With the newest normal upon us, individuals and organizations are challenged with facing an uptick in mental health issues. With May being Mental Health Awareness month, looking back at 2020 seems extremely relevant for this topic. The pandemic was a new experience that hit not all but most of society in terms of mental health.

In June of 2020, during the COVID-19 outbreak and global shutdowns, the CDC conducted multiple surveys around the topic of mental health. Statistically significant with nearly 6,000 respondent completions revealed compelling findings:

• 40.9% reported an adverse mental or behavioral health condition [Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report]
  • 30.9% with anxiety/depressive disorders
  • 26.3% with TSRD (traumatic stress response disorder)
  • 13.3% with increased substance use to cope
  • 10.7% who seriously contemplated suicide
    

Learning for personal and professional development requires a psychologically safe environment. Yet, as the research tells us, we are collectively overwhelmed. It is understandable to not know where to start. In service to Positive Post-Pandemic Growth and mental health, this blog series aims to help us identify that very first step. Hint: It may be reading this blog series and becoming aware of the resources available for support and guidance!

Throughout this blog series, Mental Health is You, we will share resources we have identified and tried for stress reduction, easing anxiety, and resilience building. Our overall goal is to help learners and learning professionals apply the use of mindfulness, empathy, and compassion training and development in Meaningful, Motivational, Memorable, and Measurable ways.

Let us start with this easy-to-complete, free online stress (non-medical) quiz. Keep track of your total as you answer each question! 

Scoring

Above 26

Good news! This score may indicate you have a store of high resilience. Keep up the great work and remember to continue to your self-care practices. Check out our blog series for new ideas to add to your current regime.

18-26

Strong work! This score may indicate that you are moderately resilient. Continue to invest in yourself by purposefully increasing your wellness practices. 

Below 18

You are not alone. Many people are feeling compassion fatigue or emotional exhaustion. This score may indicate a current level of low resilience. The good news is there are many ways to refresh and rebuild your resilience. We have many free resources identified for you, in upcoming blogs.

Wrap-up

Current research reveals that people’s brains tend to enter a default mode of hyper-vigilance which fosters increased anxiety and stilted communication when they are not “fully present” or psychologically safe. This "Mental Health is You" blog series is here to help learners and learning professionals apply the use of mindfulness, empathy, and compassion in Meaningful, Memorable, Motivational, and Measurable ways. 

Download the "Operationalizing Post-Traumatic Growth" workbook today for hands-on exercises to use with your team and move towards Positive Post-Pandemic Growth!