Dear Wellness Community,
We find ourselves firmly rooted in autumn now! While an adjustment, I welcome the return of the rain, which renews our greenspaces and awakens new growth. A favorite season for many, including myself, fall delights with its changing colors, crisp air, and bountiful harvest. The PNW fall does not disappoint.
October also brings a playfulness with the approach of Halloween. In this spirit, we are excited to announce that we will be hosting our annual family friendly Halloween Play Day at Kelsey Creek Farm on October 28th. This year’s event will incorporate Trick-or-Treating with the farm animals, crafts, and games. Not to be missed!
While there is much to appreciate and marvel at with the change of the season, fall also ushers in shorter, darker, and cooler days. This can be a difficult transition affecting our energy and mood. Perhaps apropos that October is National Depression Awareness Month. During this month (ideally always), I invite you to check in with yourself and with each other. How are you really doing? While there are many strategies for well-being and managing depression (some of which you will find in this issue), an important one is connection with others. I encourage you to reach out to and spend time with family, friends, co-residents/fellows, and us on the Wellness Team. It’s important to know you are not alone and to share your experience with another.
Amidst your busy schedules, I hope that you will find time when you can to explore some of the activities and events in this issue – perhaps going apple picking, mushroom hunting, taking in a film, seeing a jazz show, exploring local restaurants, celebrating Día de los Muertos, or staying cozy indoors doing some restorative yoga. Enjoy!
Warmly,
This month’s Wellness Corner authored by:
Patty Long-Brohm, LICSW
GME Wellness Counselor
Monday – Wednesday at Seattle Children’s Hospital
pattylb@uw.edu
GME Wellness Counseling
Contents
Halloween Play Day
- Join us for our annual family fun event at Kelsey Creek Farm. Enjoy a warm beverage, snacks and activities at the picnic shelter, followed by the farm’s Trick-or-Treat event – where you will trick-or-treat with farm animals in costumes, create farm-themed crafts, play pumpkin bowling, and more. Have fun dressing in costume with your kiddos!
- When: Saturday, October 28th from 11 am – 3 pm (Farm Trick-or-Treat Event from 1-3 pm, tickets for the farm event to be distributed by the Wellness Team at the shelter)
- Where: Kelsey Creek Farm Picnic Shelter, 410 130th Pl SE, Bellevue, WA 98005 (**Free Parking on Site)
- Who: You and your kiddos!
- Registration required. Space limited. RSVP HERE!
Upcoming Events
- Join UW NURF and UW LMSA in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month with keynote speaker Lorena Alarcon-Casas Wright speaking on healthcare disparities and increasing awareness of DEI in medical education and healthcare. In person, tomorrow, Wednesday, October 11th, 6:30 pm at the Heath Sciences Education Bldg, room 101 (1607 NE Pacific St). Food provided!
- Join us for the upcoming Family Building During Residency & Fellowship Seminar, Monday, October 30th, 6-7:45 pm (via Zoom). Rachel Whynott, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, will answer questions and discuss defining future family goals, how fertility changes with age, and options for delaying fertility and/or addressing infertility. All residents, fellows and guests are encouraged to attend. Register today! Registration closes on October 26th.
- Attend Community Conversations – Breast Cancer Equity October 27th, 12-1 pm. Join Dr. Anita Chopra and panelists for a conversation about UW Med’s Mammogram Van, Breast Cancer Equity, and what else UW Medicine is doing to provide equitable care for our community. Join us via zoom!
Fall Fun Outdoor Activities
- Fall brings a new crop of delectable PNW apples! Check out one of these U-Pick farms! And while you are out – perhaps stop by an amazing pumpkin patch along the way!
- Fall is also mushroom hunting season! Learn about our local seasonal mushrooms, check out a foraging tour or class, or attend the annual wild mushroom show (Oct 28-29, Shoreline Community College).
- Fall in the PNW is also known for the beautiful turning of the larches! Check out these iconic larch hikes, and some of the lesser-known ones.
National Depression Awareness Month
- The PNW winter can be particularly difficult time for depression. Additionally, we know physicians are at higher risk of depression and suicide. Remember you are not alone! Please reach out to one another and to us on the Wellness Team!
- Please save these crisis resources: Crisis Connections (24/7/365 Crisis Line) 206-461-3222 or just dial 988. Text HELLO to 741741. Call the physician support line (free confidential phone support provided by trained psychiatrists) 8 am to 1am EST: (888) 409-0141. The UW EAP program (WAEAP) is also available 24/7 at 877-313-4455 (option #2).
- Know the signs, symptoms, and treatment recommendations for Seasonal Affective Disorder.
- Join the Out of the Darkness movement for a suicide prevention walk and fundraiser, October 22nd, Seattle Center Fischer Pavilion, starting at noon.
Black Lives Matter & Cultural Events
- We know depression disproportionally affects our BIPOC communities. Explore local and national resources for community, connection and healing at the end of this article from The Seattle Times.
- Black Collectivity presents To Gather a celebration of dance artists. “To Gather supports and elevates the work of artists who use movement to excavate the rich stories that exist within the Black and Brown dancing body.” On the Boards Merrill Wright Theatre, October 19th – 21st, 8 PM.
- Día de los Muertos Community Celebration at the Seattle Art Museum. Featuring renowned artists, music, dance, and art-making activities (for all ages) – in celebration of life and in honor of those passed. October 27th, 6-9 PM, Free – first-come/first-served (RSVP recommended).
Earshot Jazz Festival
Film Festivals!
Seattle Restaurant Week
Mindfulness Minute
- Practice yoga with Arielle Schwartz, PhD. Dr. Schwartz brings a wealth of knowledge as a clinical psychologist and yoga teacher to her trauma informed yoga practice. Check out her YouTube page for free practices for calming and restoring the nervous system.
- Check out this Whole U curated Self-Care Toolkit – including yoga and meditation break cards.
- Join UW Botanic Gardens and Cascadia Forest Therapy for a unique forest bathing opportunity in the Washington Park Arboretum. Saturday, October 14th, 10-11:30 AM. Fee of $25.
Wellness Corner Quick Links
Gems from Treasure Valley
- Celebrate the season at Harvest Fest, October 14th, 10a-4p, Heritage Park in downtown Eagle, ID. Music, markets, food trucks and pumpkin decorating! Other pumpkin farms and festivals to explore: Lovely Hollow Farm (Oct. 14-15th), Blue Rock Farm (through the end of October), Prairie Home Farm in Coeur d’Alene (only open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays in October).
- Enjoy the taste of the season at OktoberFEAST, October 14th, 12-6 pm, Performance Park at Hayden Beverage. Then on October 17th, attend the Boise Taste of Hope, 5:30-9 pm, at The Grove Hotel (245 S Capitol blvd).
- Ballet Idaho presents The Gathering Dark – promising a “chilling and captivating evening of dance.” Details and Tickets Here!
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), Julia Kocian (jkocian@uw.edu), Patty Long-Brohm (pattylb@uw.edu), Howard Schafer (hischa5@uw.edu), and or Amy Wheat (amywheat@uw.edu).