Every two weeks at noon, staff at Hall-Mercer Community Mental Health Center receive a calendar notification to meet in the lobby. For all who are available and interested, staff can join together for a “Lunchtime Walk,” initiated by Lauren Cliggitt, LCSW, MSW, associate director of Child Services, who encourages her colleagues to take a break and step outside for fresh air. “For me, it’s very healing,” Cliggitt said. “Something simple like a walk is so good for my mental health. I usually feel tired before a walk, but after, I feel much more energized.”
At the start of the new year, Cliggitt made a commitment to herself to go for a walk at least for a half hour every day. She wanted to extend the invite to her colleagues who may also find the walks beneficial to their own health. “I think people have enjoyed meeting and getting to know their colleagues,” she said. “I would see people in the hall, but [the walks] have served as an informal way for us to connect and have conversations.”
Cliggitt described how the lunchtime walks are an effort towards achieving “community care.” Contrary to self-care, which promotes individual happiness, the concept of community care pertains to the collective efforts of making a group healthy and happy. “Self-care is great, like getting a massage or going on vacation, but I think one of the biggest ways we can help people feel better is through social connection, just being with people who can understand and relate to you,” Cliggitt said.
Are you interested in joining Lunchtime Walks? Email Lauren Cliggitt at Lauren.Cliggitt@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.