Workplace Mental Health: Welcome to ESDC's Resilience Gym
Register for a 45-minute information session where we will provide you with the basics of how to navigate the Resilience GYM.
Building Resilience at the Gym
What is the Resilience Gym?
A place you can come to work on your resilience through tools, videos, live sessions and daily practices.
Explore these:
- individually or as a team
- based on your interests and time
Explore the Resilience Gym's 6 circuits:
Long Description
- Self-Regulation:
- The ability to change one's thoughts, emotions, behaviours and physiology in the service of a desired outcome.
- Optimism:
- The ability to notice and expect the positive, to focus on what you can control, and to take purposeful action.
- Self-Awareness:
- The ability to pay attention to your thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physiological reactions.
- Connection:
- The ability to build and maintain strong, trusting relationships.
- Mental Agility:
- The ability to look at situations from multiple perspectives and to think creatively and flexibly.
- Character Strength:
- The ability to use one's top strengths to engage authentically, overcome challenges, and create a life aligned with one's values.
What is resilience?
What is resilience?Resilience is the capacity to withstand and manage stress brought on by change.
It includes being able to:
- adapt to changing circumstances; and
- rebuild wellbeing through self-care strategies such as maintaining supportive personal and professional networks.
Resilience is present in everyone and is a set of skills we can develop.
Spotlight on Connection
What is connection?
It is the ability to:
- build and maintain strong, trusting relationships
- support others through positive and effective communication skills
Why do you need it?
Establishing strong connection allows you to:
- communicate with people with ease;
- know how to help people feel better;
- understand how to best support them;
- be your authentic self and to show your vulnerability; and
- allow people to know the real you, understand you, and connect with you.
Live Sessions
- OICM – Learning to Listen (November 23, December 8)
- OICM – Brave Conversations (November 17, December 16)
- OICM – Building a Culture of Trust (November 3, 25, December 14)
- OICM – Coaching Program for Managers with a Focus on Mental Health
- OICM – Having Productive Conversations (November 4, December 2)
- OICM – The role of a Coaching Attitude in our Communications (December 9)
- Wellbeing Check-In for Self and Team – Employees (November 23, December 7)
- Wellbeing Check-In for Self and Team – Managers (November 18, December 2)
Daily Practices
Tools
Videos
- Train the Brain: Isolation (coming soon)
- Train the Brain: Working Together (coming soon)
- ASPIRE – Building Trust in the Workplace
- ASPIRE – Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Self-Awareness
What is self-awareness?
It is the ability to identify:
- your own thoughts
- emotions
- behaviours
- physiological reactions
Why do you need it?
Being self-aware allows you to:
- develop your personal skills and become aware of your strengths and weaknesses; and
- have more productive interactions with the world around you.
Tools
- Check-In Tool (Short / Long)
- Energy Drain Regeneration Exercise (DOCX, 70 KB)
- Mental Health Continuum – Self Awareness Tool
- Mental Health Continuum – Manager's Tool
- Routes of Safety
- Lifespeak – Your Brain on Change
- Lifespeak – Learning to Master your Mindset
- Lifespeak – Compassion Fatigue: Taking Care When Caring Becomes too Much
Daily Practices
Live Sessions
- Wellbeing Check-In for Self and Team – Employees
- Wellbeing Check-In for Self and Team – Managers
- OICM – Learning to Listen
- OICM – Working with Resistance in our Relationships
- OICM – Difficult Conversations
- IITB's Mindfulness Moment (every Monday)
Videos
Train the Brain: Anxiety
Optimism
What is optimism?
It is the ability to:
- notice and expect the positive
- focus on what you can control
- take purposeful action
- remain realistic and maintain hope even when things seem to be going wrong
Why do you need it?
Being optimistic allows you to:
- identify the areas where you have control in a difficult situation; and
- cultivate positive emotions, like gratitude, joy, and love, which increase your situational awareness and critical thinking.
Tools
- Individual Self-Assessment Activity: Preparing for the Next Phase of Working in the Time of COVID-19
- Family Self-Assessment Activity: Preparing for the Next Phase of Working in the Time of COVID-19
- Lifespeak – What is Change? An Individual and Organizational Perspective
- Lifespeak – Practicing Gratitude
- Post-secondary student resilience
Daily Practices
- Gratitude to Go Toolkit
- Create a Wall of Gratitude
- Plant Something
- Coping Card on Communicating Boundaries
Live Sessions
- Workplace Mental Heath Workshop Part 1: Identifying our Challenges and Needs
- Workplace Mental Health Workshop Part 2: From Awareness to Action – Acknowledging Grief and Loss as We Create the Work Environment We Want
Videos
Train the Brain: Communicating Boundaries
- Train the Brain: Communicating Boundaries
- Train the Brain: Optimism (coming soon)
- All Train the Brain videos
- Lifespeak – Resilience Strategies: Discover Your Resilience Strengths
- Lifespeak – Healing From Trauma Through Indigenous Wisdom
- Lifespeak – Thriving Through Change: How to Make Change Work in the Workplace
Self-Regulation
Self-RegulationWhat is self-regulation?
