A&F’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and HRS’ Launch Your Life host interactive event.
Recently, the Administration and Finance (A&F) Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hosted "Your Mental Health Matters: Flourish in Life and Work," an interactive session led by Martin Lattman, a local motivational speaker, author, former CEO, and wellness coach. The two-hour event was co-sponsored by Human Resource Services' Launch Your Life program and the A&F DEI Office and received 70 reservations. It’s the first of an ongoing series of WISER Together events focused on helping A&F employees put the Guiding Principles into action in their home and professional lives.
The interactive session focused on the idea of languishing, defined by Lattman as a state that doesn’t quite meet the definition(s) of either depression or burnout, but that can have a negative impact on one’s life. The goal was providing attendees with practical strategies to move toward flourishing in both work and life.
Working collaboratively, Lattman and the attendees defined languishing as “a sense of stagnation and emptiness” that is devoid of joy and purpose. On the opposite side of that spectrum is flourishing, a state in which individuals are growing, thriving, and prospering.
Lattman told the audience that with so much chaos swirling around society, it’s easy to take your mental health for granted. But just as the body needs to be tended to in order to function at a high level, the mind also needs to be actively tended to in order to function at a high level.
He spent the rest of the session offering concrete advice on how each individual can take preemptive steps to manage their own mental health. Some of the ideas included setting two-, five- and 10-year goals, keeping a gratitude journal, and maintaining a balance among work, family, friends, self-care, fun, and giving back. He encouraged everyone to set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timebound) goals and to take some risks in finding new ways to challenge yourself.
A Broad Scope of Mental Health Resources
In addition to the session with the speaker, the program presented attendees with access to a wide array of mental health resources. These included resources for finding a therapist, information about the UMB Launch Your Life (mental and physical) wellness programs, accessing addiction and recovery resources through the Tuerk House, the UMB Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and suicide and crisis lifelines.
“When we surveyed the DEI Committee members on topics that were of interest to them, mental health was a prominent, reoccurring topic,” said Monique Bucknor, program management specialist, DEI office. “Mental well-being is a topic that touches everyone's lives. At some point, we all have experienced, or know someone who has experienced, stress, burnout, or general feelings of being unwell. By normalizing conversations about mental health in the workplace, we can create a safe and supportive environment where people feel comfortable sharing their real experiences. This openness is essential for fostering positive change and growth.”
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and included “Thank you for putting on such a wonderful event. I didn’t know how much I needed it!” and “Best presentation and topic relevancy in a long time.” A virtual session is in the works to reach anyone who was unable to attend the session in person. You can sign up for the virtual session by emailing Nicole Palmore at nicole.palmore@umaryland.edu.
For immediate mental health support, the 988 hotline offers live personal assistance through calls or texts. Additionally, SAMHSA provides a wealth of educational resources and contact information for local mental health agencies. People can contact the EAP, a confidential third-party service that assists with a wide range of mental health and life needs, and the Launch Your Life program, which supports faculty and staff by providing holistic wellness and stress-relief opportunities. Lastly, the doors of the A&F DEI Office, located in the Saratoga Building, are always open for personalize support and guidance.