Stress Archives - Healthy Minds Philly®

No Feeling Is Final

Imagine you are at your doctor’s office. The nurse takes you back to see the doctor – what do they do next? “Let me get your temperature, blood pressure, check your height and weight.” A process we are all used to: checking vital signs Imagine you’re a client of mine now (I’m a psychotherapist, or simply, a therapist). You come into my office. I’ll check your mental health vital signs: How are you sleeping? How's your appetite? Your mood? Are you having fun? Are you hanging out with people? So far, pretty straightforward, right? Next question might get people nervous: Have you had thoughts of wanting to be dead or harming yourself? Why am I having suicidal thoughts? Suicidal thoughts happen for a lot of different reasons. Maybe it's stress that feels neverending. We may feel like a burden to someone or not fit in anywhere. For BIPOC (black/indigineous/people of color) folks, racism can cause suicidal thoughts. Whatever the reason, please know that help is available. How can I take care of myself? First, tell someone about your stressors! The right people can be just what we need. If you don’t have a trusted person in your corner, call 9-8-8, the new crisis support number. Keep doing the basics: Get enough sleep, eat all your meals, keep up with your [...]

Janine Monico2022-08-22T20:45:40-04:00September 12th, 2022|Anxiety, Depression, Mental Health, Stress, Suicide Prevention|

Signs of Corporate Burnout & What You Can Do

Working takes up, at a minimum, one-third of our life, and half of our waking hours. Naturally, workplaces have a significant impact on their employees’ mental health and well-being. Whether you work remotely or in-person, full-time or part-time, it is important to pay attention to wellness in the workplace. Warning Signs of Poor Workplace Wellness Experiencing ongoing feelings of helplessness/hopelessness Chronic exhaustion and fatigue Identity becomes centered around work (e.g. this work will not continue without my presence) Difficulty concentrating or focusing on tasks Daily avoidance of tasks – can occur at work or outside of work Inability to empathize with others Increased anger or cynicism, conflict with others Development of self-medicating or addictive behaviors. What can employers do? Workplaces themselves have a role in preventing secondary traumatic stress and promoting employee wellness. An employer that strives to improve workplace culture offers meaningful benefits, commits to mental wellness from the top-down, and encourages safe, supportive culture that impacts the organization’s financial, emotional, and social health. Investing in your employees’ mental health improves employee productivity and creates better business outcomes. Create a culture of support Integrate Wellness efforts into the workplace Offer benefits that matter Care beyond compliance What can you do to help yourself? If you are noticing the above signs in yourself or a co-worker, there are steps you can take to get [...]

Janine Monico2022-06-06T22:55:45-04:00June 27th, 2022|Mental Health, Stress, Workplace Mental Health|

Breathing Exercise

Ariana Grande’s popular song "breathin’" is an anthem to anxiety that speaks to a simple solution with a multitude of benefits. “Don’t know what else to try, but you tell me every time, just keep breathin’ and breathin’” chants the pop superstar. Unfortunately, most of us weren’t taught the simple techniques and range of positive outcomes that come with—well—simply breathing. It happens to all of us. Feelings like anxiety, stress, and fear cause our breathing to be shallow, irregular, or rapid. It’s entirely normal. Our body’s automatic response is to protect itself. The trick is to focus not on what’s happening around us, but to what is happening within us. We are breathing. It’s our most basic instinct. Practicing steady, deep breathing delivers more oxygen to the body and brain, reduces your heart rate and decreases the release of cortisol—better known as the stress hormone. Deep breathing also releases endorphins. This in turn increases a sense of calm and can combat pain. Other known benefits of deep breathing include: Lower blood pressure –Relaxation opens the blood vessels and improves circulation More energy—From increased oxygen to the circulatory system Less headache pain - Due to reduced tension locked in the shoulders and neck (you’ll rest better, too!) Practice Makes Perfect Getting back to steadier breaths is within reach. All it takes [...]

Janine Monico2022-04-29T14:55:06-04:00May 1st, 2022|Anxiety, Mental Health, Self-Help, Stress|

Stress and College

Clenched teeth, locked jaw, tension shooting up my shoulders and neck, feeling heavy as if my legs were glued to the floor, tightness in my low back set in, and finally a pounding headache crashed into my frontal lobes. Stress! My name is Liam, and I’m a junior in the Public Health program at Temple University. Lately I’ve been dwelling on stress (literally). Last semester was full of surprises. I was already late to register for my summer classes, scrambling to find a course before the deadline, all while in the process of moving, losing family to gun violence, not to mention dealing with burnout and vicarious trauma from work. At the top of this long list: social isolation due to the COVID-19 restrictions and recommendations. Tired, worrying I wouldn't get a course in time, I stumbled across one of the remaining courses available: ‘Stress Management’. I assumed it would be about deep breathing, and healthy social networks, which are both important, but instead the course focused more on the mind-body connection and interactivity. This course taught me a lot about myself. As a master procrastinator, I do everything at the very last minute. This is accompanied with awfulizing (constantly worrying about the “what if’s” in life), not to mention the chronic back pain. Stress become that “friend” who always [...]

Janine Monico2021-11-10T20:47:35-05:00November 10th, 2021|Lived Experience, Self-Help, Stress|