Well In Mind
Well In Mind Intensive Resilience Program Pilot Program
This program is a call to action! Only you can change your health through new awareness and behavior changes.
Do you want to be confident, focused, and energetic?
Do you want to be content, patient, and flexible?
Do you want deep, meaningful relationships in your life?
Do you want to feel more engaged in your work and personal life?
If so, it’s time to set your trajectory in a new direction and begin to live to your highest potential.
Without energy, commitment, sincerity, and a sense of hope for a new beginning, there will be no change. With support and intention, we know that you can do it! We have faith in you. But the more important question is whether YOU have faith that you can create a new path forward. Only you can answer this question.
Please see application for program details and tentative timeline.
We are seeking out employees who are dedicated to improving their mental, physical, emotional well-being. This program will provide you the tools and resources to reduce sleep issues, depression, anxiety, burnout, and compassion fatigue. while enhancing joy, sense of purpose and meaning, and sense of control over your life.
Call Laura Hogan at x35596 with questions.
Well in Mind Self-care Tip of the Week
How to Take a Mindful Hike/Walk
Stop Before You Start
We rarely pause between activities. As a result, we can carry the stress and tension of a previous activity, conversation, or train of thought over into what we are about to do. Before setting off on your hike, take a few moments to allow yourself to come into the present moment, letting go of any thoughts or concerns that might be on your mind.
Practice — Note the Pause between Breaths
Close your eyes and in your own time, without forcing anything, take three long, deep breaths. Allow yourself to make an exaggerated sighing sound on the exhalation, seeing if you can let go a little more with each out breath. Gently hold your attention on your breath and, after each exhalation, allow your next breath to come when it’s ready. This short pause between breaths can be very calming. Once you have taken three deep breaths, allow your breath to resume its natural rhythm. Bring your awareness down into your feet, and pause. Really feel the connection your feet are making with the earth beneath you. Allow yourself to feel grounded, connected, and supported.
You might say silently to yourself, “For the duration of this hike there is nowhere else I need to be; no one else I need to be pleasing. This is my time. Time I’m giving myself to recharge and reconnect with nature.”
When you are ready, gently blink your eyes open and reorient yourself before starting your hike.
Consciously Engage Your Senses
Making the effort to stop along the way and bring conscious awareness to your senses will not only bring you into the present moment and deepen your connection to your surroundings, it will also bring your mind and body back into a state of balance. Your body will start to relax and your mind will begin to settle.
Stop and Tune In
Next time you find yourself outdoors, whether you’re heading off for a hike or even a short stroll, see if you can remember to take a few moments to stop and tune into your surroundings, as well as your physical body, by consciously engaging your senses. Pay attention to the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe. Feel the sun on your face or the breeze against your skin. Tune into the sights, sounds, smells, and textures around you. Immersing yourself in your surroundings by consciously engaging your senses will leave you feeling calmer, happier and more relaxed, whether you’re hiking the Inca trail or walking through your local park.
Well In Mind is here for you. Call 815-933-2240 to schedule an appointment or to ask about your EAP benefits.
Well in Mind Self-care Tip of the Week
How Time in Nature can Nourish Well-Being
From a stroll through a city park to a day spent hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including:
- Improved attention
- Lower stress
- Better mood
- Reduced risk of a mental health disorder
- Increases in empathy and cooperation
- Improved working memory
- Increased cognitive flexibility
- Improved self-control behaviors
- Increased happiness
- Improved subjective well-being
- Increase in positive affect
- A sense of meaning and purpose in life
- Decrease in mental distress
One research study showed that people who viewed nature for 40 seconds in the middle of a tedious, boring task, made fewer mistakes than people who viewed concrete.
Another research study showed that even just the sounds of nature have a benefit; participants who listened to nature sounds performed better on a demanding cognitive test than those who listened to urban sounds.
In a study in Denmark, children who grew up with the lowest levels of green space had a risk of developing a mental illness 55% higher than those who grew up with abundant green space
The sense of connection you have with the natural world contributes to happiness even when you’re not physically immersed in nature!
5 Ways to get Nourished by Nature:
- Use a break or lunch break to walk outside for 5 minutes, even just step outside for 1 minute to breathe in the fresh air and take in the greenery around you
- Play relaxing nature sounds (rain, ocean waves, birds chirping) on your car ride, while you get ready, or during your work day
- Hang up your favorite scenes in nature at your work area, and take a 1 minute break to view the pictures to break up a difficult work task
- Eat a meal outside each day
- Take a scenic drive on a day off
Well In Mind is here for you. Call 815-933-2240 to schedule an appointment or to ask about your EAP benefits.
