Fall Wellness Programs

 

NAU Wellness at Work: An employee fitness program – program full
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm, October 3 – November 30, 2023 (8 weeks)
Rolle Activity Center
Led by Frank G. Micale, MA, ACSM CEP-C, NSCA CSCS, Lecturer and FIT Coordinator, Department of Health Sciences

Having trouble knowing what to do to improve your fitness level and how to do it?  We can help with this structured, supervised employee exercise program designed just for you!

Faculty and students from the Fitness and Wellness major in the Health Sciences Department will assess your present level of fitness, help you set goals and lead you in implementing your personalized fitness plan. Attendance in all 16 sessions is encouraged for maximum benefit.

Register for the Back to Fitness program

 

Zumba Classes (in-person and virtual)
Tuesdays, September 12 – 26, 2023 (attend any or all)
12:05 – 12:55 pm
HLC Room 2407
Led by Alison Mercado, M.Ed., Academic Advisor Sr., and Zumba Instructor

Move your body during the lunch hour with Zumba – a fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance. These FREE classes will be 50 minutes of upbeat fun. Never tried it before? That’s okay! All you have to do is follow the leader (and the beat!). Wear athletic shoes and have water on hand! All are welcome.

Zumba in-person registration link
Virtual Zumba Zoom registration link

 

Guided Forest Therapy Walks
All walks led by Heather Nash, PhD, EAW Director and Nature and Forest Therapy Guide in training 

Thursday, September 28, 2023, 12 noon – 1 pm (rescheduled date)
In-person, Flagstaff Mountain Campus, meet at South Campus Starbucks

Join us for this on-campus forest therapy experience, which involves taking a guided walk, slowly, with a structured series of invitations designed to help participants relax and connect with nature, its creatures, each other, and with themselves. The walk will be about 1/4 mile in length.

September 28 Forest Walk registration email link

 

Thursday, October 5, 2023, 12 noon – 1 pm
Remote via Zoom

This remote forest therapy experience involves taking a slow walk in an outdoor place of your choosing (e.g., forest, greenway path, campus, park, neighborhood, backyard) while on Zoom with the group, with a structured series of invitations designed to help participants relax and connect with the nature, its creatures, each other, and with themselves.

October 5 Forest Walk Zoom registration link

 

Thursday October 19, 2023, 12 noon – 1 pm
In person, Flagstaff Mountain Campus, meet at South Campus Starbucks

This on-campus forest therapy experience involves taking a guided walk, slowly, with a structured series of invitations designed to help participants relax and connect with nature, its creatures, each other, and with themselves. The walk will be about 1/4 mile in length.

October 19 Forest Walk registration email link

To find out more about forest therapy walks, visit the Association for Nature and Forest Therapies website.

 

Finding Meaning and Hope: A Free Virtual Discussion Series for Family Caregivers
Wednesday afternoon, September 20 – November 22, 2023, 1:30 – 3 pm

Are you caring for someone with dementia or another cognitive impairment? Join a group of fellow family caregivers to learn skills that can help you navigate your caregiving journey with healing and hope.

This series is based on the book Loving Someone who has Dementia: How to Find Hope While Coping with Stress and Grief by Pauline Boss, PhD, a leading expert on caregiver loss and grief.

To find out more or to register, email George Hamblin at Finding Meaning and Hope registration or call 928-679-7263.

 

Insight Meditation Classes (virtual)
Thursday evening, September 21 – October 26, 2023 (six sessions)
6 – 7:45 pm
Guided by Drs. Cathy Small, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Allen Atkins, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Finance

Please join us for this 6-week course offered in collaboration with Flagstaff Insight Meditation Community. Insight Meditation is part of an ancient tradition originating in India 2,600 years ago. The practice involves both concentration and contemplative methods of meditation.

Learn to reduce stress and anxiety by focusing on the present moment, while opening a doorway to greater peace and freedom at a deeper level. It is important participants attend all 6 classes, as each class builds on previous instruction and practice.

