Abirah’s Wellness Wednesday tips has inspired many to keep healthy and active while confined at home
May 9, 2022
Written by Walter Alfred, Marketing and Communications Intern
Trying to keep fit when stuck at home can be a big chore, but with Abirah’s Wellness Wednesday tips, they have been a great inspiration to ensuring we live our healthiest lives while we are stuck at home during this pandemic while also giving us the skills and knowledge so we can stay healthy long into the future.
To begin, can you tell us about yourself and how you began your journey at SCHC
My name is Abirah Chandraraj and I am a 3rd year student studying Business Technology Management at Ryerson University. I began my journey at Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (SCHC) through a co-op position as a Social Media Intern. The last three months have been a rewarding experience and gave me the opportunity to meet some talented and welcoming coworkers, learn more about the diverse programs offered, and create engaging social media content, which includes the Wellness Wednesday series.
For those who may be unaware, can you describe Wellness Wednesday and what these posts hope to accomplish?
Wellness Wednesday is a weekly series that aims to provide our viewers with wellness tips and tricks. These posts are meant to motivate people to be the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves that they can be. As of now, the series include a variety of posts such as mood check-ins, healthy snack alternatives, daily affirmations, stress management techniques, a self-care countdown, chair yoga stretches, and many more.
What has helped inspire your Wellness Wednesday posts?
Definitely the pandemic! During the time I joined SCHC, every post I came across was related to the covid-19 pandemic. As someone who was involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities and loved talking with friends, I noticed that a lot of my time was spent staring at a screen with barely any movement throughout the day because of the lockdown.
It started to get a little overwhelming and zoom fatigue really started to hit me. It was as if there was nothing new to look forward to. I realized that it wasn’t just me but many of those around me were also feeling the same way. A lot of my friends and family I knew were sort of stuck in an unhealthy loop as well and that started to become the new normal.
This new normal did not feel so good and that’s when I took small steps to incorporate self-care into my daily routine. I noticed a huge difference in my mood and outlook on the pandemic. That’s mainly why I wanted to introduce a motivating wellness series! I wanted people who were feeling down and unmotivated to view the pandemic as a way for them to focus on themselves and to make their health and wellbeing a priority.
Why is Wellness Wednesday important to you
For me, Wellness Wednesday is important because it is a platform to share the different tips and tricks that I learned with others. I like to make sure that those around me are taking care of themselves. Being able to publish these Wellness Wednesday posts on a wider social media platform allows more people to benefit from the small wellness tips that I’ve used.
How have you been able to keep it consistently original and motivating each week? Has there been challenges or days where it has been particularly difficult to think of what to post?
There are so many aspects to health that we do not consider on a daily basis. When we talk about health, there’s emotional health, environmental health, physical health, mental health, social health, spiritual health, and so much more. Tapping into those different aspects of health gives a variety of wellness activities and tips that I am able to use to create new posts every week.
What do you hope to inspire or have viewers take away from after seeing your Wellness Wednesday posts? Is there anything in particular you hope your viewers can learn from seeing your posts?
There’s a lot of things that I want viewers to take away from seeing these Wellness Wednesday points. Firstly, I hope that viewers understand that taking care of yourself does not need to mean a huge change in your way of living. Small steps can take you a long way! Secondly, I want viewers to understand that self-care can look different for each one of us. Some may like going on relaxing walks while others may enjoy a heavy workout. However, both are perfect examples of taking care of yourself. Lastly, I want viewers to prioritize their health! If you notice that you’re overworking yourself, step away for some time and take a break because you deserve it!
What type of activities do you personally enjoy doing to keep healthy?
I like doing a variety of things to keep myself healthy in different ways. I love biking, going on nature walks, socializing with friends and family, crafting, painting, knitting, making fruit smoothies, creating small workout routines, and much more. Most importantly, I take breaks when I notice that I am getting piled with a lot of work or if I’m feeling a bit stressed.
And for a fun question, what outdoor activity do you want to try the most once everything opens up again?
I really miss exploring new hiking trails and nature sites within Toronto. My family and I would always go on random walks and long drives to different places like Bruce Peninsula National Park, Dundas Peak, Albion Falls, Tommy Thompson Park, and many more. With the pandemic, we did not get a chance to visit new parks and trails so that’s definitely something I’m looking forward to as things begin opening up again.
Thank you Abirah for taking time out of your day to give us some insight into your daily life and inspirations. Is there anything else you would like our viewers to know or to look out for with future posts?
I would like to see viewers continue to engage with our posts and to let us know if they have any wellness tips that they would like us to showcase. For future posts, as restrictions are lifted, I hope to have more Wellness Wednesday posts related to outdoor activities.
Wellness Wednesday continues to inspire viewers daily, and as Covid-19 restrictions continue to be lifted, the lessons learned from these posts will be instrumental in easing the transition from an healthy indoor life to an active outdoor lifestyle. To learn more about Wellness Wednesday and to catch Abirah’s upcoming posts, visit our Instagram page here or you can follow Abirah’s posts directly by using the hashtag #schcwellnesswednesday.