05.06.20 Mental Health Wellness Update

While we all are telecommuting, OSFA will be sharing some ideas to boost your mental health during these difficult times. If you know of any videos, podcasts, articles, events, ideas, etc. that would be perfect to include in these emails, please send them along to Erica Tisdale at erica.tisdale@wisc.edu.   One Way to Improve Your Day: Connect with others. While you may not be able to see many of your friends, family, or co-workers in-person, finding ways to stay connected can improve your mental health. Consider scheduling a weekly virtual social hour or even a simple phone call with friends, family, or co-workers. Studies show that strong social connections strengthen your immune system and decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression. Campus/Community Resource: Richard Davidson from the Center for Healthy Minds is doing live guided meditations on Thursdays – https://centerhealthyminds.org/news/events/live-guided-meditation-with-richard-davidson. You can also watch replays on the website as well. Cute Video of the Week: Not quite a video, but the Wisconsin Union has some cute GIFs for Mental Health Awareness Month – https://terraceviews.org/mental-health-awareness-month/. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view. Podcast of the Week: Nadiya Hussein visits Bryony Gordon’s Mad World – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nadiya-hussain/id1224672811?i=1000471130727. Mad World is a podcast where different guests share about how their mental health is impacted by events in their lives. Each episode lasts about 25 minutes.