May is Mental Health Awareness Month
—a time for all of us to learn more about:
- The stressors that negatively impact your mental health.
- The tools you can use to manage stress, difficult emotions, and challenging situations.
- How you can help your coworkers, friends, and family address the difficult situations that degrade their mental well-being.
Too many of us wait until it’s too late to address the difficult issues that drain the joy out of life and often lead to serious physical health problems. In a job that requires us to be “strong,” it’s hard to acknowledge mental health issues, such as depression, because our culture has often characterized mental health issues as a sign of “weakness.” Happily, this ill-informed prejudice is fading away, in part because even those traditionally portrayed as the strongest among us—those in the military, police forces, and firefighting services—are more open about the mental health issues they’re facing. The world we live in is stressful. Our jobs are stressful. It all takes its toll, even on the strongest among us.
We’ve collected a few good resources you can use to learn more about mental well-being. We encourage you and your family members to check them out and celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month with some well-deserved self-care.
Monday Meditations with Marcie
Weekly Meditation for Seattle Firefighters
Take a 10-minute mindfulness break each Monday morning with our new guided meditation program. Dr. Marcie Hamrick from Station 2 Clinic will lead you through calming practices designed to combat stress and enhance your well-being.
Sessions are on Monday mornings 8:00-8:10 am beginning May 6th. Join Dr. Hamrick virtually and access the link through the Station 2 Clinic calendar at www.ff.clinic. Boost your resilience, sharpen your focus, and reduce your stress in just a few minutes. Join the meditation crew!
Access the Peer Support Directory
Our Peer Support Teams in Seattle provide crucial mental health support to fire fighters facing the intense stress and trauma inherent in their profession, regardless of rank. These teams consist of trained peers who understand the unique challenges our fire fighters encounter on the job. They offer confidential, nonjudgmental listening, emotional support, and resources for coping with traumatic events, such as debriefings after critical incidents or ongoing counseling for PTSD and other mental health concerns. Access the directory.
Support for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
Did you know you have access to a great archive of blogs, videos and podcasts from our partners at Youturn Health? If you or someone you know is struggling here are some great resources.
Featured articles
- Working Toward Wellness: Addressing the Eight Dimensions
- Thriving in Retirement Through Grit and Determination
- Difficult but Necessary Conversations for First Responder Families
Podcasts on Spotify
- Dr. Olivia Johnson helps first responders and their families navigate trauma – You Too?
- Stephanie Kiesow is teaching first responders how to Be Work Well – You Too? |
- Sean Riley and Rich Jones are changing the way we support First Responders – You Too?
- Marybeth Sheehan, Liz and Erin discuss energy work and how it improves your mental health – You Too?