These days, there is always a new digital tool to master, a recently developed approach to try out, or the latest news to keep up with — and employees are expected to constantly adapt in order to thrive. In fact, Forbes reports that no matter what industry you’re in, it is essential for you as an employee to continuously learn to improve your knowledge and develop your skill set to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving world of work.

This environment encourages us to take charge of our personal development and try to maximize the countless learning opportunities available online and offline. But all this effort doesn’t come without a cost.

On the importance of mental wellness

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In a way, when I reflect back over my career as a nurse, I feel I have been inexorably drawn toward suicide awareness and prevention.  As a shiny new registered nurse working on my first ward, I completed the admission process and risk documentation for a young man who had been experiencing feelings of hopelessness and isolation. He was traveling around the country working and his family was not in the city.  My initial assessment identified that one tangible trigger for the onset of his feeling suicidal was excessive alcohol consumption, and he told me that when he finished work, he would drink a litre of brandy and then start to feel like there was no point in going on with his life.  I went through all of the correct processes for admission and offered, what I thought at the time, was hope that there was a future where he would not feel like he currently did. I assured him that over the coming days we would get to know each other and together get to the bottom of why he felt like he did.  I showed him around the ward environment and took him to his bed bay, which was unoccupied as we had had three discharges that day. He seemed really settled and thankful that he was in a ‘safe place’. I went back to the nursing office to finish my risk assessment and I clearly identified that alcohol was a precipitating factor in the onset of his low mood and suicidal thoughts.

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When people watch news reports about death, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or school shootings, they may feel confused and scared.

Maybe they worry about themselves and the safety of their family and friends. These events disrupt our way of life and peace of mind. They can make people feel unsafe and afraid.

The following information can help people prepare for a death or disaster. The more someone learns now, the easier it can be for them to deal later on.

How do people feel after a death or disaster?

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Note: This article was authored by an outside organization. Challenge the Storm does not explicitly promote the use of the treatments contained within this article but does encourage all readers to be as informed as possible about possible treatment options, including the one in this article.

Many people, athletes and otherwise, have experienced some form of injury throughout their lives. Though it can sometimes be overcome, there are instances where the injury becomes a part of life. Physical therapy, medication, and even surgery can be options to help the recovery process. Many doctors focus on this — the physical aspect of injury. It is discussed less often how an injury may affect mental health, however. The correlation between mental and physical health is strong and should be discussed with doctors though it is often overlooked in the exam room. Exercise and eating healthy has a proven positive effect on mental health as well as the community aspect of working out that many people find comforting. The recovery process can be draining and contribute to symptoms of anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and more. Standard treatment methods may help an injury, but it is also important to consider other treatments along with seeking psychological help. The mental hurdles that must be overcome to fully recover are often not associated with treatment, but are just as necessary to consider.

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You don’t always have to be awesome, steller, or even happy all the time. We all need a break from the reckless and unrealistic expectations that we can always be happy. The truth is, sometimes we’re just doing okay. And that’s perfectly fine. There is nothing to be ashamed of when feeling “just okay”. 

As I went through the month of May, I felt good at times, bad at times, and just alright at times. Now, it’s well known that given our social media exposure, we think that everyone else is happy, gleeful, and always doing awesome things. And because of this, we feel that there is something wrong with us if we don’t feel the same way: that feeling “just okay” equates to being the opposite of happy. We have to change this paradigm. 

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I picked up the orange pill cannister and studied it. It contained a month’s supply of tiny, white pills, and my name was printed on the label.

I used to be a patient caregiver at a psychiatric hospital; how did I end up needing psychiatric care myself?

I guess it was the only logical result of years of mood episodes, a bedbug-infested camper van, and a panic attack in a hotel room in Houston.

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For as long as I could remember, I’d always had seasonal mood fluctuations: down in the winter, up in the spring. Having grown up in central Pennsylvania, where it’s dark and dreary for six months and sunny and pleasant the other half of the year, I became accustomed to alternating between feeling full of life and completely deflated.

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