Life as we know it is busy, and as individuals we are always seemingly consumed by the hectic-ness of the world around us. Through the upcoming concepts of “wellness rooms” we are able to rehabilitate ourselves back to a state of calmness, and rejuvenate our energy. Incorporating a wellness room is a proactive way to encourage a positive and proactive working mindset, and work-ethic.
So what exactly is a Wellness Centre?
A wellness centre, in a broad sense, is an area catered to services for one's mind and body. With the increasing awareness and cognizance of mental health, wellness centres are developing in all types of businesses, offering a private space designed for rest and recuperation from the hectic buzz of regular business.
Aspects of this Wellness Centre
Mental Health
This area offers a quiet place for teachers, a time to relax and rejuvenate. This atmosphere was created to relieve stress with a calming rock water fountain and incorporates the freshness of nature with moss panels, greenery and gorgeous art.
“This room is the reset I need during my day. I cannot express how a simple 30 minutes in the wellness room changes my mood and my ability to recharge to continue on throughout my day. ”
2. Physical Health
Included in this wellness centre is a stationary bike, weights, a yoga ball and a yoga mat. There are many immediate benefits to a brisk exercise session, such as reduced feelings of anxiety for adults, and often calmness and clarity of the mind (CDC, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, 2021).
“I use this room almost every lunch hour. It is great for the busy days when I know I will not have time for the gym after school. Every school should have one of these rooms!”
3. Private Conversations
This wellness centre can act as a secondary room for private conversations. With comfortable seating arrangement with two oversized chairs, this can be a great place for relaxing individually or holding a private conversation. As creatures of nature, we require human interaction and a quick conversation can ease our mind and refocus our attention.
4. Change of Atmosphere
Sometimes all we need is a “quick break” or a “change of scenery” to get back into our groove. Included in this wellness centre is a small work area with a computer, stationary supplies, quotes of gratitude, books on wellness as well as a coffee, tea and water station. This room provides a break from distractions while still encouraging productive work, and can be the perfect area where a clear mind can create a lightbulb idea.
“It is so wonderful to have a peaceful place in our school to recharge. Each time I visit I feel rejuvenated and more relaxed.”
Importance
Wellness rooms are especially important for teachers, whose single energy is often required to be spread amongst a whole class of active minds. A teacher's instruction can be directly linked to their attitude, mindset and behaviour, similar to the vast majority of society. However with teachers, the effects of burnout affect their instruction, lesson plans and thus can negatively impact the students' learning and achievement (Klusmann et al., 2016).
“It has been a dream of mine for years to have a space for our staff to support their mental health through the use of physical activity, tranquility and a quiet space. I am so grateful to Blank Spaces for supporting this venture and helping us to create the most perfect space for our school staff and seeing this project come to fruition. We were also able to collaborate with other local vendors to support small businesses within our community. Our vision has finally come to life and we are so grateful for this beautiful space.”
Tying back into the community
Supporting one another is a huge aspect of society as a whole. To incorporate the underlying aspects of support, growth, and community values, we thought it important to give back to the community. In this wellness centre, there will be monthly draws to support local businesses. To encourage and promote wellness outside of the work space as well, we introduced the gratitude jar, for teachers using the room to write a note of gratitude. After each month a note will be pulled and the individual who submitted the note will win a prize donated from a local business. To encourage community health benefits, and to support local businesses, we have teamed up with multiple businesses who will be offering products and services at a discounted price. These businesses include, Flaman Fitness, Ever Moss, and DeKaur by Nav. For the first month, Oxygen Yoga will be donating a prize. Cycles like this encourage both the use of the room, personal reflection and gratitude, as well as community support and overall community health and benefits.
Design and project creation
A huge thank you to Jonathan from Missing Pieces Studio, for the amazing photography and videography - thank you donating your services and for taking time out of your career as a teacher to help with this project.
Whether you're looking to create a wellness centre, or just a space for relaxation and rejuvenation you can contact Aman at Blank Spaces.
Written by Jasmine Venkatraman
Source References:
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm