Wellness Wednesday Weekly – Volume 6

Volume 1 Issue 6
Wednesday, 3 June 2020

Greetings UWCEA Community,

We take a moment to pause and once again reflect on what has been lost and what we have felt during this time. Events in the world are constantly changing, and some are causing people to experience emotions that they have not felt in a long time, or grieving traumas that they believed they had moved past. During times like these, we have to find something to help us remain positive and see a brighter future ahead. In response to this, we want to spend this week focusing on the importance of experiencing and spreading JOY.

A simple word, but it can truly change a moment, a day, a life. When you know that joy is possible, you seek ways to create it, even during a difficult time. The phrase, “Joy comes in the morning,” has a spiritual base, but is a message that can resonate with everyone. We know that when you are going through something that is less than ideal it is essential to remain hopeful and optimistic that it will not last forever. Believing that your joy will come in the metaphorical morning helps people believe in a better future even during some of their darkest hours. Recently AISA offered a webinar on a related topic with Dr. Suzy Green that delved into the essential elements of positive psychology. View the webinar on this link, and open up to the possibility of injecting your life with a little positivity. Although the primary focus of the webinar is on leadership, the resources and insights she provides on the concept of resiliency are messages that can resonate with everyone as we can all be positive leaders for those around us.

(Image from Dr. Suzy Green AISA webinar 3 June 2020)

As always, we encourage you to access the COVID-19 Counselor Resources document if you are struggling to deal with emotions that are impeding your ability to find joy now, or in the future. In addition, author and artist, Sandra Gould-Ford, has recently published a series of blogs dedicated to the concept of creating a “Path to Joy.” This series has evolved over the last couple of months, and continues to provide resources on ways to enhance your life with joy. (12 part blog series) 

In addition, June is African American Music Appreciation Month, and what better way to bring joy than through enjoying great music. Although in this present moment many of you may be thinking of the song “A Change Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, sometimes we also need to enjoy a little celebration to keep going through tough times. For this, we offer a little feel good music in the form of “Hey Ya” by Outkast.

With the recent graduation of the Moshi D2 students and more celebrations to come, we feel a need to celebrate and continue to spread the joy that we saw on the faces of our graduates throughout the virtual ceremony. On Saturday 6 June at 10:00PM EAT/3:00PM EDT, we encourage you to enjoy the live streaming celebration of the Class of 2020 that is becoming an international event. #DearClassof2020 has grown into a global tribute to a class that has had to exhibit optimism and resilience this year. Let’s all find a way to keep honoring and encouraging them along their journey, through this thing called life. 😉

Are you continuing to ask yourself that key question that Lifestyle Expert Marie Kondo has posed to the world, “Does it spark joy?” Our students are finding ways to ask and answer that question. From the excitement growing during the “House” competitions, to the joy felt by the Moshi PYP Dream Team’s collection and delivery of supplies to the patients at KCMC, we are working hard to spark joy and brighten the days of everyone in our communities. Over the final weeks of school, our students continue to come up with creative ways to express gratitude to their teachers which we know will bring great joy into the lives of our dedicated and diligent staff.

In closing, we once again encourage you to take a deep breath, think about something you are grateful for that you had not considered before, and create some joy in your day. Life is worth living and enjoying along the way.

Stay well and stay positive,

Your UWCEA Wellbeing Committee

P.S. Amidst all that is happening around the world, as a result of the ongoing unrest in the United States, a bit of joy was felt when Genesee County Sheriff, Chris Swanson, decided to do something different. If you have not seen how he was able to spark joy in the midst of protest, take a moment to enjoy this video and consider ways that you can bring joy during difficult times. It could completely turn a situation around.