Kitchener-Waterloo OIAA

Thank you for joining us for our Mental Health March. As you may have noticed, we did not hold an education seminar this month, as we wanted our members to have a break away from the screen. It’s been a year full of virtual meetings, constant changes with how we do our jobs, missing out on socializing with our industry peers, friends and family and a lot of sweatpants at home time (hopefully you also got a little down time with some Netflix and chilling!). We would love to hear how you have adjusted, share any stories on how you are spending your time or provide any suggestions on how you are keeping your mental health in check. We appreciate all your support. Carrie Keogh & Matthew Bowker

It’s been a year since the WHO announced that COVID-19 was a global pandemic meaning everyone, everywhere was affected in some way by this virus. Schools shut down, workplaces closed their doors, people who could were sent home to work. Sports, activities, restaurants and social gatherings all stopped and we went into a lock-down. It brings up a lot of emotions just thinking about it. How have you reflected on how the past year? Has anything positive come out of the pandemi...c? My family and I have started walking or hiking daily and plan different longer weekend walks and enjoy spending our time together. Share with us how you are reflecting or some of your activities that helps you be mindful and keep pushing on, as we continue to live with restrictions. Let’s help each other build a list of activities that can help with stress reduction. Carrie Keogh

Do you find yourself becoming angry at the news? Muttering to yourself about what you’re reading or hearing? Feeling tense, anxious or even sad with every news report? The World Health Organization has a very helpful tip to help your mental stress during this time. Minimize your newsfeeds. That’s right. Stop constantly checking the news, refreshing your feeds, listening to the radio or binging on current events.... Instead, World Health Organization recommends stepping back from how much news you’re consuming. Try to reduce how much you watch, read or listen to news that makes you feel anxious or distressed. Seek the latest information at specific times of the day, once or twice a day if needed. The constant exposure to the news can contribute to your feelings of anxiety, panic or depression. You may find yourself becoming angry as Covid numbers increase or you encounter stories about other people’s actions during the pandemic. So step away. Note that the recommendation is not to STOP watching the news entirely rather, it’s about decreasing your personal consumption of it. Too much of anything is detrimental to your health and in a plugged-in-all-the-time modern society, it’s easier than ever to find yourself constantly catching up on the news. Check in a little less. It may initially feel like you’re missing out but let’s be real if something really important were to break, it would be all over your social media feeds immediately. Stepping back may actually allow you to step forward in your mental health. This detox diet may lead to you feeling lighter mentally. Has your news consumption increased over the last year? Have you found yourself needing to step back? If you’ve tried it, please share your results. We’re in this together. Cheers Matthew Bowker Golden Triangle DKI

I’m sure we can all use a little Mental Health Monday reminder. Enjoy this sun and try to find 5-10 minutes for yourself today.

The global Covid-19 pandemic has hit everyone in different ways, right from the beginning when it started to affect Canadians last March. With so much being reported in the media, the following link from the Government of Canada provides some easy and effect things you can do to support yourself and your family during the new and often difficult reality we are living in. Focusing on all the positives in your life, connecting with others, sticking to daily routines, accepting the changes going on and taking care of your body. https://www.canada.ca//2020/03/mental-health-covid-19.html

As vaccines become more widely available and numbers start to drop, we are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel for COVID-19. Although we are seeing a light, this does not take away from all the challenges, reorganization, and double duties that we all have endured throughout the pandemic and are continuing to endure while we wait for some form of normalcy to return. In the meantime, we are in Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting, after. You get the picture. ENOUGH!! ...For the month of March the OIAA Kitchener Chapter will be taking a break from virtual education and turning our focus to mental health. Over the next few weeks we will be posting on our social media sites various tips, tricks, and links to provide you with tools, strategies, and laughs to help push through another day. We understand that we can not take all the stress of pandemic life away, but if something we post can give anyone a few minutes of relief, it is all worth it! Let me start with what I am doing to combat the COVID blues. I am now doing yoga every day. I find yoga good for me as it breaks up my day, in addition to giving me a sense of accomplishment in this challenging landscape. It may not be something everyone enjoys but I encourage you to give it a try. I never thought I would be doing yoga regularly and was surprised to learn I really enjoy it. I am following Yoga with Adriene on YouTube and the practices range from less than ten minutes to over an hour, so it’s easy for me to find something that I can work into my day. I like that I can do it anytime at home, so I don’t have to worry about what to wear or leaving the house. There’s a yoga practice for almost every mood, body part or need and Adriene is so relatable, I find I’m enjoying my time on the mat. Please find the link below to the library of Adriene’s yoga practices: https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene Be safe, and remember, we are all in this together! Cheers Matthew Bowker

