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MindWise Staff Picks: Favorite Mental Health Digital Resources

VPPPA has partnered with the experts at MindWise Innovations to present a monthly article addressing issues and questions that members might be hesitant to ask about. These columns will address your concerns about mental health, substance abuse, brain injuries, family issues, and more. 

By: Nicole Scherr, MindWise Innovations

Your life is rooted in the digital world, and it’s time to bring your mental health game there, too. For Mental Health Awareness Month, our staff has curated a knowledge base of our most-loved digital mental health resources: apps, blog posts, podcasts, and more to bring help bring meaningful and mindful mental health support systems to your fingertips.


Featured Resource: Zillion’s RestoreResilience
Okay, we’re a little biased – but only because we know how great our partner Zillion’s RestoreResilience program truly is. RestoreResilience is an always-available support program that focuses on stress and anxiety, with additional health content in the areas of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Through personalized 1:1 coaching and an easy-to-use mobile app, members learn how to cultivate positivity, remain present in their daily life, manage emotional or mindless eating, and more. There’s truly no better resource for your wellbeing than one that is personalized for you. Learn more about RestoreResilience here.

Our Favorite Blog Posts for Mental Health Month

The E’s/Ease of a Positive Work Environment
What makes a workplace a good place to work? Check out this blog post to learn how leading using a framework of Safety, Predictability, and Control can help create an office culture of encouragement, empathy, and empowerment.

How to Say the Right Thing to Someone Struggling
Whether it’s a friend or colleague, family member or employee, finding the right words to say to someone struggling with their behavioral health may seem challenging. Focus on the emotion behind your words – acknowledging what someone is feeling and showing that you care can make a tremendous difference. Learn more about what to say – and not to say – to someone experiencing depression and other mental health conditions here.

Greening your Behavioral Health
Looking for creative ways to improve your well-being, promote resiliency, and practice self-care? Spend twenty minutes outside in nature to help reduce stress hormone levels. Or if you’re unable to experience the outdoors firsthand, try WindowSwap to travel somewhere new without leaving your home or office. Learn more about the potential of “eco-therapy” in this blog post.

Behavioral Health in Tech: The Unintended Impact of a Risk-Taking Culture
For employers, the key to encouraging whole body well-being – physical and behavioral health and resiliency to respond to stressors affecting both – is fostering a culture of psychological safety. Using the tech industry as an example, this blog post looks at why businesses should invest in employees’ mental health, what signs indicate that a team members needs support, and how psychological safety can help.

Behavioral Health at Any Age: No One Needs to Struggle Alone
Older adults struggling with their behavioral health often go undiagnosed. The myth that developing depression or other mental health conditions is a normal, inevitable part of aging is compounded by a failure to recognize some symptoms of mental illness that are unique to older adults; taken together this leads to a “treatment gap.” Learn more in this MindWise guest blog for Healthy Minds Philly.

Meditation Apps

Mood Tracking and Journaling Apps

Positive Thinking Apps

Mindful Focus Apps 

Podcasts

Positive Social Media Accounts

Jacqueline "Jackie" Annis is an industrial hygienist with the Office of Partnerships and Recognition, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs in OSHA’s National Office.  Jackie’s primary responsibilities include developing and overseeing internal policies and procedures for the VPP, reviewing VPP on-site evaluation reports for process safety management information, serving as the National Office liaison for two of OSHA’s ten Regions, and facilitating the management of OSHA’s National Strategic Partnership Program.  She is an integral part of OSHA’s National Office team. 

She has served with the Agency for 36 years, including five years as a senior industrial hygienist in OSHA’s Office of Health Enforcement, Directorate of Enforcement Programs in the National Office and 17 years as a compliance safety and health officer in the Denver, CO Area Office.  Prior to her tenure at OSHA, Jackie worked as an industrial hygienist for the Department of the Navy in Alameda, California.  Jackie obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA in 1983.

Wayne Howard earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Davis and has spent 12 years with Shell (at Martinez) refinery, 3 years with the consulting firm Process Safety, 15 years with Valero (at Benicia), and the last 10 years in the Corporate Process Safety Department. He is the Valero representative to AFPM's Advancing Process Safety Initiative.

Nathan Obaugh, PE is a senior engineer in the Safety and Operational Excellence Group at NuStar Energy. Nathan has over 10 years of PSM and process design experience in the petrochemical, refining and midstream industries. At NuStar, Nathan oversees all elements of the corporate PSM program and works directly on hazard analysis, process safety studies, PSM/RMP audits and provides process engineering support to the operations and capital projects groups.

Jared Teter, PhD is a senior staff scientist with a background in physics and hazards analysis. He has extensive experience in subscale testing of energetic materials and has served as program manager for several large testing and risk management projects. He has applied engineering and risk management protocols while evaluating the risk associated with propellant and explosives manufacturing, combustible dust, and other hazardous material related processes.

Tim Belitz has a degree in Environmental Health/Industrial Hygiene from Old Dominion University and a Master’s from Duke University. He has over 25 years of Industrial Health Safety and Environmental Experience and is a Certified Safety Professional. He has many years focused on Contractor Management and Process Safety programs.

Rob Walker graduated from Virginia Tech in Microbiology and Chemical Engineering. Rob has almost 35 years of experience working in the chemical plant and refining industry. His passion for Process Safety and Mechanical Integrity began very early in his career. Rob began with his current company, Honeywell, back in 2011.

Prasad Joshi has B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Chemical Engineering from two universities in India. Prasad has over 30 years’ experience in the business. He began with Honeywell in May 2022 as Principal Maintenance Engineer. He has worked internationally in Asia and Europe.