This time of year means many things to each of us, and to celebrate the cultures and traditions that make up L&P, we invited our employees from around the world to share season’s greetings—what we are looking forward to this season, hopes for colleagues, and a variety of traditions.
This time of year means many things to each of us, and to celebrate the cultures and traditions that make up L&P, we invited our employees from around the world to share season’s greetings—what we are looking forward to this season, hopes for colleagues, and a variety of traditions.
Throughout the month of November, the United States celebrates Native American Heritage Month, which spreads awareness of and honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of Native people. We honor all L&P employees who celebrate Native American Heritage Month and have enriched our workplaces.
This year, November 25 is Native American Heritage Day, and we want to provide some ways you can celebrate and honor Native American heritage:
You can find more information about Native American Heritage Month, including resources, here: National Native American Heritage Month.
We are full of gratitude for our amazing employees. To all who are celebrating, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Tomorrow is World Kindness Day—a day for promoting and spreading kindness throughout the world.
At L&P, we value putting people first, which includes being kind to one another. Kindness allows us to connect above our differences and create a place of mutual respect, empathy, and belonging.
Wherever you are in the world, you can spread some kindness:
Each year in the fall, an abundance of light and color fills the homes, streets, and communities of those who celebrate Diwali, which stems from the Sanskrit word deepavali—”rows of lighted lamps.” Also known as the “festival of lights,” Diwali is a five-day holiday primarily observed by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists. Each group has its own customs for celebrating.
During Diwali, people celebrate the triumph of light, good, and knowledge over darkness, evil, and ignorance. Since Diwali marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year, it is often associated with new beginnings in life. Common customs for Diwali include:
To all who are celebrating this week, we wish you an abundance of light, joy, and prosperity!
L&P Automotive India recently celebrated Ayudha Pooja—meaning “worship of instruments”—as part of the Hindu festival Navaratri. The custom of pooja (Hindu prayer ritual) gives worshippers an opportunity to honor the tools and instruments used in their professions and to recognize the divine force behind these objects that provides prosperity.
This year, Navaratri was celebrated from September 26 to October 4, and Ayudha Pooja was commemorated on October 4. During the celebration, our teams decorated the entrances to the branch with fruit trees and colorful rangolis—art patterns created on the floor. Tools and machinery were deep cleaned, polished, and covered with turmeric and sandalwood paste. They were also adorned with floral garlands and fruits. To invite positive energy and protection, a Hindu priest performed homa rituals as offerings to the gods and sprayed holy water throughout the branch.
Following the celebration, a day of rest was given to the branch’s tools and machines as a sign of respect.
Even though everyone has mental health and help with mental wellness is for everyone, many people don’t discuss mental health or seek help due to stigma—negative attitudes or beliefs about people with mental health issues. On this World Mental Health Day, we can help promote a stigma-free culture by:
Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness. (n.d.). Psychiatry.org. Retrieved September 16, 2022, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination
In a world constantly competing for our attention, it’s important to practice self-care—taking action to protect and promote our overall wellbeing. Self-care looks different for everyone, and with World Mental Health Day around the corner, we invited a few employees to share how they practice self-care:
“For self-care, I enjoy hiking. Being out in nature is peaceful and helps me feel renewed and revitalized.”
–Bonnie Baich, Legal
“What helps me cope with my mental health throughout the years, including the pandemic, is seeking emotional and social support from friends who care rather than those who judge. In addition, I picked up foraging as a new hobby to explore the surrounding nature and take my mind off the daily technology-related distractions.”
–Duy Nguyen, IT Business Services
“I think wellness and mental self-care is about whatever you need to feel happier or more relaxed. For me, it’s gardening. I intentionally build time into my routine to get outside, even if it’s only for 10 or 15 minutes. I walk through my yard, remove some faded flower blooms, or make a mental note of a plant that’s struggling and what I can do about it later. And if it’s a sunny day, I raise my face to the sky, close my eyes, take a deep breath, and smile. It brightens my mood every single time.”
–Lynn Werner, Business Support Services
“During the day, I make a point to stretch or quickly foam roll every few hours. Working from home, I tend to spend more time sitting, so stretching breaks are a great way to get away from my desk and reset.”
–Megan McManus, Learning and Development
“As somebody who has had bouts of depression, mental health awareness is a daily thing for me. I try and go for a run most days, which has probably been the single best thing I’ve done to aid it. I’m fortunate to live near a trail that allows me to get away for a little bit each day to clear my mind with nature and a podcast/audiobook.”
–Nathan Cantu, IT Information Security
“I learned years ago that I have depression. I tried many ways to offset its effects and learned that depression is different for everyone (i.e., what works for me may not work for you). After a lot of different experiments, I landed on the following self-care practices:
–Rob Sotlar, Learning and Development
Next Monday, October 10, is World Mental Health Day—a day dedicated to mental health awareness and promoting mental wellness around the world. With this in mind, we want to talk about mental health and share some information on improving and maintaining mental wellness.
Like physical health, everyone has mental health—an overall state of emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. Our mental health helps determine how we navigate and experience life.
It’s important to know that mental health and mental illness are not synonymous terms. While mental health is an overall state of mental wellbeing, a mental illness is a medical condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.
The quality of our mental health can change over time, and there are some general steps we can take to maintain or improve mental wellness, such as:
There’s a misconception that a person needs to have a condition or be in crisis to speak with a health care professional about mental health, but the reality is that help is for anyone at any time. If you want to talk to a health care professional about your mental health, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) prepared some Tips for Talking with a Health Care Provider About Your Mental Health.
If you want help deciding whether or not you should speak to a health care professional about your mental health, you can check out the NIMH’s one-page guide: My Mental Health: Do I Need Help?
How to Improve Mental Health. (n.d.). MedlinePlus. Retrieved September 16, 2022, from https://medlineplus.gov/howtoimprovementalhealth.html