Resource Articles

June is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month. During the past couple of years, there have many traumatic stressors that have impacted us. For some, there is a more lasting emotional effects, including intense feelings and disturbing thoughts related to their experience. Work/Life Connections-EAP shares some ways to help manage the intense feelings that come with a PTSD response.

​The last few weeks have been filled with sadness and trauma. We try to make sense of the senseless and irrational. How can we cope when faced with such chaos, devastation, and destruction? Work/Life Connections-EAP lists ways in which you can help yourself and others who are having difficulties after traumatic experiences.

Going for Gold Throughout Summer with Health Plus Care Gap Alerts: The Importance of Summer Safety with Cristina M. Estrada, MD Savoring the Moment and Expressing Gratitude with Heather Kamper, LCSW, SHARE Coordinator/ Clinical Counselor at Work/Life Connections –EAP I Am Vanderbilt: Paul Flournoy with Kara Furlong, Internal Communications Manager and Editor of MyVU at Vanderbilt University Stick It to the Flu with Lori Rolando, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Director of Occupational Health Clinic Ask a Lifestyle Coach with Rachel Bowman, CHES, Health Educator at Health Plus

​In This Issue: Improving Mental Health Across Vanderbilt with Ted Rice, LPC, CEAP, Clinical Counselor, Work/Life Connections Care Gap Alerts: Suicide Prevention and Awareness with Ciera V. Scott, PhD, HSP, Assistant Director for Community Engagement and Licensed Psychologist at University Counseling Center Vanderbilt University Ending Sexual Assault and Harassment Starts with You with Heather Kamper, LCSW, SHARE Coordinator/Clinical Counselor at Work/Life Connections-EAP Walking Your Way to a Healthier Life with Mary Pullias Henderson, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, Nurse Practitioner at Occupational Health Clinic Ask a Lifestyle Coach with Emily Cox, CHES, CHWC, Senior Health Educator with Health Plus

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced fully vaccinated and boosted individuals may be safe without a mask in an outdoor and indoor setting. This might feel like a step towards resuming our lives as we did prior to the pandemic, but it will require a psychological re-adjustment. Work/Life Connections-EAP is available to help those who may feel anxious as we enter this new phase of the ongoing pandemic.

Spring is getting closer, and more people will start getting outside to soak up the sun. Did you know that being in nature, or even enjoying the view outside your window, decreases feelings of negative emotions? Work/Life Connections-EAP shares ways in which you can spend time outdoors to help build your mental health resilience.

​Hobbies are a great way to reduce a person's stress level, improve moods, and reduce the risk of depression. They also help you focus on the present instead of worrying about your tomorrow's to-do list. Work/Life Connections-EAP shares suggestions to use hobbies to build your mental health resilience.

​Have you ever wished you could turn off your thoughts for a moment? Our minds can easily become cluttered and inundated with information. Work/Life Connections-EAP shares some ways in which you can take a "mindful microbreak" to regain some peace of mind.

​Kindness is generally thought of as a simple act, like smiling to a stranger walking by or saying thank you to a waiter. While the act itself might seem small, the impact is big. Work/Life Connections-EAP shares some ways in which you can inject small acts of kindness into your daily routine.

​In this issue: