Supporting the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Employees during Pride Month and Beyond

Calm resources focused on belonging, acceptance, and living authentically can help LGBTQ+ employees reduce stress and anxiety in the face of complex challenges.

While navigating their own complex journeys amid a history of discrimination, LGBTQ+ people face violence and efforts across the country to limit their rights .?

LGBTQ+ employees need and want more mental health support from employers

For employers, Pride Month is an opportunity to reinforce a workplace culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and to expand mental health support for LGBTQ+ employees. As our Workplace Mental Health Trends Report indicates, LGBTQ+ employees experience significantly higher rates of mental health challenges than the U.S. general population. Here’s what our research found:

• 60% of LGBTQ+ people feel nervous, anxious, and stressed more than half the time or nearly all the time, while 42% of the general population do.
• 50% of LGBTQ+ people feel down, depressed, or hopeless more than half the time or nearly all the time, while 33% of the general population do.
• 48% of LGBTQ+ employees have trouble falling asleep, while 39% of the general population do.

Half of LGBTQ+ employees wish their employers offered mental health solutions to address stress, anxiousness, and sleep issues, and nearly half (49%) of LGBTQ+ employees wish their employers offered access to mental health support that aligns with their identity.?

Calm’s “Belonging and Acceptance” collection can help LGBTQ+ employees reframe negative thoughts and find relief

In honor of Pride Month, we’ve curated a selection of Calm content to help LGBTQ+ employees address stress, anxiousness, and sleep issues before they escalate into more serious mental and physical health conditions. The Belonging and Acceptance collection can help LGBTQ+ employees reframe negative thoughts and find relief as they navigate complex challenges. The collection features the following programs:

• Coming Out series, Lama Rod Owens - In this six-part series, Lama Rod Owens helps LGBTQ+ people learn how to navigate the challenges and celebrate the joys of moving through the world as their most authentic selves. Themes include identity, shame, self-love, community, compassion, joy, and the LGBTQ+ experience. Lama Rod identifies as a Black, queer man and is one of the next generation of mindfulness leaders. His approach blends formal Buddhist training and life experience that gives him a unique ability to relate to and engage with those around him in a way that’s sincere and gives them space.

• Dealing with Negativity in the World , U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy - Dr.? Murthy helps listeners facing so much negativity in the world observe their reactions in a nonjudgmental way. In two minutes, he guides listeners to create distance from their negative thoughts so they have less impact on how they feel.?? Dr. Vivek H. Murthy is the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States and a renowned physician, researcher, entrepreneur, and author.?

• You Belong Here (Breathe Into It series), Camila Cabello - In this six-minute wisdom session, Camila Cabello takes listeners on a journey of imagination, helping them see themselves from another perspective, appreciate their intrinsic value, and know that they belong.? With her debut solo album CAMILA, Cuban-born singer-songwriter Camila reached the #1 spot on the Hot 100, Billboard 200, and Artist 100 charts in the same week and was nominated for two Grammy Awards, including “Best Pop Vocal Album” and “Best Pop Solo Performance.”
• Love and Acceptance , Tamara Levitt —In this guided meditation, Tamara Levitt helps listeners feel any stress they may be experiencing and shift to a place of patience, lovingkindness, and compassion toward themselves. The Head of Mindfulness at Calm, Tamara, has more than 25 years of experience in meditation. She’s also the author of two children’s books on mindfulness themes: Happiness Doesn’t Come from Headstands and The Secret to Clara’s Calm.
• Spot the Napkin , Jes Tom - “Have you ever wondered what the cups in your cupboard do when you’re away?” asks Jes Tom in the opening line of this sleep story. Listeners learn how one napkin used determination and its differences to better a kitchen community. This sleep story is for all ages and LGBTQ+ youth.? Jes Tom is an actor, writer, and stand-up comic who gleefully provides the trans, queer, Asian American, radical cyborg perspective that everyone never knew they wanted.
• Glub the Mermaid , - Diane Keaton Glub, was always a bit of a fish half out of water. She thought she’d always be different, but as it turns out, Glub was just in the wrong school of fish. To help LGBTQ+ youth and those of all ages fall asleep, Diane Keaton takes listeners under the sea for a sleep story about mermaids, blobfish, and self-discovery.? A comedic actress, photographer, writer, and icon, Diane wears many hats. She’s best known for playing funny, relatable, fashionable, and always herself.?

Supporting LGBTQ+ employees and families this Pride Month and beyond

Pride Month is a time to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities and all they offer. It’s also a time to commit to always supporting the daily mental and emotional health of LGBTQ+ employees and their families. As a part of creating a safe and accepting workplace culture, employers can provide mental and emotional health tools that align with the identities of LGBTQ+ individuals and help them address the stress, anxiety, and sleep issues stemming from the challenges they face.

For more information on how Calm for Business can provide mental health resources to support your LGBTQ+ employees, contact a specialist today .