Employee Wellness Spotlight: Jessica Thijs
Meet Jessica Thijs, Pension Processor, located in our Tualatin, Oregon office at Zenith.
In the last few years, Jessica has taken time to learn kendo, Japanese sword fighting, along with fencing and archery. Jessica enjoys learning new things because it challenges her to step out of her comfort zone, keeps her curious and helps break up the routines of life, which helps relieve stress.
Jessica’s strongest element of wellbeing:
“Connected with nature and trying new things. As a single mother of twins, I do everything which is hard and exhausting, so when I need a reset, which is very often, I go for a hike and spend time with nature. It gives me a chance to appreciate the stillness, yet, natural flow of life which helps me feel more grounded and present in the moment.”
Jessica’s motivation for prioritizing health and wellness:
“My daughters are my biggest motivators for me to prioritize my health and wellness. I want to model to them that having a positive outlook on life, living in the moment, staying active, and trying out new things are key elements to living your best life. We stay busy doing things like hiking, bowling, swimming, golfing, archery, renaissance fairs, and other festivals, but I am not as young and energetic as them, so keeping a healthy lifestyle lets me keep up with them.”
The biggest barrier to Jessica’s health journey:
“Having fibromyalgia has been my biggest barrier to my health journey. There are a lot of days that I experience brain fog and all over pain which prevents me from being active, but in addition to my medication, I manage the disease by doing my breathing techniques, keeping up with workout routines, focusing on one thing at a time and managing my stress levels. Stress is usually the biggest factor to my fibromyalgia flare ups, so keeping a journal, spending time with nature and meditating helps me to manage the stress.”
One thing on Jessica’s bucket list:
“One thing on my bucket list is to visit every U.S. National Park. I have made it a goal to visit at least one National Park each year. I think it is a fun goal and it really helps you appreciate the natural beauty and wonders that the world holds.”
