The latest Hey Seery podcast explores the anxiety, depression and fear that accompany the COVID-19 crisis.
COVID-19 has brought mental health into the forefront of our collective conscience. In a recent editorial, the Dallas Morning News opined that mental health would be the next crisis to hit the U.S.
“Devastating job losses and the coronavirus’s lethal toll have led to increased anxiety, depression, addiction and other psychological trauma,” the paper stated. “While it may not be as obvious as job losses and coronavirus fatalities, the nation is on the cusp of a spiraling mental health crisis.”
While I’m sensitive to this macro view, as a business leader I’m more immediately concerned about the welfare of my own team members. I can see firsthand how every employee is being mentally affected by the current crisis—and each person processes the stress of the pandemic in different ways.
To piece together a mental health playbook for my business, I dedicated my latest episode of the Hey Seery podcast to interviewing Laura Wood, a Seattle-based mental health therapist who is highly experienced in helping clients overcome major trauma and overwhelming anxiety. Here are a few highlights:
- Laura affirmed that we are, in fact, going through a “collective trauma,” similar to when a region undergoes a natural disaster or the nationwide effects of the 2008 recession.
- Employees now feel that employers finally “get it”—that their people can have mental health struggles, and that mental health is legit.
- The common advice that you should breathe through stress and anxiety is now backed by studies which conclude that meditation and breathing exercises can re-regulate the nervous system.
Listen to the full interview here and subscribe below for new Hey Seery podcast episodes.
Subscribe to Hey Seery
