Resource Hub

---

Using the Global Wellness Institutes model, we organize our mental wellness resources into four categories: activity & creativity, growth & nourishment, rest & self-care, and connection & meaning.  There is no set path, and people can choose the strategies and activities that are the most important or effective for them.

It can sometimes be difficult to tell if you’re experiencing normal stress or distress. Stress can turn into distress when the demands we experience exceed our resources to cope. It is our strong negative emotional reaction to prolonged and/or severe stress. Sometimes a little stress is healthy, but left unmanaged, it has the ability to harm us mentally and physically.

Stress related to money and inflation is at the highest level recorded since 2015, according to APA’s Stress in America survey. On top of that, younger adults are more likely to report money as a significant source of stress. Severe or prolonged financial stress can adversely impact your sleep, self-esteem, and energy levels. It can also leave you feeling angry, ashamed, or fearful.

Anxiety is a natural human response when we feel under threat. It can be experienced through our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations.  Anxiety can become a mental health problem if it impacts your ability to live your life as fully as you want to. Panic is a type of anxiety that manifests as a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions.

Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can have severe symptoms that affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities. Mania is a period in which a person experiences a change in normal behavior characterized by high energy, excitement, and euphoria that drastically affects functioning. It is a defining characteristic of Bipolar Disorder.

Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions and behaviors used to control another person. Violence and abuse happens in cycles that an abuser purposefully uses to give themselves power over the victim. It can impact people in any type of relationship. This includes partners, friends, family members, caregivers, coworkers, and others. 

Severe, prolonged reactions to stressful experiences can be disabling, and might indicate post-traumatic stress disorder. In this condition, the impact of the event continues to cause high levels of stress. People with PTSD may avoid or have strong negative reactions to situations or people that remind them of the traumatic event. Grief is a natural response to loss, and many times can feel overwhelming and affect mental and physical health. Even subtle losses can trigger feelings of grief.

A mental health crisis is any situation in which a person’s behavior puts them at risk of hurting themselves or others and/or prevents them from being able to care for themselves or function effectively in the community. Mental health problems & substance abuse sometimes occur together because certain substances can cause symptoms of mental illnesses, mental illnesses can sometimes lead to substance use, and mental illness & substance abuse share some underlying causes.

Everyone has the right to work and all workers have the right to a safe and healthy working environment. Work can be a protective factor for mental health, but it can also contribute to worsening mental health. At work, risks to mental wellness may be related to job content or work schedule, specific characteristics of the workplace, or lack of opportunities for career development.