Since the pandemic, many businesses have implemented mental wellness programs to help employees achieve a better work/life balance.
The mind/body connection is real and it’s just as important to take care of one as it is the other. Mental health disorders often co-exist with physical health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and muscle, bone and joint disorders. Mental illnesses such as depression also are associated with higher rates of disability and unemployment.
Even though many of you approach your jobs with superhuman strength and resilience, it’s still important to manage your mental health. None of us is immune to stress, anxiety and occasional feelings of depression.
At the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, we have implemented a host of new programs designed to help employees manage stress, resolve personal problems, encourage self-care and find wellness support.
For starters, employees can access a six-part video series on “Self-Care”, which runs about 25 minutes total. The series discusses simple, everyday activities to improve physical and mental health.
The Office of the Oklahoma Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
The Office of the Oklahoma EAP empowers employees to build hope and resilience by educating and promoting positive mental health. It provides short-term interventions and resource referral assistance to state employees and their families seeking help with challenges related to mental health and/or substance use, emotional, gambling, marital, family relations, financial, work-related issues, stress, grief/loss or other personal problems. The EAP offers in-person, phone and telemedicine appointments.
In additional to traditional counseling, the EAP also offers:
Wind Down Wednesday - a virtual support/educational group that provides a safe place for employees to share and connect with others that are dealing with similar issues and stressful situations. Each week Wind Down Wednesday provides employees with psychoeducational information on common mental health topics and offers helpful tips and skills to inspire change and improve mental well-being. Meetings occur Wednesday at noon via Zoom (excluding holidays).
Wellness Support and Referral Services – EAP believes a person’s sense of well-being involves both healthy minds and bodies, and works to refer to resources that support the same. Because everyone’s needs and preferences are unique, EAP strives to locate and connect resources that are a good fit for each state employee’s personal wellness goals. EAP utilizes a certified behavioral health case manager/PRSS to connect clients with resources in their community, health care providers that are in-network with state insurance plans, and the Thrive state employee wellness programs.
Postvention - All organizations experience critical incidents that are highly stressful and can overwhelm an individual or agency’s normal coping mechanisms. Critical incidents include events such as a death of an employee, resident, inmate, patient, client, or customer, a serious workplace injury, suicide, workplace violence and natural disasters. EAP is available and able to provide postvention assistance to employees and agencies affected by critical incidents. In the aftermath of a critical incident, EAP staff and counselors will provide employees with needs assessment, referrals, short-term counseling, and follow-up services or telehealth group debriefing.
WYSA – Wysa provides 24/7 access to a self-care chatbot, 150+ tools and resources including breathing exercises, meditation and more, as well as access to therapists if needed. We are proud to bring you this app as an EAP resource, available now to you and your family members.
No mental wellness plan would be complete, though, without a shoutout to the basics. Don’t forget to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, and get seven to eight hours of sleep a night.
Take part in activities that promote stress management and relaxation, such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness, or tai chi. And don’t forget to build and nurture real-life, face-to-face social connections.
To help you with some of this, the EAP also has partnered with the state’s overall wellness program, called “Thrive”, to create an additional support system and resource network for state employees. Here, activities extend to involvement in sports leagues and family fun days, and even discounts on fitness center enrollment for state employees.
If you need additional assistance in managing mental health at work, don’t hesitate to contact the EAP at 405-248-9007 or email EAP@odmhsas.org.
