Mental health awareness is important for everyone. Proactive mental health practices are just as vital as daily physical health habits. Participating in and normalizing intentional mental health care is something each of us can do to improve our lives and the lives of others.
Of course, we all know that mental health care becomes even more crucial in times of heightened stress, busyness, or significant life change—not to mention the unprecedented levels of uncertainty and crisis experienced around the world these last fifteen months. Mental healthcare professionals are warning that even as the pandemic improves, a mental health crisis is unfolding amid the trauma, complex trauma, and secondary trauma experienced by so many.
As faculty and staff who help the helpers and whose projects serve those most vulnerable and in need, everyone at CCFL works tirelessly to improve the lives of others. Thank you for all you do. Each one of you makes a profound difference every day. Never has that been more exemplified than during this time.
As we continue to go above and beyond to serve others and address obstacles and challenges as they arise, it may feel impossible to prioritize our own physical and mental health needs when the needs of those we serve are so critical. Many of CCFL’s faculty and staff are leading experts in trauma and mental health, whose knowledge is far greater than anything that could be shared here. They could teach the masterclass and do! That is why this article is simply intended as encouragement.
For those in helping professions, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout are all too real. In times of great need, personal awareness and self-care—both physical and mental—become even more of a priority. We cannot care for others well unless we first care for ourselves.
Mental health awareness should not only be a focus during May—it should be a holistic health priority the whole year through. In addition to all the excellent resources created and used by CCFL’s faculty and staff in training, here are a few more.
UNL Faculty and Staff Resources:
• Employee Assistance Program: https://hr.unl.edu/eap
• Diversity and Inclusion: https://diversity.unl.edu
• Health & Wellness: https://hr.unl.edu/health-wellness
• Work & Life Balance: https://hr.unl.edu/balance
• Campus Recreation: https://crec.unl.edu
• Interim CCFL HR contact: Jamie Longwell 402-472-3229 jamie.longwell@unl.edu
Additional Resources & Supports:
• Mental Health is Health: https://www.mentalhealthishealth.us
• Compassion Fatigue: It Happens to Everyone, So How Can We Bounce Back? https://buff.ly/3oEQ522
• Well-Being of the Workforce: http://ow.ly/KZGl50ERAnZ
• CDC Mental Health: https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/index.htm
• NIH Caring for Your Mental Health: http://ow.ly/ifqf50ERwFJ
• Nebraska Strong Recovery Project: http://ow.ly/87mU50ERwUW