Worksite Wellness News!

March 2024

March is National Nutrition Month

National Nutrition Month focuses on the significance of nutrition and health. It seeks to educate individuals about the importance of making informed food choices, developing consistent eating habits, and undertaking regular physical activity. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has announced this year's theme to be Beyond the Table. This includes how food is grown or raised, where and how it is made, as well as its safety.



As a reminder, the City of Bryan offers you access to Wondr Health- a digital weight loss program available to you at no cost. Wondr Health goes beyond diet fads to teach you science-based skills to help you lose weight and improve your overall health without giving up the foods you love. Employees and spouses enrolled in the City of Bryan's medical plan are eligible to apply to the program. You will need your Blue Cross Blue Shield card available to apply.

March is Workplace Eye Wellness Awareness Month. Workplace eye injuries cost an estimated $300 million per year in workers' compensation, medical treatment, and lost productivity according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Workplace eye injuries are alarmingly common. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 20,000 eye injuries occur in the workplace each year and often require one or more missed work days for recovery.

There are a few things you can do to help prevent an eye injury in the workplace:

• Eliminate hazards before starting work by using machine guards, work screens, or other engineering controls.
• Always wear the appropriate safety eyewear, even if you are just passing through a potentially hazardous area.
• If you're working in an area with lots of particles or dust, be sure to wear safety goggles with side shields to protect against foreign objects from entering your eyes.
• Always wear safety goggles or face shields when working with chemicals to protect against splashing.
• When working around hazardous radiation like welding, fiber optics and lasers, be sure to use specially designed safety goggles and helmets made especially for such tasks.
• Keep safety eyewear in good condition and replace when necessary.

Understanding Anxiety

Anxiety is your body’s reaction to stress and can occur even if there is no current threat. Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. Many people worry about things such as health, money or family problems. But anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. 



If that anxiety doesn’t go away and begins to interfere with your life, it could affect your health. You could experience problems with sleeping or with your immune, digestive, cardiovascular and reproductive systems. You also may be at higher risk for developing a mental illness such as an anxiety disorder or depression. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork and relationships.

Here are some tips for coping with anxiety:

• Control your worry. Pick a place and time to do your worrying. Spend 30 minutes thinking about your concerns and what you can do about them. Try not to dwell on what "might" happen. Focus on what's really happening.
• You can learn ways to help you relax. These may include muscle relaxation, yoga, and deep breathing. Muscle relaxation is easy. Start by choosing a muscle and holding it tight for a few seconds. Then, relax the muscle. Do this with all of your muscles. Try starting with your feet and working your way up your body.
• Confront the things that have made you anxious in the past. You might find it helpful to make a list of things that causes you the least anxiety, and work your way up. If you feel yourself getting anxious, practice one of your relaxation techniques or focus on a simple task such as counting backward.
• Exercise regularly. People who have anxiety often quit exercising, but exercise can give you a sense of wellbeing and help decrease your stress.
• Get plenty of sleep. Don't rely on alcohol or drugs. It may seem that alcohol and drugs relax you, but in the long run, they worsen anxiety and depression.
• Discuss your feelings with your physician. He or she may prescribe medicine to help reduce anxiety while you learn new ways to respond to things that cause it.

If you need further assistance, SupportLinc Care Advocates are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at no cost to you. Call 888-881-5462 for in-the-moment support, guidance and additional resources.

Use code: cityofbryan to create an account with SupportLinc

Wellbeing

At HOTWORX, members can do more with less time. Sessions are just 15 or 30 minutes long and combine heat, infrared energy, and exercise to help you burn calories fast and recover even faster.

3387 University Drive East Suite 413

Bryan, TX 77802

Dr. Becky Kennedy, wildly popular parenting expert and creator of @drbeckyatgoodinside, shares her groundbreaking approach to raising kids and offers practical strategies for parenting in a way that feels good.