Please sign on 10 minutes early to get settled and wear loose, comfortable clothing. There is no fee for this class and it is open to all NAU faculty, staff, students and the Flagstaff community (18 years and older)

Insight Meditation Zoom registration link

 

From Myth to Harmony
Wednesday, September 27, 2023, 12 – 1:15 pm
Led by Heather Rist, EAW Counselor and Trainer

Stressed? You need more work-life balance! Burned out? Work-life balance! What’s wrong with you that you can’t achieve work-life balance? We’ve all heard some version of these at some point in our professional careers, that we need to achieve this elusive, unattainable thing called “work-life balance.”

Well, it is elusive because it’s a myth. It’s not real. Balance means a steady position or a still point. However, we don’t live lives of stillness. We live lives of constant motion and change. Therefore, the goal of “balance” is a set up for failure. We must revolutionize the way we think about “work-life balance” in the context of a rich, meaningful life of motion.

Let’s unpack this myth, redefine what it is we’re really looking for, and identify practical steps we can take to enrich our lives through harmony.  This lunch and learn is based on the book The Work-Life Balance Myth: Rethinking Your Optimal Balance for Success by David J. McNeff. You do not need to have read the book to attend, however you may find it helpful.

The first 60 minutes will be informational, and the last 15 minutes will be experiential.

From Myth to Harmony Zoom registration link

 

Let’s Talk about Money, Honey!
Thursday, September 28, 8:30 – 9:30 am
Led by Shawnee McDowell, LCSW

This workshop provides a framework for learning to talk with your partner about a sticky subject…finances. You will learn to find the personal meaning you place on money and learn new ways to communicate with your partner.

Let’s Talk about Money Zoom registration link

 

Say What You Mean
Friday, October 20, 2023, 12 -1:15 pm
Led by Heather Rist, EAW Counselor and Trainer

Various power dynamics, personality conflicts, and dysfunctional or abusive situations can leave us feeling afraid to speak up and use our voices for self-advocacy. This may happen in the workplace with colleagues, at home, with our families, and even with strangers on the street.

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this month’s lunch and learn will explore will how to find your voice, speak your truth, and listen deeply with mindfulness and compassion to ourselves and others.

As we get more skilled and adept at noticing red flags, microaggressions, and harmful speech, we can learn to speak to these in the moment in ways that “call people in.” Calling someone in entails creating a psychologically safe space where learning and growth can take place absent of judgment or defensiveness. Using tools from the book Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication by Oren Jay Sofer, we will look at how we can employ mindfulness, compassion, and nonviolent communication to create healthier communication in all our relationships.

You do not need to have read the book to attend, however you may find it helpful. The first 60 minutes will be informational, and the last 15 minutes will be experiential.

Say What You Mean Zoom registration link

 

Fostering Interdependence in the Workplace: Together we can do things we cannot do alone (in person)
Thursday, October 26, 2023, 12 – 1 pm
HLC room 2405
Led by Shawnee McDowell, LCSW

Interdependence is the notion that independent individuals can work together and rely on each other to accomplish a goal. In this workshop, you will learn how independence and dependence can actually work with each other, not against each other.

Fostering Interdependence registration email link

 

The Secret to Overcoming Burnout
Thursday, November 9, 2023, 12 – 1:15 pm
Led by Mike Bouck and Heather Rist, EAW Counselors

Is everyone feeling it? It’s that point in the semester when you are crispy, fried, questioning your life choices, and using all the not-so-helpful coping skills. The perfect time to revisit how we manage stress and come back from burnout! Maybe find some tools to manage holidays w1th the in-laws along the way?

Join Mike and Heather in this Lunch & Learn where we will discuss the seven evidence-based ways to complete your stress cycle and manage your own nervous system regulation. Turns out this nervous system regulation stuff is KEY to helping your body metabolize daily stress, avoid burnout, and enhance personal wellbeing. Learn what we mean and gain some practical tips and tools you can implement and start feeling a little less crispy today and put you back on the path to enjoying your life.

This Lunch & Learn is based on the book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA. You do not need to have read the book to attend, however you might find it helpful. The first 60 minutes will be informational, and last 15 minutes will be experiential.

The Secret to Overcoming Burnout Zoom registration link

Drop In Wellness Groups

Midweek Morning Mediation
Wednesday mornings, September 20 – November 15, 2023, 8:30 – 9 am
Led by Mike Bouck, LCSW, EAW Counselor and Trainer

To cultivate the healing power of mindfulness requires more than mechanically following a recipe or a set of instructions. When the mind is open and receptive, positive changes can occur.