Well in Mind Self-Care Tip of the Week
June is PTSD Awareness Month!
Below is a curated list of resources for those living with or supporting someone else living with PTSD
Local Organizations
- Buddy Check 22
- Kankaee County VA Clinic: https://www.hines.va.gov/locations/kankakee.asp
- Clove Alliance: For survivors of sexual violence (formerly KCCASA) https://clovealliance.org/
- Project Headspace and Timing
Crisis Resources
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
is a 24-hour hotline for anyone in emotional distress: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). There is also an online Lifeline Chat
available from 5 pm to 1 am EST, weekdays.
- The Veterans Crisis Line connects Veterans in crisis and their families and friends with VA responders through a 24/7 hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255), PRESS 1. There is also a 24/7 online Confidential Veterans Chat or text message support at 838255.
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline
offers 24/7 anonymous access to shelters and domestic violence programs as well as legal advocacy, public education, and training: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).
- The National Sexual Assault Hotline
operated by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is a 24/7 resource to link victims to counseling and legal advice: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). There is also a National Sexual Assault Online Hotline
for messaging.
- The National Child Abuse Hotline
is a 24/7 resource you can contact if you suspect a child is being abused, if you fear you might hurt your child, or if you have been abused: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (422-4453).
- Fire/EMS Helpline: 1-888-731-FIRE (3473)– This is a part of NVFC’s Share the Load program, which provides support and access to information to help first responders and their families deal with issues such as stress, addiction, depression, and PTSD.
- Hero First offers a warmline, peer support and other resources for first responders.
Call 911 or Go to the nearest Emergency Room
Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, En Español: 1-888-628-9454
Contact the Veterans Crisis Line:
- 1-800-273-8255, press 1
- Send a text to 838255
- Chat online Confidential Veterans Chat
Apps
- PTSD Coach https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/ptsdcoach_app.asp
- PTSD Family Coach https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/familycoach_app.asp
Website Resources
- National Center for PTSD: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/index.asp
- Understanding PTSD: A Guide for Family and Friends: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/publications/print/understandingptsd_family_booklet.pdf
- How to Cope with Stress from News and Events from Cleveland Clinic
- 5 Ways to Cope with the News from Northwestern Medicine
- Why we Need Trauma-Informed Workplaces from Harvard Business Review
- Coping with Traumatic Events from the National Institute of Mental Health
- Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers from the National Association of School Psychologists
- Managing Traumatic Stress as a Health Care Professional
- First Responder Resiliency Resources
- 911 At Ease International provides access to free trauma-informed counseling for first responders and families, including police, fire, paramedics, emergency medical personnel and other essential agencies.
- 1st Help offers quick access to organizations assisting first responders with a range of topics from peer support to mental health care and financial aid.
- You Responder Strong is an interactive site that you can personalize with tools and resources for self-care.
Well In Mind is here for you. Call 815-933-2240 to schedule an appointment or to ask about your EAP benefits.
Well in Mind Self-care Tip of the Week
June is PTSD Awareness Month!
Will People with PTSD Get Better?
After a traumatic event, it’s normal to think, act, and feel differently than usual—but most people start to feel better after a few weeks or months. “Getting better” means different things for different people. There are many different treatment options for PTSD. Your symptoms don’t have to interfere with your everyday activities, work, and relationships.
What Treatments Are Available?
The main treatments for PTSD are talk therapy, medicines, or both. PTSD affects people differently, so a treatment that works for one person may not work for another. If you have PTSD, you need to work with a mental health professional to find the best treatment for your symptoms.
- Medicines may help control symptoms such as sadness, worry, anger, feeling numb inside, sleep problems and nightmares.
- Talk therapy, or psychotherapy, can teach you about your symptoms. You will learn how to identify what triggers them and how to manage them. Talk therapies teach people helpful ways to react to the frightening events that trigger their PTSD symptoms. Based on this general goal, different types of therapy may:
- Teach about trauma and its effects
- Use relaxation and anger-control skills
- Provide tips for better sleep, diet, and exercise habits
- Help people identify and deal with different feelings about the event
- Focus on changing how people react to PTSD symptoms.
Well In Mind is here for you. Call 815-933-2240 to schedule an appointment or to ask about your EAP benefits.
© Riverside Healthcare Connection. All Rights Reserved. Website Designed and Developed by 