{"id":15469,"date":"2019-05-02T12:03:16","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T17:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lern.org\/?p=15469"},"modified":"2021-08-01T16:00:53","modified_gmt":"2021-08-01T21:00:53","slug":"every-class-is-a-wellness-class","status":"publish","type":"club_article","link":"https:\/\/lern.com\/lernclub\/club_article\/every-class-is-a-wellness-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Class is a Wellness Class"},"content":{"rendered":"

The invisible trillion-dollar epidemic<\/strong>
\nIn a world increasingly focused on the bottom line and on the ROI of learning, not enough attention is being given to the critical importance of enrichment learning. Not only are decision-makers failing to recognize the importance and value of this type of programming, there is very little education being done to help them understand how enrichment learning can benefit their organizations, the participants in their programs, the families of those participants, and their employers.
\nThe number of work-days lost to stress and related illness increased by 25 percent in 2017, and The World Health Organization recently reported that an estimated\u00a012 billion <\/strong>working days will be lost to untreated depression and anxiety by the year 2030, resulting in a global cost of $925 billion (Luxton, 2016).
\nStress, depression and anxiety accounted for 57 percent of all working days lost in the United States in 2017\/18, while stress-related musculoskeletal disorders represented 25 percent of working days lost.
\nSome 65 percent of U.S. employees cite work as a significant source of stress and more than one-third report chronic work stress, which can affect both individual well-being and organizational performance. In addition to affecting employee health, chronic stress can have serious repercussions for employers.
\nIn all, the American Institute of Stress estimates that job stress costs U.S. industry more than $300 billion a year in absenteeism, turnover, diminished productivity, and medical, legal and insurance costs. (Source APA: http:\/\/www.apaexcellence.org\/resources\/special-topics\/work-stress<\/a>).
\nThese are big numbers, and lifelong learning organizations would be well-advised to develop and promote enrichment activities to businesses and employers as a strategy to address the high-costs of absenteeism and stress on organizational performance. Unquestionably, employers would save on costs if they invested in well-ness and stress management opportunities for employees.
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\nEnrichment Solutions<\/b>
\nPrograms such as fitness and exercise classes, meditation, yoga or mindfulness, weekly topic discussions of interest to employees, \u201cat work\u201d book clubs, and classes such as knitting, painting, crocheting, quilting, spoon carving and others can be brought to the workplace\u2014much like onsite training activities.\u00a0<\/span>
\nOther options for employers include contracting with local providers to make courses available to their employees after work.\u00a0 <\/span>Following are just a few enrichment activities that are well known to help reduce stress and absenteeism and which could contribute to the health, well-being, and productivity of employees.
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\nHobbies for Health<\/b>
\nHobbies in general have been shown to promote better mental and physical health. According to a 2015 study at the University of California, Merced, there are direct associations between engaging in leisure activity and overall health. Here are just a few activities that are offered by LERN members which are known to contribute positively to health:
\nDance.\u00a0 <\/span><\/b>Dance promotes heart health, strengthen bones and helps with weight control. It is great exercise, and also a mood lifter.
\nCooking.<\/b> Not only can cooking classes help participants learn to cook healthy meals, it has, as a main benefit an ability to reduce stress and anxiety.
\nPet care: <\/b>Pet ownership has long been shown to improve both physical and mental health. It reduces the risk of depression, stress, and anxiety, and has been shown to help lower blood pressure and contribute to a more active lifestyle.
\nGardening.<\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>According to Anne Harding, writing for CNN Health in 2011, gardening offers a plethora of healthful benefits including: stress reduction, reduced blood pressure and better mood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Harding cites a research study conducted in the Netherlands where two groups of people were assigned different options for relaxing after completing a stressful task.\u00a0 <\/span>One group was told to read for 30 minutes and a second group was instructed to garden for 30 minutes. At the end of the relaxation time, the group that gardened reported being in a better mood than the reading group, and were found to have lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A similar study in Norway was done with subjects suffering from depression. Members of the research group spent six hours a week growing flowers and vegetables. After three months, half of the participants had experienced a measurable improvement in their depression symptoms, and the improvement continued over a period of months after the program ended. What’s more, their mood continued to be better three months after the gardening program ended.\u00a0<\/span>
\nIn addition, the activity of gardening introduces opportunity for exercise. It has long been known that exercise generates endorphins which are important in reducing anxiety and depression.
\nKnitting:<\/strong>Gardening is just one of a plethora of hobbies or activities that can play a role in boosting mood and improving mental health. Indeed, in the early 1900s, doctors would prescribe knitting as a \u201ccure\u201d for \u201cfemale hysteria.\u201d More contemporary research has validated the effectiveness of knitting as a way to reduce anxiety and stress. According to new research by\u00a0Knit\u00a0For Peace,\u00a0knitting\u00a0could actually improve your health. … Health benefits were both physical and mental, and included lower blood pressure, reduced depression and\u00a0anxiety, delayed onset of dementia.\u00a0Knitting was deemed as relaxing as yoga, the researchers noted. It seems that neuroscientists have determined that keeping the hands busy alters brain chemistry and helps to reduce stress and anxiety (https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sciencetech\/article-5517743\/Keeping-hands-busy-knitting-boost-mood.html<\/a>).
\nWalking: <\/strong>Walking clubs and hiking groups are very popular and not only do they help people stay active, they also contribute to social interactions that promote both physical and mental wellness.
\nReading:<\/strong>Reading is not likely to contribute to increasing physical activity, but it is known to increase mental stimulation, reduce stress, improve memory, and boost concentration. The popularity of book groups also means that there is often a social component which can contribute to a sense of wellbeing.
\nWriting:<\/strong>Journaling, blogging or even creative writing serves as an outlet for self-expression. Writing for leisure has been shown to reduce stress and improve sleep. Sharing your writing with the public is also a way to create connections and community.
\nShinrin Yoku-<\/strong>Forest Bathing\u00a0 <\/strong>has been practiced in Japan for decades as a public health initiative.\u00a0It isgaining popularity in the United States and around the world as a response to a stressful world. The practice began in Japan in the 1980s as a response to the overly stressed and over-worked status of citizens of Tokyo and other urban areas. The Forest Agency of Japan began encouraging people to get out into the forests periodically and to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature with all of their senses. The practice, which is rooted in the ancient Japanese reverence for nature has proven mental and physical health benefits including:<\/p>\n