As the fall temperatures roll in, we want to provide some health and wellness updates, tips and resources to help you and your family thrive. With cold and flu season upon us, it is important to maintain healthy practices and prioritize the well-being of yourself and our community. View these resources and take care this fall.
Help keep you and your family healthy and safe this fall with the below actions.
- Make sure to enroll or re-enroll in your health, dental, vision and insurance benefits during open enrollment, which takes place Nov. 1 to Nov. 16. Find more information, such as 2023 benefit guides and updates, resources for enrolling through Workday and more, on the open enrollment website.
- Register or view recordings of this year’s Take Care Webinar series occurring Oct. 24 – Nov. 4. This year, the series highlights WashU’s 8ight Ways to Wellness Principles to address important open enrollment benefits and questions.
- Join the fall wellness challenge, Renew, a 4-week opportunity to reinvigorate and refresh. This new kind of challenge offers strategies for all aspects of well-being – physical, mental, social, and emotional.
- Get your flu shot. This year, Medical School campus faculty, students and trainees are required to get the vaccine and upload documentation by Dec. 16, 2022, unless granted an exemption. Danforth Campus employees are encouraged to get vaccinated and uploaded documentation. Find ways to obtain the flu vaccine, FAQs, documentation step-by-step instructions, policy information, and more online.
- Get enough sleep. Sleep helps your body recovery and not enough of it has been linked to chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and depression. Aim for at least seven hours of sleep per night. Parents, check out this study from Tim Bono, PhD, and the benefits sleep provides in adolescent and young adults.
- Eat healthy. Focus on eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and reducing your consumption of red meat and processed foods. Make sure you’re also drinking enough water throughout your day.
- Lower your stress with mindfulness activities and other activities. Creating and sticking to a daily routine that reduces your stress can help improve your health and reduce your risk of chronic illnesses such as depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions. WashU offers multiple resources to employees and their families, including our mindfulness programs, employee assistance program and priority access to WashU Psychiatry resources.
For additional ways to stay healthy, visit the Well-Being hub, read the 8ight Ways to Wellness to view the evidence-based behaviors developed for WashU employees by WashU employees or request a consultation with a MyWay to Health wellness expert.