WELLNESS CORNER: May 1 ushers in National Mental Health Month focus

  • Published
  • By Dr. (Capt.) Emily Young
  • 75th MDG/Mental Health
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  May is National Mental Health month. The Hill Air Force Base Mental Health Clinic encourages you to step back for a moment and evaluate your own mental health: How is your stress level, what are your moods often like (e.g., happy, sad, angry, irritable, excited, anxious, discouraged), and how are you functioning at work, in your social roles, and in your relationships with friends, family, and significant others? The more situational awareness you have about how you are doing mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually, the better you will be able to recognize when you need to make some changes in your life or seek assistance.

With spring here, there are longer hours of sunlight and an excitement in the air for many, in anticipation of the approaching summer. However, for some, stress continues to run high at this time of year, either from continued high operations tempo, financial difficulties, deployment strain, family conflicts, illness and medical problems or other upsetting events. Stress is not always considered a "bad" thing. In fact, to a certain extent, if we are feeling a certain amount of stress or pressure, we often can perform more effectively. However, when that stress level rises too much, our performance and functioning in life degrades. Having an increased level of awareness regarding our stress level can help us monitor and manage it effectively.

When feeling stressed, people often engage in some kind of behavior to help them deal with the stress. There are certain behaviors that can help us to manage stress in a healthy manner and there are behaviors people use to deal with stress that are damaging to their health or psychological functioning. Unhealthy behaviors that could worsen your situation include: poor dietary choices, smoking, drinking alcohol, using drugs, complaining, inactivity or taking your frustration out on others. Effective and healthy stress management behaviors include: exercise, healthy diet, appropriate sleep, seeking support from others, relaxation techniques, keeping things in perspective, setting and sticking to routines, problem solving, helping others and asking for help.

For some, chronic elevated stress can cause health problems, concentration problems, sleep disturbances, depression/anxiety, relationship break-down or otherwise impair functioning in an important life area. It is important to catch problems early, as problems are easier to resolve the earlier they are caught. If you would like some assistance in managing your stress or improving your functioning in life, there are many services available. The Health and Wellness Center (HAWC), Airman and Family Readiness Center (A&FRC) and Civilian Health Prevention Services (CHPS) offer stress management classes and programs. The Mental Health Clinic, Employee Assistance Program and Occupational Medicine Services offer individual and marital counseling for personal and work-related problems. Having good personal situation awareness, managing stress effectively and being good Wingmen will help to strengthen us as individuals and as an Air Force community. Additional helping resources are listed below.

Resources

Many helping resources are available, including the following:

All: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (TALK); www.realwarriors.net.

Active duty: Mental Health Clinic, (801) 777-7909; TriWest Live Chat Counseling, 1888-TRIWEST or www.triwest.com/OnlineCare.

Active duty and dependents: Chaplain, (801) 777-2106; Airman and Family Readiness Center, (801) 777-4681; Military OneSource, 1 (800) 342-9647; Military Family Life Consultant (MFLC), (801) 586-8582.

All TriCare beneficiaries: TriWest crisis line, 1 (866) 284-3743.

Civilians with TriCare benefits: TriWest Behavioral Health Contact Center, 1 (866) 651-4970.

Civilians without TriCare benefits: Wingman Advocates, 777-CALL (2255); Employee Assistance Program, 1 (800) 222-0364; Occupational Medicine Services, (801) 777-1155 or (801) 777-1163; Civilian Health Promotion Services, (801) 586-9584.