Elevating Your Mental Well-Being by Nina Lavelanet-Lewnau & Marcelle Wallace

One in five Americans suffers from mental illness. Some of the more common forms that may come to mind are anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. These mental illnesses can affect one’s mood, thinking, and behavior. Being in a global pandemic for almost two years, we have all had to go through many adjustments in trying to cope with this new form of “normalcy.” Your mental well-being is important to live a happy and productive life. Here at Shift Digital, we have many resources available to you that may be of assistance through Ulliance. Life Advisor EAP® is provided to all Shift employees at no cost and is completely confidential, even if you have declined health insurance from Shift. The following services are available through this partnership.

Ulliance benefits

Counseling

Counseling is available in person or telephonically with a counselor close to work, home or school. Individual, family and couples counseling are all included. Short-term, solution-focused support for work-life issues such as stress, major life transitions, relationship issues, substance use, grief/loss and overwhelming emotions.

Coaching

Life Advisor Coaches offer telephonic support for individual life enhancement goals, such as education, career advancement, financial or self-improvement goals

Crisis Support

Mental health professionals are available by phone 24/7/365.

Referrals

Consultants provide recommendations for resources within the community.

Work-life Materials

Information on a wide range of work-life balance topics is easily accessed through the EAP portal. A work-life library of related books is available by calling Ulliance, and as always, are free of charge.

Legal and Financial Consultations

Ulliance professionals can connect employees with resources to assist individuals regarding legal and financial issues.

Shift Digital employees can reach out to Employee Relations to learn more about Ulliance's offerings.

Here are some common statistics that you may not have known: 

• Mental illnesses start showing symptoms by age 14 (National Alliance on Mental Illness),• About one in four American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder each year, and one in ten will suffer from a depressive illness, such as major depression or bipolar disorder (Johns Hopkins).     • 41% of Americans deal with an untreated mental illness. (Mental Health First Aid).•  Anxiety disorders are the highest reported mental health issue in the United States, with 42.5 million Americans claiming to suffer from this illness. (Mental Health America).

Maybe you are looking for a new podcast that you can relate to. Check out one of the following: 

• Therapy for Black Girls
• The Happiness Lab
• The Anxiety Coaches Podcast
• Latinx Therapy
• The Mindful Muslim
• In Recovery
• Anxiety Slayer with Shann and Ananga
• The Trauma Therapist
• The OCD Stories Podcast
• Shattered- The Podcast
• Anxiety Slayer Podcast
• Black Girl in Om
• Not Another Anxiety Show
• Where Should We Begin?
• Griefcast
• The Hardcore Self Help Podcast
• The Hilarious World of Depression

Or want some free meditations? Check out this playlist on Youtube.

Prefer an app? Here are a few categorized by topic.

• General:  
• Coping Skills:  
• Therapy:  
• Stress Relief:  
• Meditation:  and 
• Changing Habits:  
• Depression:  
• For BIPOC:  
• Bipolar Disorder:  
• Symptom Tracking:  
• ADHD:  
• PTSD: 

Maybe you are looking for some more resources, why not check out one these:

Better Help: 

Mental Health America: 

CDC Helplines: 

60 Digital Resources for Mental Health: 

13 Mental Health Resources That Are Absolutely Free: 

23 Mental Health Books for Anyone Who’s Going Through It Right Now: 

You do not have to be diagnosed to utilize these resources. As time goes on, it’s important to check in on your loved ones as well as yourself.Are you considering therapy or are unsure if you’d like to try it out? See our Instagram post from 10/28 to see 13 signs you should consider therapy.

Thank you for taking the time to review the abovementioned resources and statistics. Please remember - you are not alone.