Come join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4578135/

Don't forget to register for December's Webinar!! OIAA Monthly Webinar Series December Edition New School vs. Old School Appraisals: The When and Why... Presented by: Dave Vrbetic Vice-President of Golden Horseshoe Appraisals Date: December 8th 11am Member Cost: Free Non-Member Cost: $50.00 To register and for more information visit: www.oiaa.com today!#adjusters #membership #webinar #insurance #education

The K-W OIAA is proud to announce that our charity of choice this year is oneROOF youth services. oneROOF Youth Services is committed to providing for the safety, support and overall well-being of youth who are experiencing homelessness, and youth who are at-risk of homelessness, aged 12-25, in Waterloo Region. If you are wanting to make a donation to the charity this year, we are trying to make it easier for you donate. So there are two options 1) Head to https://www.kw-oi...aa.ca/Events and purchase"tickets" to make a donation. There are $10/ $20 options and you can add as many as you wish to get to the donation amount you wish. The K-W OIAA will be covering any administrative costs administered by eventbrite so you can be assured the whole amount will go to chairty. Please note: as we are a non profit we are unable t give you a charitable donation receipt 2) To receive a charitable donation receipt please head over to https://www.oneroof.org/donate-1 to make your donation. We appreciate your support.

Don't forget to register for December's Webinar!! OIAA Monthly Webinar Series December Edition New School vs. Old School Appraisals: The When and Why... Presented by: Dave Vrbetic Vice-President of Golden Horseshoe Appraisals Date: December 8th 11am Member Cost: Free Non-Member Cost: $50.00 To register and for more information visit: www.oiaa.com today!#adjusters #membership #webinar #insurance #education

The K-W OIAA is proud to announce that our charity of choice this year is oneROOF youth services. oneROOF Youth Services is committed to providing for the safety, support and overall well-being of youth who are experiencing homelessness, and youth who are at-risk of homelessness, aged 12-25, in Waterloo Region. If you are wanting to make a donation to the charity this year, we are trying to make it easier for you donate. So there are two options 1) Head to https://www.kw-oi...aa.ca/Events and purchase"tickets" to make a donation. There are $10/ $20 options and you can add as many as you wish to get to the donation amount you wish. The K-W OIAA will be covering any administrative costs administered by eventbrite so you can be assured the whole amount will go to chairty. Please note: as we are a non profit we are unable t give you a charitable donation receipt 2) To receive a charitable donation receipt please head over to https://www.oneroof.org/donate-1 to make your donation. We appreciate your support.

https://register.gotowebinar.com/regist/2175920727540562191

Registration is open for the OIAA's October Webinar, Injury Update presented by Nathalie Rosenthall. Cost is free to all OIAA members and $50.00 to non-members. Register at https://www.oiaa.com/events/october-webinar/ #OIAA #OIAAwebinarseries

Dealing with a highway accident claim? Fuel oil loss? Another claim involving petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination? Join us at our next lunch & learn webinar on Thursday October 29th at 12 pm EST where Stantec will cover some case studies on specialized tools that you can use to resolve PHC contamination claims and save costs. Register now https://www.kw-oiaa.ca/events Interested in sponsoring this event? Please email Jeff Cronk for more info.

Join Firstonsite Restoration on Thursday September 24th to discuss ethical situations that most restoration crews face daily such as handling another person’s possessions with care and empathy while on a tight timeline. They will go over what it means to show empathy at work, how to build this skill set in yourself and your team and examine real life case studies and how our own personal ethics and empathy for a client can play a role in how we do our jobs as restorers or insurance professionals. Register now for this free event >https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regist/8905656466696930060 Interested in sponsoring this event? Email [email protected]

Join Pario Engineering on Tuesday September 22nd to walk you though a series of claim scenarios to demonstrate how investigations can provide the data you need to assess the legitimacy of claims. From accidents to fires, vandalism to theft, find out how vehicles tell their own stories. Register now for this free event > https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/753796994016775180 Interested in sponsoring this event? Email [email protected]