So much is expected of you when you serve the public.

People who've had traumatic experiences often express big emotions and can behave unpredictably.

As community workers, you might find yourself on heightened alert as you repeatedly face others' distress and not-infrequent anger. If you do administrative work, you might be transcribing difficult information, seeing disturbing photos and talking on the phone with people who are struggling.

Your role can be hampered by situations beyond your control, especially the limited resources you have to offer them. Many moments during your work day can be challenging. Our bodies respond instinctively under pressure: the neck or jaw tightens; the stomach gets queasy. Regular exposure to these taxing situations can leave us with chronic health conditions: irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, etc. and exhaustion.

Physical discomfort requires physical strategies. This training offers simple techniques you can practice to get you and your body working together. My hope is to leave you with renewed energy having practiced techniques you can implement to lessen the impact of your work. Come prepared to ignite your curiosity and explore new ways of taking care of yourself, especially in those tough moments.

Learning objectives:

• Experience tuning into automatic, instinctive cues at an earlier stage of feeling uneasy.
• Practice a variety of effortless tools you can use right in the challenging moment that help you think clearly and feel better.

What to expect from Shayna's training:

• An interactive combination of theory, reflective dialogue and practice
• Choices of ways to engage with the activities (that aren't role plays)
• An opportunity to meet other BCGEU members you may not have met before Hopefully some new tools and some laughs.

Shayna Hornstein is an adult educator, a body-focused counsellor and registered physical therapist. Her workshops improve resilience and communication skills. In her clinical practice she helps people lessen the impact that stress has on our bodies She loves supporting BCGEU members who do important work in our communities.