Caring for your mental health does not have to mean adding one more complicated task to an already full day. Often, the most supportive practices are small, intentional habits you can return to regularly: pausing to breathe, reflecting on the day, reaching out to a caring person, or using trusted resources when life feels heavy. 

There is a wealth of available information on mental health and well-being strategies, but this can make it hard to know which resources might work the best for you. To help you get started, you are invited to review some recommendations from the mental health experts at the Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office (FASCCO) and the Michigan Medicine Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience (OCWR). 

These recommendations come from many years of experience working with staff and faculty. The mental health teams share practical strategies, daily reminders, and favorite resources to support emotional well-being and encourage small actions that can make a meaningful difference.

Jill Castro, PsyD, LP, Senior Faculty and Staff Counselor, FASCCO

• Balance self-care with community care.  

  • “While self-care and community care are both important and focused on well-being, self-care tends to get a lot more air time,” says Jill. “Self-care typically focuses on individual preservation, while community care shifts the focus outward, acknowledging that it's very difficult to heal in isolation. This summer, I would encourage folks to think about new ways they could show up for their community, as well as ways they could lean on their community for support.”

• Connect with community. Some ideas include:

  • Getting involved in mutual aid efforts

  • Volunteering with organizations in need

  • Building or joining a childcare network

  • Sharing skills with others

  • Participating in a neighborhood cleanup

  • Helping create or maintain a community garden

• Consider joining a supportive group

  • FASCCO offers a number of support groups for campus staff and faculty, and there are many local and virtual support groups available as well. Jill shares, “One of my favorite parts of my job is helping folks connect to their community in ways that are beneficial and fulfilling for them.”

Jillian Dronfield, LMSW, Assistant Director, OCWR

• Book recommendation: When Life Hits Hard: How to Transcend Grief, Crisis, and Loss with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, by Russ Harris. 

  • One of Jillian’s favorite book resources can be helpful for navigating life’s challenges. “It’s a quick read with many strategies on dealing with big emotions,” shares Jillian.

• Explore the Insight Timer app.

  • This free app has a wide variety of meditations with a timer option for silent meditation, as well as various free challenges offered throughout the year. Additional courses can be accessed through their premium subscription. Content is also available for sleep, yoga and movement, and much more.

Jodie Eckleberry-Hunt, PhD, ABPP, Program Manager for Workplace Resilience and Well-Being, OCWR

• Try expressive writing or journaling, especially before bed. 

  • There is growing evidence connecting expressive writing with improved health and well-being. A simple evening reflection can help process the day and quiet the mind before sleep. Learn more about the science of expressive writing with this YouTube podcast interview with James Pennebaker, Ph.D.

• Consider using prompts for reflection and to guide your writing, such as:

  • What happened today?

  • How do I feel about it?

  • What feels undone? What do I want to do about it?

  • What concerns me about tomorrow? What do I want to do about it?

  • What did I accomplish today? What makes me proud?

• Book recommendation: The Precious Present, by Spencer Johnson. 

  • “This is an incredibly simple and incredibly complex book that is my absolute favorite,” says Jodie. “It is about a 10 minute read the first time through, but you can read it over and over and over and continue to understand more deeply. This is a fictional story that you come to understand describes the importance of mindful presence in your own life. People consistently tell me that this book is transformative, particularly because it is not an intellectual read.”

• Explore free mindfulness and acceptance-based resources.

  • The ACT Mindfully website includes short videos, worksheets, and accessible tools for understanding complex emotional and mindfulness concepts. In particular, check out the “Free Stuff” section of the site.

Denise L. Ervin, DNP, RN, NC-BC, Nurse Leader for Resilience and Wellbeing, OCWR

• Use intentional breathing to calm the nervous system.  

  • A simple breathing strategy can be useful for regulating and calming the nervous system: intentionally make your exhale twice as long as your inhale. This can help create a sense of calm during stressful moments.

• Pair breathing with routine tasks. 

  • As a frontline nurse, Denise shares that she practiced this technique during routine tasks such as preparing medications, sitting down to chart, washing hands, responding to a beeping IV pump, or supporting an anxious patient. “These brief moments of intentional breathing helped create small pauses, allowing me to reset, stay present, and maintain a sense of calm even during the busiest shifts.”

• Practice until it becomes a habit.

  • Denise reflects that she found that if she “could cultivate this practice in the midst of a busy, high-stress healthcare environment, then I could use it to calm myself anywhere. Over time, it became a simple yet powerful tool that I could access whenever I needed to regain focus, presence, and composure.”

Alexander Jendrusina, PhD, Faculty and Staff Counselor, FASCCO

• Practice awareness of thoughts.

  • A core principle from cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is that our thoughts are not always facts. Remember that you do not have to believe everything your mind tells you. Taking a moment to notice the thought creates space to respond differently.

• Notice unhelpful thoughts when they show up – and try a more compassionate response.

  • “It's easy to go from one thought to the next without examining whether what we are telling ourselves is fair, healthy, or productive,” says Alexander. “I like to encourage people to ‘push back’ against unhelpful thoughts and channel how they support close family members or friends. Whereas we might experience thoughts like ‘I failed at work today,’ we wouldn't say to a loved one, ‘You failed at work today.’ So why say it to ourselves? Instead, respond to your unhelpful thoughts as you would respond to a loved one with those thoughts – with compassion, kindness, and challenging unfair statements.”

Tom Waldecker, MSW, ACSW, Director, FASCCO

• Try the free Healthy Minds Program app. 

  • The Healthy Minds Program app is a free smartphone app that focuses on helping individuals build well-being through mindfulness practices, a sense of purpose, emotional balance, and stronger connections.

• Book recommendation: The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. 

  • Tom recommends principles from The Four Agreements, a widely read book that offers simple but powerful guidance for daily life. In particular, Tom highlights the agreement of Don't Make Assumptions, “as that is a common practice that many of us make. Often, I remind individuals to ask clarifying questions and not make assumptions on incomplete information.” This simple practice can improve communication, reduce conflict, and support healthier relationships.

Need More Support? We’re Here for You

If you’d like to learn more about mental health services or are interested in support, counselors are available at no charge to you for confidential services. If you work on an academic campus, reach out to the Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office (FASCCO) at 734-936-8660 or via email at [email protected]. If you work at Michigan Medicine, reach out to the Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience (OCWR) by calling 734-763-5409 or sending an email to [email protected].