Join us this semester as we practice the “9-Attitudinal Foundations of Mindfulness”, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and renowned expert in mindfulness. Each meeting will begin with a short instructional period followed by 15-20 minutes of guided mindfulness meditation.

Please sign on a few minutes early to get settled. Drop in as you are able; attend any or all meetings.

Midweek Morning Meditation Zoom registration link

 

The Next Normal: Leadership Edition
Tuesday mornings, October 17 – November 21, 2023, 8:30 – 9 am

The post-pandemic workplace continues to evolve and change. Priorities for employees are challenging leaders and organizations to be creative and adaptable.

The Flagstaff location presents some additional barriers to recruitment, which places an extra emphasis on retaining the talent NAU invests in, and a large portion of retaining talent falls on direct supervisors and leadership.

In this six-week edition of “The Next Normal” we will explore aspects of leadership including: what are employees looking for in the leaders of today, self-leadership, and evidence-based leadership.

Join for all or part of this series.

Next Normal Leadership Edition Zoom registration link

 

Building Capacity
Thursday mornings, October 5 – November 16, 2023, 8:30 – 9 am
Led by Heather Nash, PhD, EAW Psychologist and Director

Join us as you are available on Thursday mornings as we discuss strategies for effectively adapting and building your capacity to respond positively to stress, adversity, and change. Help us build a campus culture of well-being and resiliency, starting with you! All NAU employees are welcome.

Drop in as you are able; attend any or all group meetings.

Building Capacity Zoom registration link

 

Support Groups 

Men’s Growth Group
Wednesdays, September 20 – November 8, 2023, 3:30 – 5 pm
Led by Mike Bouck, LCSW, EAW Counselor and Trainer

Join us for a confidential group focused on growth, exploring masculinity, discussing challenges, and finding ways to help ourselves and others live more fully. Previous group experience is not required. The group will meet weekly, in-person and is open to all who identify as male.

Men’s Growth Group registration email link

 

Good Grief: Can anything good come of grief?
Tuesday afternoons, October 17 – November 14, 12 noon – 1:30 pm
Led by Shawnee McDowell, LCSW

Grief is a normal part of life, and yet it feels so disorienting and difficult that we might feel like we will never feel ‘normal’ again. Join others in this 5-week grief group, to come together in our feelings of grief and loss. We will honor ourselves and our loved ones as we share memories and feelings both verbally and through creative art (no previous art skills required).

Good Grief registration email link

 

Campus Health Services Pop-up Flu Vaccine Clinics

Stop by one of the pop-up clinics listed below for your flu shot. These clinics are open to faculty, staff, students, and covered dependents, 16 years and older. Bring your insurance card and wear sleeves that can be rolled up to your shoulder.

Fall 2023 Dates and Locations:

Tuesday, September 26, 9 am – 1 pm, Cline Library, room 200

Thursday, September 28, 4 – 6 pm, the Dub, Aspen Room C

Tuesday, October 10, 10 am – 1 pm, University Union, by the Information Desk

Wednesday, October 18, 11 am – 2 pm, Central Quad

Wednesday, October 25, 11 am – 1 pm, Cline Library, Room 131

Tuesday, October 31, 11 am – 2 pm, University Union, by the Information Desk

Monday, November 6, 11 am – 2 pm, HLC Lobby

Tuesday, November 14, 3 – 5 pm, the Dub, Aspen Room C

Wednesday, November 15, 1 – 3 pm, HLC Lobby

Thursday, November 30, 3 – 5 pm, University Union, by the Information Desk

 

Follow us on Instagram @nauflagstaffeaw for event and program reminders. 

Wellness Programs On Demand

Lifter On-demand Wellness Programs
Lifter is a self-guided, on demand wellness resource on a variety of wellness topics. Employees may access pre-recorded workshops on physical, mental, and emotional health topics. Visit Lifter EAW Programs to learn more!

(To access Lifter programs, you must be on campus or signed on to the NAU VPN. Once you are on the Lifter page, click on the link in the upper, left corner titled “Course Catalog” to access videos.

 

Northern Arizona University is committed to providing universal access to our programs and services. Please contact EAW at 928-523-1552 to request disability related accommodations. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for accessibility needs.