Mental Health Awareness Month is a Reminder to Care for Ourselves – and Others

While I’m a firm believer that we should focus on our mental wellbeing every month, May is officially Mental Health Awareness Month, and a good reminder to prioritize what’s at the core of our overall wellbeing. This year, it falls during a time when some regions of the world, like the U.S., are seeing pandemic restrictions lifting with more people being vaccinated and returning to daily activities and travel; while in other areas, such as India, we continue to see devastating impacts. Regardless of where you are in the world, Mental Health Awareness Month gives all of us an opportunity to reflect on our own mental wellbeing and that of those we love.

For more than a year, the pandemic has been on everyone’s mind, and its impact on mental wellbeing has taken a destructive toll. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study showed that 40% of adults in the U.S. reported feeling depressed and anxious this year (significantly up from just 10% the year before). Communities of color, essential workers and women with children, have all reported even higher rates of anxiety and depression.

At Hyatt, our purpose is to care for people so they can be their best, including colleagues, guests and communities around the world, and we believe wellbeing is the ultimate realization of our purpose, placing it at the heart of our business across all of our brands and stakeholders. Our holistic approach is focused on our three landmarks of wellbeing – Feel, Fuel, Function – which guide us in how we support colleagues, guests, and customers alike on their personal wellbeing journey, with an increased focus on prioritizing mental wellbeing.

In addition to our ongoing wellbeing resources and initiatives such as our Global Wellbeing Council and Global Day of Gratitude, we took things a step further this year with the launch of our new Hyatt Well-Check tool, developed by researchers in the Department of Psychiatry, and licensed by the Center for Technology Licensing, at Weill Cornell Medicine, a prestigious academic medical center in the U.S.

Hyatt Well-Check gives our global colleagues a fast, easy and confidential way to check in with themselves, track their own mental wellbeing over time and access resources to take action to improve. To date, almost 10,000 colleagues have used the assessment tool, and I’m proud of every one of them for choosing to be proactive on their own behalf. It’s only when we care for ourselves that we’re able to care for those around us.

Across our hotels, we have integrated wellbeing into the guest experience as well. We introduced in-room meditation and mindfulness exercises; connected with local business to bring wellbeing experiences to Hyatt properties through our Hyatt Loves Local initiative; launched Hyatt Together, a digital platform that offers virtual wellbeing experiences curated by Hyatt colleagues from around the world; and our Miraval wellness resorts and spas have partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to launch a series of events and programs that promote mindfulness and mental wellbeing. Next month, we will be celebrating our first Global Wellbeing Week to inspire the pursuit of personal wellbeing among our colleagues, guests and customers.

These and other offerings focusing on mental wellbeing are at the heart of who we are at Hyatt. They are core to our purpose and to our commitment to do all we can to support the wellbeing of our colleagues and guests. I hope this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month inspires you to put a greater focus on mental wellbeing – and I’d love to hear in the comments how you’re taking care of yourself and those around you.