With all that’s going on in our world, nation and local communities, our mental health and wellbeing continues to be tested.
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted in July 2020 found 53% of adults in the US reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the coronavirus. These data were further supported by the CDC, who issued a report citing that the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder had increased from 36.4% in August 2020 to 41.5% in February 2021, and the percentage of those reporting an unmet mental health care need increased from 9.2% to 11.7%. While all generations are impacted, our own member survey from April 2020 found that a higher proportion of millennials said that their mental and physical health (e.g., anxiety, employer connectedness, sleep, diet, exercise) have suffered more so than usual relative to their Generation X and baby boomer colleagues.
World Mental Health Day is observed annually on October 10 to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts in support, and certainly the ongoing global pandemic has created even greater need.
The goal of this year’s World Mental Health Day campaign is to showcase the efforts made in countries around the world to scale up quality mental health services at all levels and highlight their new ways of providing mental healthcare to their populations.
At Vitality, we’re working to do our part by ensuring our employer clients have access to the most innovative and impactful platform and programs to help keep their people physically and mentally healthy, productive and connected.
To help our members strengthen their mental health, here are a few recommendations and available resources:
- Consider the impact that diet, exercise and sleep have on your overall health and wellness.
- Explore our mental and behavioral health learning center and take advantage of a number of resources including access to online therapy services BetterHelp and Talkspace.
- Set a master your mindset goal.
- Read our blog posts including:
- Vitality Group Hosts Resilience, Stress and Anxiety Masterclasses to Support Mental Wellbeing
- Reducing the Stigma Around Mental Health in the Workplace
- Vitality Group Pilots a No-Meeting Recharge Hour, Every Day
- Reviving Your Mental Health Through Mindfulness
- Moving forward with strength
- We all play a role in suicide prevention
- Owning your feelings
- Apps to strengthen your mental health.
This World Mental Health Day, we encourage you to take some time for self-care to thoughtfully consider how you are feeling, take advantage of available resources, and consider how you may be able to help others to do the same.
