The document provides tips and resources for maintaining mental wellness during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It discusses common stressors like startup life and mental health impacts of the pandemic. The document then offers tools and strategies for building resilience through practices like naming emotions, validation, social connection, mindfulness, finding joy, and seeking professional support if needed.

1. Maintaining Your
Mental Wellness During
Our Complicated Time
November 20, 2020

2. Jolene Conway
MA, LPC
Director of Clinical Programs - SonderMind
Jolene Conway MA, LPC is Director of Clinical
Programs at SonderMind, Licensed Professional
Counselor and certified Nutrition Therapist with
over 10 years in the healthcare space, working in
direct clinical care, medical provider consulting,
within nonprofits and through partnership
development.

3. SonderMind is redesigning
mental and behavioral
health through improved
access, utilization, and
outcomes.
3

4. Outline
1. Startup Stress
2. Mental Health During a Pandemic
3. Mental Health Resilience
4. Finding Control in the Uncontrollable
5. The Toolbox
a. Name It To Tame It
b. Validation
c. Build Your Foundation
d. Social Connection
6. Additional Resources
e. Do Good, Feel Good
f. Mindful Tools
g. Finding Moments of Joy
h. Professional Support

5. Study by Dr. Michael Freeman
The Startup Life
Gallup Well Being Index Study by Dr. Michael Freeman
50% more likely to
have mental health
conditions
1 2 3
45% of
entrepreneurs
identify as
stressed
12% more likely
to identify a
substance use
concern/condition

6. 1 2 3
CDC Reports
The Impact on Mental Health During COVID
MHA State of Mental Health in America MHA State of Mental Health in America
40% of US adults
report struggling with
their mental health in
the US
More than half a
million people have
reported signs of
anxiety and/or
depression
More people are
reporting frequent
thoughts of suicide
and self-harm than
ever before. Especially
our youth.

8. What is is:
● Bounce back effect
● Builds protective layers
● This is a skill to grow, practice and cultivate
Why it matters:
● Increases job satisfaction, productivity, work
happiness, engagement and team
commitment
● Builds self-esteem, sense of control and
purpose as well as adds to relationships
● Increases empowerment
Mental Health Resilience
resilience
re·sil·ience | ri-ˈzil-yən(t)s
“An ability to recover from or
adjust easily to misfortune or
change.”
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary

9. So You Want to Know About Thrive Treatment
Building Resilience Through Coping

10. Find Control in the Uncontrollable

11. ● Immense power in identifying the emotion we are experiencing.
● Labeling of a feeling can be that initial step to coping more successfully.
● Reflect on what has worked most effectively with coping in the past
when that similar emotion was felt.
● Example may be the emotion of grief for the loss of the life you thought
you would be living during this time. Ask yourself “How did I cope with
my grief when my pet passed away? Or when I got that lay off?”
Name It to Tame It
Sometimes the most important thing we
can ask of ourselves is the simple, yet not
always easy, task of acknowledgement.

12. ● This. Is. Hard.
● You are not required to build a tiny house
from scratch, learn guitar or a new language
● Everyone’s impact as well as their reaction is
very personal
The loss of normalcy; the fear of economic toll;
the loss of connection. This is hitting us and
we’re grieving. Collectively. We are not used to
this kind of collective grief in the air.
- David Kessler, grief expert
Validation

13. Creating Your Individual Plan
Building Your Foundation:
Social Connection:
Do Good, Feel Good
Mindful Tools
Finding Moments of Joy:
Seeking Professional Support:

14. Sleep
● Sleep Hygiene
Nutritional
● Food and Mood
Movement
● Take advantage of the virtual fitness craze
● Stretch it out
Hydration
● ½ your body weight in ounces of water
each day
Build Your Foundation

15. ● Social Media does not equal connection
● Zoom fatigue vs. Zoom energy
● Lawn Chair gathering
● Online cooking and mixology classes
○ Uncorked (local)
● Join a virtual book club
○ Good Reads
● Ask friends to join in watching your
favorite sitcom
○ Netflix party
Social Distancing NOT Social Isolation
Creative Cook

16. ● Use your skills to give back
● Blood Donation
● Brighten someone’s day
○ Health Hero Hotline; 877-226-HERO
● Support local
○ Project Helping
● Practice Gratitude
○ Gratitude during difficult times
● Show compassion
○ Simple Ways to Care for Each Other
Do Good, Feel Good

17. ● The powerful breath
○ Three Breathing Exercises to
Ease Coronavirus Anxiety
● Meditation
○ Brief Positive Meditation
● Guided Imagery
○ Guided Imagery Examples
● Progressive Muscle Relaxation:
○ 15 min guided exercise
Mindful Tools
Credit: Lime Lace

18. ● Listen to your pump up song
● Laugh it out
○ Laughter Yoga Tedx Talk
● Take a feel good break
○ Good News Movement
● Google baby laughing or puppies
playing
○ Cutest Puppies of All Time
● Get outside
● Coloring
● Puzzles
Find Your Moments of Joy

19. ● Therapy
○ SonderMind
● Medication
Evaluation/Support
○ PCP
○ Psychiatric Provider
● Group Therapy
○ Support Groups- Tribe
Wellness Community
○ Group Therapy
Professional Support
Three General Areas of
Professional Focus:
A Mental Health
Professional Can Help You:
● Come up with plans for
solving problems
● Feel stronger in the face of
challenges
● Change behaviors that hold
you back
● Look at ways of thinking that
affect how you feel
● Heal pains from your past
● Figure out your goals
● Build self-confidence

20. Psychiatrist: A medical doctor with special training in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and
emotional illnesses. Like other doctors, psychiatrists are qualified to prescribe medication.
Psychologist: A professional with a doctoral degree in psychology, two years of supervised professional
experience, including a year-long internship from an approved internship and is trained to make diagnoses
and provide individual and group therapy.
Clinical Social Worker: A counselor with a master’s degree in social work trained to make diagnoses and
provide individual and group counseling.
Licensed Professional Counselor: A counselor with a master’s degree in psychology, counseling or a
related field, trained to diagnose and provide individual and group counseling.
Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor: A counselor with specific clinical training in alcohol and
drug abuse trained to diagnose and provide individual and group counseling.
Marital and Family Therapist: A professional with a master’s degree, with special education and training in
marital and family therapy trained to diagnose and provide individual and group counseling.

21. Creating Your Individual Plan
Building Your Foundation:
Social Connection:
Do Good, Feel Good
Mindful Tools
Finding Moments of Joy:
Seeking Professional Support:
1. When do start?
2. How often?
3. When?
4. How are you going to
remind yourself?

22. Other Resources
● Mental Health America COVID Resources
● COVID Help Guide
● NAMI COVID Info Guide
● Types of Mental Health Support
● Types of Medical Health Professionals
● 4 Ways to Relieve Stress in Quarantine
● Coping with Unexpected Changes blog
● How is your Child coping
● Reducing Stress in the New Workplace
● Transitioning to Remote Work

23. Crisis Resources
● Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish), or text
TalkWithUs for English or Hablanos for Spanish to 66746. Spanish speakers from
Puerto Rico can text Hablanos to 1-787-339-2663.
● National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, 1-888-
628-9454 for Spanish, or Lifeline Crisis Chat
● National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522
● National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4AChild (1-800-422-4453) or text 1-800-422-
4453
● National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or Online Chat
● The Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116 TTY Instructions
● Veteran’s Crisis Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Crisis Chat or text: 8388255

24. Jolene Conway
jconway@sondermind.com
720-819-6039
www.sondermind.com