Dear Wellness Community,

As we near the end of this academic year and pause to reflect on it, we may be filled with a myriad of feelings. What a year it has been! This year has brought with it many experiences- we learned new ideas, skills and we missed many important events, experiences and faced lossesMost of us are vaccinated and there is some semblance and hope of normalcy. We wake up to blue skies, longer and slightly warmer days and some beautiful vistas around us.

May is Mental Health awareness month. Wellness has been the focus more this year than ever before. Let us take some time to care for ourselves in the midst of loss, change and new hope. May is also Asian Pacific Islander heritage month. We stand in solidarity with our AAPI community in the face of hateful rhetoric, and racist acts over the last several months. May is National Nurses Month. We recognize the vital contributions nurses make daily and their impact on the health of our community. Thank you Nurses!

This month’s WC has a bit of everything: from picking your own fruit and crops, starting a garden to enjoying food in Seattle’s International District in support of AAPI community, a bike challenge for fitness lovers among us to partaking in cultural events in the area. May this new beginning rejuvenate us all. For Star War fans, May the force be with you! 

Dipti

Dipti Chrastka
This week’s Wellness Corner authored by:
Dipti Chrastka, LMFT
GME Wellness Director
Monday – Friday at Harborview
206.744.0655
diptic@uw.edu
GME Wellness Counseling

Contents

GME Chief Resident Seminar

All incoming Chiefs are invited to attend! Past presentations have included Teaching Skills Feedback, Efficiency and Productivity Physician Wellness and Impairment and Shared Lessons from Outgoing UW Chief Residents. 

Wednesday, May 25th from 5:30 pm to 8 pm. Registration here.

Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Special Listings

  • Play a game of table tennis at beautiful Hing Hay Park. 
  • Take a trip to Seattle Asian Art Museum now reopened. 
  • Bubble tea anyone?  
  • Support AAPI Owned Businesses in Seattle–here’s a list to get you started!

Labyrinths

Can you find your way out?

Craft for Kids!

Make a May Day Bouquet!

UW Challenge

For May, bike everywhere!

PEEP-sa Party!

Patty Ojeda and her radiology teammates chow down at their “Peep-sa” Party with a special pizza delivery from the Wellness ladies! See more pics here and the winning submission!

Black Lives Matter

  • 10 Words and Phrases you might not know are racist 
  • Talking to Kids about Race: Video by Riana Elyse Anderson, PhD. 
  • Book Recommendation: Adrian Miller: Black Smoke. A smoke-filled story of Black perseverance, culinary innovation and entrepreneurship. (Also check out: Soul Food Scholar). For an immersive experience, visit Lil Red’s Jamaican BBQ and Soul Cuisine, one of the 20 best Black-owned BBQ spots in the US!
  • The mission of Therapy for Black Girls is to sustain and grow an engaged community centered on the mental health needs of Black women and girls. Consider donating in honor of Mental Health Month.

Contributions from our GME Community

Feel free to share your artistic creations (music, art, writing etc) with us to feature in future issues! Enjoy this Haiku by resident Tiffany Jenkins, Family Medicine, PGY 1

“Through bright blue skies

cherry blossoms sway

Spring is in the air”

Tiffany took this picture of Cherry blossoms at right in her neighborhood, and would like to invite the GME community to share in her love of poetry. She says “I find writing poems, even small haikus, to be restorative and healing. And what’s so great about poetry is I then get to share that experience with others. If any of you are interested in writing or sharing poems feel free to reach out to me at tiffrose@uw.edu.” 

Health at Every Size

Catch this lecture May 27th 12p-1p

UPick Season is Now

In June, try strawberries!

Get Gardening!

Growing veggies in the PNW

What’s Cookin’?

Here’s a recipe from GME’s own Liz Fawthrop, Float Administrator: She likes this recipe  for Smashed Chicken Burgers from NYT and says

“I tend to find homemade chicken burgers dry but this recipe includes a secret ingredient – a little Dijon mayo in the patty! The burgers are flavorful and the included salad rounds out the meal nicely. Great for a weekend grill or a quick weeknight dinner! Patties also keep well as leftovers. “

At the right, is a picture from our Kitchen on Fire Virtual Happy Hour! And you can make the recipes on your own with these directions. Or sign up for your own class with a discount for $10 OFF any virtual class. Use promo: COMMITTOCOOKING090121 by 9/01/21 and book through the website HERE.

Wellness Corner Quick Links

Mindfulness Minute

Mindful listening with the acronym HEAR. 

Mindfulness for Kids Activity: Cool the Pizza.

Have your kids breathe in through their nose pretending to smell fresh pizza and then blow their breath out like they are cooling a hot piece of pizza. This breathing exercise helps kids be aware of their bodily sensations. You can practice this exercise with your children when they are calm. When they are anxious or angry, you can remind them to “Cool their pizza”.

Musical Entertainment

  • Celebrate music of the Spanish-speaking world with a virtual concert (FREE) 
  • Music at Jazz Alley:
    • Grammy nominated saxophonist and flautist Najee (June 17-20) 
    • Grammy winner Lisa Fischer with pianist Taylor Eigsti– The Badass and the Beautiful (June 10-13)  

Gems from Treasure Valley

Got Feedback for Us?

We’d love to hear it!  Share your thoughts about the Wellness Corner, suggestions for future events, discounts or articles to highlight, or anything else you’d like to share.  Please email your thoughts to Dipti Chrastka (diptic@uw.edu) and/or Julia Kocian (jkocian@uw.edu).