THE SNO CARES INITIATIVE IS BACK TO ADDRESS MEMBER BURNOUT!

SNOCares, a wellness initiative, was launched last year to address member burnout after results shared from the Neuro-Oncology Burnout and Career Satisfaction survey found that 63% of neuro-oncology professionals have a higher incidence of burnout than those working in other areas of cancer.

Burnout can be characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and loss of meaning or purpose in one’s work.

Through the SNOCares initiative, SNO will incorporate various activities and tools throughout the annual meeting to provide healthy ways to manage stress, which in turn can mitigate symptoms of burnout.

This wellness initiative will:

• Work towards awareness and utilization of techniques to improve risk factors associated with stress to improve quality of life and productivity in various aspects of one’s life.
• Include activities that provide a positive benefit in the management of stress-related symptoms.

SNOCares ACTIVITIES AND ITEMS PLANNED FOR THE 2018 ANNUAL MEETING INCLUDE:

MASSAGES
On Thursday from 8:00am – 5:00pm, massage therapists will be available to provide complimentary chair massages in 15-minute increments. Routinely receiving massages triggers a relaxation response and improves the physical effects that can arise from stress. The massage chairs will be placed in the Preservation Hall Foyer area and will be available on a first-come basis.

MORNING YOGA
Yoga has been shown to promote mindfulness providing overall awareness making it a great tool when plagued with stress-related events. Yoga sessions, led by a professional instructor, will be offered from 6:00 – 7:00am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning during the conference in Riverview II. Yoga mats will be provided. Space is limited, and will be available on a first-come basis.

WELLNESS EVENTS

Body Relax: On Friday from 10:05 – 10:20am, visit the SNOCares booth at Preservation Hall and attend a 5-minute body scan relaxation session. You’ll learn a simple method to help you tune-in to your body and relax the areas prone to stress. This technique can help you manage stressors in the midst of your busy day by teaching your body to invoke a healthy relaxation response instead of a stress response.

Time Management: On Saturday from 10:05 – 10:20am, visit the SNOCares booth to get tips on planning and prioritizing the time and energy you spend on tasks. Learning to better utilize your time can help you be more effective and achieve your goals. You will learn tips to help you focus and complete certain tasks, and how to be aware of your environment and needs for success. These tips should enable you to be in control of your time and ultimately, improve your work-life balance.

STRESS BALLS
Repeatedly gripping and releasing will help with management of tension and stress. Stress balls will be available at the SNOCares booth and the registration desk.

STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS
Pick up a tip card on techniques to incorporate within one’s daily routine to promote relaxation at the SNOCares booth. You can also see our tip of the day featured each day on the meeting screens.

TWITTER
On Friday from 3:00 - 4:00pm, Alvina Acquaye, the SNOCares Wellness Committee Co-chair, will be sharing live tweets on the SNO’s Twitter page @NeuroOnc on ways to manage stress and relaxing tips. Follow and share her #SNOCares tweets.

SNOCares hopes you find these activities, tips and techniques helpful and we look forward to more opportunities to implement overall wellness to improve work/life balance amongst our members.