highlights how individuals learn and maintain behaviours through self-efficacy, observation and reinforcements.

The key components of SCT related to behavioural change of an individual are:

Self-efficacy: The belief that an individual has control over certain behaviours

Behaviour capability: The skill of performing set behaviour

Expectations: Determining outcomes of set behaviour change

Self-control: Ability to regulate and monitor individual behaviour

Observational learning: Watching and observing outcomes of others performing the desired behaviour

Reinforcements: Promoting incentives that encourage behaviour change

How Theory Supports Implementation and Success

Social Cognitive Theory can really be implemented in a wellness plan because of how it focuses on the interaction of environmental factors, experiences and personal beliefs in order to drive a change in behaviour that can help in the long run. Building good self-efficacy for an individual could be doing things like making small achievable goals like eating healthy at home at least twice a week, going to sleep earlier once a week etc, while also monitoring progress. By monitoring any positive behaviours and sharing success with friends or family will give a good sense of comfort and demonstrates a good pathway to success. Adjusting the environment that you are in, like choosing healthier food options, going to smoke-free social networks, can reduce the barriers of change. Doing these positive things and including the incentives like praise/validation for family or friends can be tangible incentives to keep going helping to build these habits. Last step to help with a wellness plan would be to figure out problem solving strategies to overcome unwanted behaviours. For example planning for cravings or overcoming certain time constraints, can empower individuals to sustain progress. By addressing these problems the Social Cognitive Theory can ensure that the wellness plan maintains long-term behavioural change.

Integrating A Theory Into A Wellness Plan

Case: Jack’s Wellness Plan

Jack is a 30-year-old nonbinary person who smokes, has high blood pressure, and regularly eats fast food for lunch, and can benefit from SCT-based strategies.

Personal Factors

Behaviour: Jack may feel overwhelmed by the challenges of quitting smoking and changing dietary habits

The intervention would be to set small yet achievable goals to enhance self-efficacy and in his case eating fast food only once a week would be a good way to start changing his dietary habits. For his smoking, getting access to resources like smoking cessation programs can help and guide him. A meal preparation guide can also help Jack get into the habit of preparing meals more instead of ordering out all the time.

Behavioural Factors

Behaviour: Jack struggles to eat healthy

The intervention would be to use self-monitoring resources, like fitness apps that help track meals. This will help him keep track of what he's eating, allowing him to act accordingly. Another thing that he can do would be to celebrate little successes/small milestones because it can act as an incentive/reason for him to keep going.

Environmental Factors

Behaviour: Jack tends to often eat fast food due to how convenient it is and the social norms surrounding it

The intervention would be to modify the environment that he is in by suggesting healthier lunch options like meal prepping or eating from healthy restaurants. Another thing that Jack could do would be to create a social network of people that are trying to also create a change in smoking and their dietary needs.

Modeling

Behaviour: Jack feels isolate in his efforts to change his ways

The intervention to this would be to share success stories of others who quit smoking or improved their health. Encourage group work/group change sessions were everyone could hold each other accountable

Reinforcement

Behaviour: Jack needs some motivation to make sure his changes are permanent and sustainable

The intervention for this would be to provide rewards for every milestone or continue to have reinforcement from people that are closest to him like friends or family acknowledging the progress of Jack

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Our proposed questions:

1. How can we modify wellness programs to meet the various demands and schedules of our workforce?

2. What are some successful strategies for encouraging staff members to stay motivated over the long term?

3. How can companies deal with the possible stigma associated with getting help for wellness or mental health issues?

4. What part does leadership play in creating a wellness-promoting atmosphere?

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References

Astle, B. J., Duggleby, W., Potter, P. A., Anne Griffin Perry, Stockert, P. A., & Hall, A. (2024). Potter and Perry’s Canadian fundamentals of nursing (7th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.

Sizer, F. S., Whitney, E. N., D’Andreamatteo, C., & Novak, E. (2024). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. Cengage.

American Heart Association. (2024). Suggested Servings from Each Food Group. Www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/suggested-servings-from-each-food-group

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, October 13). Mental health conditions: Depression and anxiety. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depression-anxiety.html#treatments

Renner, H. (2013, December 9). Depression and Stress Management. Healthline; Healthline Media. https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/stress-management#tips

National Institutes of Health. (2022, August 8). Emotional wellness toolkit. National Institutes of Health (NIH). https://www.nih.gov/health-information/emotional-wellness-toolkit

National Institutes of Health. (2018). Social Wellness Toolkit. National Institutes of Health (NIH). https://www.nih.gov/health-information/social-wellness-toolkit