Mental Health and Well-Being

A critical issue in many communities across the United States is the health and well-being of their residents. Extension is well-positioned, particularly in rural communities, to provide local, community-engaged programs that can promote health and well-being and strengthen community resilience. Many of you are already working on projects that address the mental health and well-being of diverse populations in your communities. We would like to understand the breadth of your work, your...

You can how access the NHOC Book of Abstracts online at https://health.extension.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-NHOC-Abstracts-Greenville.pdf Dr. Roger Rennekamp mentioned that they are on the national health website at https://health.extension.org/ under the Activities tab in the paragraph about the National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference.

September is Suicide Prevention Month . If you suspect someone may be considering suicide, watch for signs such as substance abuse, frequent discussions about death, feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, impulsive or destructive behavior, changes in sleeping and eating habits, excessive shame or guilt, intense emotional swings, withdrawal from daily routines, unexplained disappearances, or changes in communication patterns. As a parent,...

National Recovery Month (Recovery Month), which started in 1989, is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible.- https://www.samhsa.gov/recovery-month What is your organization doing to observe National Recovery Month? In Wisconsin, we spreading the message of hope...

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Community of Practice (MHWB CoP) had a significant presence at the 2024 National Health Outreach Conference (NHOC) in Greenville, NC, held from May 13-15. Both presentations submitted were accepted and received strong engagement at the conference. A team comprising Jennifer Park-Mroch, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin Madison), Bobbie Jo Bensaid, M.A. (Mississippi State University), and Calandra Lindstadt, Ph.D. (Colorado State University), with assistance from...

As temperatures warm and calendars fill, one mental health strategy is to spend time in nature. Research has found that humans are wired to crave time in nature. Connecting with nature has been associated with decreases in perceived stress, decreases in negative emotions, and increases in positive emotions. Spending time in nature has also been shown to increase cognition, memory, creativity, and sleep quality. There are a variety of ways to increase nature time. Exercise is a wonderful...

Last month I had the opportunity to do a webinar for the Southern Ag Exchange Network on infusing stress education and stress management content in a range of agricultural settings. They recently posted the video, and I thought it might be useful to some folks. Sowing Support: Folding Stress Management Awareness into Agricultural Spaces . Southern Ag Exchange Network, North Carolina State University. Virtual. ...

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines Individual trauma as resulting from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual's functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being. (SAMHSA, 2022). Sundborg (2019) describes that the purpose of a trauma-informed care approach is to...

As concerns about mental health and substance use continue to rise, yet the challenges of navigating mental health treatment access persist, many workplaces want new or expanded resources to support their employees’ mental health and well-being. Employers increasingly recognize the impact that mental health and substance use can have on employee productivity, satisfaction, and retention, but also struggle to foster recovery-friendly workplace cultures. In a comprehensive needs assessment...

What does “mental health” mean to you? Is this different from “mental illness”? Some people also use the terms “mental flourishing”, “mental languishing”, “mental wellness”, and the list goes on. One step Extension professionals can use to reduce stigma and put the mental health conversation on the table is to clear up our understanding of terms. First, let’s consider “mental health”. This may make you think about depression, anxiety, or other common mental health struggles. Often when we...

I recently had a conversation with an official from an agency that educates, trains, and empowers blind and low vision individuals. We were discussing how to share the impact of two Mental Health First Aid courses that were offered to the staff at this agency. During the dialogue, this official shared that we must understand that most individuals who are blind or are low vision view this disability as a “random inconvenience.” I thought that was a very profound way to describe a disability...

Guest pot by Jane Schuchardt, Executive Director (ret.), Extension Committee on Organization and Policy What do you do when your handsome, talented, and accomplished son in his early 20s, one you thought you had a close relationship with, suddenly pulls away, acts in ways that seem out of the ordinary, causes you immense concern? Seek help — someone who will listen without judgment, skillfully take you down a path of discovering insights and ways of coping, and walk beside you to celebrate...

Well darn--I made a mistake scheduling this blog post so we missed the day: March 2nd is World Teen Mental Wellness Day. However, I have been trying to celebrate mistakes and not let good work go to waste over something small like a deadline. And now I know you have to hit "publish" to schedule your upcoming posts! Read on to learn about World Teen Mental Wellness Day...in preparation for next year! World Teen Mental Wellness Day was established in 2020 to bring awareness and attention to...

If you’re like me, you may spend your free time scrolling through social media whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit,… There are so many virtual portals that suck us in! That’s not a bad thing, but at some point, between always working and taking care of others, I’ve forgotten what I enjoy doing for fun! I also look for those quick brain boosts that don’t exactly fulfill me. When we are mentally satiated and releasing dopamine due to healthy and meaningful...

We are excited to announce a regionwide train-the-trainer workshop for the new curriculum, Taking Action Against Substance Use in Communities (TASC), funded by the North Central Cooperative Extension Association (NCCEA) and the Great Lakes Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Regional Center (ROTA-RC) . Please forward this announcement to NCR Extension professionals who may be interested in this opportunity! Are you working with communities that are struggling with addiction? Are you tired of...