It is the ability to:
- change your thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physiology to obtain a desired outcome.
Why do you need it?
Being able to self-regulate allows you to:
- control yourself when strong emotions arise; and
- avoid allowing strong emotions to cloud your thinking and judgement.
Tools
- Recognizing and Exploring Your Stressors (pages 10-12)
- Reflection Exercise – Energy Drain Regeneration (DOCX, 70 KB)
- Mental Health Continuum – Self-Awareness Tool
- Link Emotions, Thoughts and Behaviours
Daily Practices
- Build Emotional Vocabulary
- Tame Your Self-Talk
- Challenge Troublesome Thoughts
- Coping Card on Cognitive Overwhelm
- Energizing Break Activities
Live Sessions
- OICM – Working with Resistance in our Relationships
- OICM – Behaviours in conflict situations
- OICM – Brave Conversations
- OICM – Difficult Conversations
- OICM – Learning to listen
- IITB's Mindfulness Moment (every Monday)
- Wellbeing Check-In for Self and Team – Employees
- Wellbeing Check-In for Self and Team – Managers
Videos
- Train the Brain: Communicating Boundaries
- Lifespeak – 6 Minute Guided Meditation: Segmented Breathing for More Energy and Stress Reduction
- Lifespeak – 8 Minute Guided Meditation: Boost Your Mood With the 8 Breaths Minute
- Lifespeak – 10 Minute Guided Meditation: Kick Start Your Meditation Routine Using Breathing
- Lifespeak – A Practical Guide to Mindfulness
- Lifespeak – Stress Mastery: How to Recognize Stress
- All Train the Brain videos
Mental Agility
Mental AgilityWhat is mental agility?
It is the ability to:
- look at situations from multiple perspectives
- think creatively and flexibly
- think outside the box
Why do you need it?
Being mentally agile allows you to:
- notice negative or false thinking patterns and change them; and
- look at any situation more accurately and thoroughly.
Tools
- Strategy Triage Tool – Re-establishing priorities during the COVID-19 Crisis
- Mental Health Continuum – Manager's Tool
- Empathetic Leaders
- The Everyday Bias Detector for Public Servants
- Lifespeak – What is Change? An Individual and Organizational Perspective
- Psychologically safe social intelligence
Daily Practices
Live Sessions
- Supporting a Healthy Workplace: Group discussion on managing challenging workplace issues
- CSPS – Unleashing Resiliency During Change
- Canadian Innovation Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace: Critical thinking as a tool to make informed judgement
- OICM – Coaching Program for Managers with a Focus on Mental Health
- OICM – Having Productive Conversations
- OICM – The role of a Coaching Attitude in our Communications
- OICM – Working with Resistance in our Relationships
Videos
- Train the Brain: Depression (coming soon)
- Train the Brain : Workload and Self-Balance
- Understanding Anti-Black Racism and How to Be an Ally
- Understanding Anti-Black Racism and How to Be an Ally: Allyship
- What does Indigenous Mean?
- Understanding Unconscious Bias
- Overcoming Your Own Unconscious Biases
- Overcoming Unconscious Bias in the Workplace
- Lifespeak – The Most Promising Practices for Diversity and Inclusion
- Lifespeak – Healing From Trauma Through Indigenous Wisdom
- Lifespeak – Thriving Through Change: How to Make Change Work in the Workplace
Character Strength
Character StrengthWhat is character strength?
It is having:
- an understanding of your own top character strengths
- the ability to use your top character strengths to engage authentically, overcome challenges, and create a life aligned with your values
Why do you need it?
By being able to identify your signature character strengths, you will be able to:
- be more deliberate in leveraging the strengths in your work and life; and
- start to cultivate these strengths in others to help with their personal growth.
Tools
- Identifying and Using Your Strengths (page 21)
- Mental Health Passport
- Routes of Safety
- Lifespeak – Expert Blog: Yin and Yang in Relationships: Getting the Most Out of Your Relationship When You Are Opposites
Daily Practices
Live Sessions
- OICM – Brave Conversations
- OICM – Building a Culture of Trust
- OICM – Difficult Performance Management Discussions
Videos
- Train the Brain: Resilience
- Train the Brain: Unrelenting Standards (coming soon)
- Lifespeak – Resilience Strategies: Discover Your Resilience Strengths
Related links:
- Coaching and other on-demand services from the Office of Informal Conflict Management (OICM)
- LifeSpeak is a health and wellness platform that includes videos, podcasts, action plans and "Ask the Expert" sessions – completely anonymously, anywhere, anytime. (password; Canada)
- Mental Health Learning Path is a library of resources where you can use a filter function in order to meet your unique needs.
- Workplace Mental Health services and supports
We want to hear from you!
Tell us about your resilience stories! How have you adapted to changes in the past?
Send us your stories, questions, or comments EDSC.SMMT-WMH.ESDC@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.