Mental Health is Wealth: 5 Things I’m Doing to Invest in it

Over the past year, our team at Camp Fire has asked for more mental health support and resources. This not only falls in line with national trends, but with my own full life as a mom, wife, leader, daughter, board member, sister, friend, ally, youth development executive, advocate, child-activity coordinator, and what feels like a part-time chauffeur?between sports practices for the kids and taking a family member to cancer treatments. The weight of it all hit me hard and I knew I could benefit from some additional support. I connected with a great therapist who has reminded me of skills and resources I already have and has helped me build new coping mechanisms and self-care practices. All that to say, mental health has been top of mind for me lately.

I recently heard mental health is wealth. This sentiment is fairly new. I’ve seen the evolution of mental health change significantly over the past few decades as I’ve been in the working world. With every year, struggling with mental health carries less stigma (thank goodness), becomes more studied and accepted (thank goodness). Now, it continues to be one of the biggest topics in youth development and an immense need at schools, camps, in afterschool programs–all the places and spaces where young people are. To meet this need, Camp Fire has broadened its focus to look at wellbeing more holistically, focusing on MESH(+), a conceptual theory building upon the mental, emotional, social health framework, with practical implications for creating a safe environment for individuals and communities. Through our work in this area, I got curious about the history of mental health in the U.S.–what used to be called the “mental hygiene movement”. This Johns Hopkins article written in 1995 provides fascinating insight on the groundwork that got us to today. Since the article was written, the U.S. has seen rapid change and expansion of mental health services and public awareness of the importance of mental health.

I want to share some simple (and perhaps obvious) practices that have been working for me in hopes that it might help you.

1. Get outside. Get Moving. When the weather allows, I take a 30 minute walk outside during the day. It seems obvious, but it’s easy to neglect the need to take a break between meetings and other demands on my time. It’s amazing how much better I feel after a break and some fresh air. An added bonus: It also turns out to be some of my best thinking time, bringing creative new ideas to my work.
2. Connect with others. My job is remote but that doesn’t mean that I work alone. I make an effort to connect with coworkers over Zoom, phone, or text to check in and talk about life. I also try to get plugged into my local community. Recently, I went to an in-person women’s leadership conference. It was a little out of my comfort zone, but I met great people and plan to stay connected to the group.
3. Check the story I’m telling myself. Sometimes, especially when my anxieties creep in, I can start to tell myself stories that are based more on feelings than facts. When that happens, I have to make extra effort to check in with people I trust and remind myself of what’s actually true. In the workplace or in any relationship, it’s easy to believe our own stories without keeping them in check and checking in with others for a fresh perspective. I start by asking myself and others: “What is the story I’m telling myself?” Staying connected and keeping our stories in check is the key to maintaining a healthy perspective.
4. Consciously consuming news. There’s so much in the headlines to be scared of, sad or angry about, and a temptation to feel powerless about it all. Doom scrolling has real effects. To protect my peace, I have limits on when, how and from where I consume news. This helps me sort out what’s in my control and what is not.
5. Take advantage of benefits. At Camp Fire, we have several strategies in place to help support the mental health of both the young people in Camp Fire’s programs and Camp Fire’s employees and their families. In our programs this summer, we are collaborating with the Alliance for Camp Health on a pilot program that will provide consistent training on wellbeing for Camp Fire staff and are centering youth voice and empathy by asking young people when they get to our programs, what they need to support their mental, emotional, and social health; all to ensure that camp staff and campers have the resources they need to thrive. For our employees, one support we offer is an employee assistance program that provides free sessions with a therapist. We also have flex time, half a day every pay period that isn’t counted against our paid time off (PTO). We can decide what to do with that time, whether it’s working on a home project or taking an art class.? We’re also proud to partner with The Kids Mental Health Foundation , to utilize Bloom, which is an online curriculum designed to help caregivers confidently support their kids' mental health.

What do you do to support your own mental, emotional, and social health and the mental, emotional, and social health of your colleagues and the young people in your programs?

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