How to design a corporate wellness plan
Corporate wellness programs don't have to be just about fitness trackers and meditation apps, they should start with embracing people for who they are and the struggles they go through then helping them access greater well-being. At Nature's Boardroom, we get people outside to discuss what well-being really means and how to achieve it. Below is an example of the content we discuss while walking on forest trails with our corporate groups.
What trees can teach us about managing stress and finding well-being:
When a tree faces a stressful event it relies on its forest community for survival.
It sends out distress signals and trusts that neighbouring trees will provide exactly what it needs when it needs it. Nearby trees of all species send resources and information through thin fungal threads in the soil so the tree has what it needs to get well again.
The tree is left with a scar but it is now able to pass along what it learned about how to manage the cause of the stress.
The poetry in this process is that a tree with a burl is far more valuable than one without. When living, it is more valuable to its community and if harvested, it is more valuable as a commodity. There is immense and complex beauty in these scars when you look at them from the inside.
Well-being doesn't mean your life is sunshine and rainbows, stressful events are going to happen.
Here are four lessons about stress management that may help you manage stress and find more well-being in your life.
Well-being is weathering a storm and being stronger for it.
Well-being is a community initiative that values the health of everyone.
Well-being is growing tall and strong but not at the expense of others.
Well-being doesn't mean you need to cover up your scars. Wear them proudly.
