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May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Intermountain Health behavioral health experts say it is a good time to refocus on mental well-being.
Over the past few years, there has been significant events and traumas that has occurred throughout our society. Researchers have studied the effect of large-scale traumas and disasters on communities.
“We all experience trauma,” said LaTeisha Morgan, care manager in Nevada for Intermountain Health. “When we see these things happening, we subconsciously react to them.” She said individuals may not go out as much, avoid large crowds, or react in other ways.
“It is important to do a regular mental health self-assessment, just like you do with your physical health,” she said. “Notice when things are changing. If you lose interest in things, if you don’t have interest in doing the things you used to do, if you become withdrawn, or if you’re finding yourself feeling anxious.”
Intermountain behavioral health experts said to think of resilience like a balance scale where negative experiences tip the scale towards negative outcomes, positive experiences towards positive outcomes.
“Flexibility and resilience are processes of adapting well to changing circumstances, including adversity,” said Doug Thomas, community health director for Intermountain Health. “We all know things are going to continue to change, we just don’t know exactly how.”
Flexibility and resilience take an intentional focus. “Flexibility and resilience add weight to the positive side of the scale to keep our lives in balance or even tip toward the positive in the face of very negative experiences,” said Thomas. “Go do something you enjoy; if you can’t right now, then plan to do something as circumstances change, and make sure to include others in the planning.”
Some people think of flexibility and resilience as traits one is born with (hardiness) – or an outcome (presence of post-traumatic stress or growth). In fact, scientists say resilience can be taught, learned, and strengthened.
If you want to speak to someone about increasing your flexibility and resilience to meet life’s challenges, you can talk to your primary care provider.
Connect Care is a new virtual behavioral health service that connects you to needed behavioral health care for you or your loved one in real time.
For more information, visit intermountainhealthcare.org/behavioralhealth.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in seven states and additional operations across the western U.S., www.intermountainhealth.org is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,900 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
