Ten members of Wellbeing Coalition of Westfield stakeholders’ team are preparing to embark on a self-care mission.
They will participate in Leadership Self-Care, an eight-week Mind-Body Medicine Skills Group for leaders. The program, with two-hour weekly sessions, begins at 4 p.m. April 27 through Zoom. Wellbeing Coalition members Kyle Miller, coordinator of social and emotional learning for Westfield Washington Schools, and Suzanne Clifford, CEO of Inspiring Transformations, will serve as facilitators. They have completed the Mind-Body Medicine Advanced Facilitator training curriculum.
Miller said the program was started in collaboration with Eskenazi Health’s Hoosier Heartland Healing Collaborative and partnered with the Center for Mind-Body Medicine.
Miller said the purpose of the program is to equip the community with self-care skills to alleviate trauma and stress. Miller said he and Clifford completed eight full days of training.
“The first four days we were participants, so we experienced what would happen in a group setting,” Miller said. “So, it was focused on you as an individual going through the activities. The second four days helped train us on how to become facilitators. Based on our experience, we thought it would be helpful to anyone who is looking to improve their overall health and well-being.”
Miller said coping skills are especially important with the stress many have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Self-care is a major component to helping all of us to improve our overall health (and) well-being,” Miller said. “There is a significant amount of scientific research that links stress with chronic health conditions. So, if we are not actively intentionally dealing with the stress and anxiety in our lives, it can lead to many health conditions. Our goal would be how do you begin to intervene and take care of yourself to improve your overall well-being.”