On an early May evening this year in Portland, Maine, a radical art exhibition quietly opened on the edges of the city. It was called I Am More: Facing Stigma and featured life-size black and white photographs of 22 people from the wider community. There were artists, doctors, real estate agents, high school students, mental…
This article originally appeared in Human Resource Executive in the summer of 2017 — we’re reposting it as May is both Disability Insurance Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. This column is not the one I planned for you to read today. A computer-system update gone wrong drove me to write a new post…
Working Americans are spending a lot of time behind the wheel. The U.S. Census reports that in 2016 the average American commute was 26 minutes each way. That’s nearly an hour a day on the road, five hours a week, 20 hours a month. What effect does all this time in the driver’s seat have…
It’s the final stretch of winter for people in the northern parts of the U.S., and while the light-filled days of spring are closer, a significant number of people in your workforce may still be struggling with seasonal affective disorder. The American Psychiatric Association reports that approximately five percent of Americans suffer from seasonal affective disorder…
Winter is in full-swing, which has many people excited to either hit the slopes or hunker down for the next few months. While the dead of winter is a great time for reflection, it can also lead to burnout for even the most productive employees. Between the cold weather, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and short…
It’s a new year, a new beginning. We’re feeling refreshed after a season of holiday cheer and celebrating with family and friends. Maybe some of us ate and drank a little too much. And maybe we spent our entire year-end bonus on presents that the kids are already tired of playing with. But we all…
While the North Pole’s most famous resident may work hard to keep up his jolly weight, with a steady intake of full-fat milk and cookies, many Americans go into the holiday season dreading the inevitable weight gain and planning their return to the gym in January. And even though research conducted by Cornell University has…
We all know what it is to feel tired. Maybe it’s from a long day at work, or staying out late to catch up with an old friend, or your three year old who decided 5:00am was a good time to wake you. Whatever the reason, we’ve all suffered through a day or two while…
Depression, while often hiding in plain sight, ranks among the top three workplace problems for employee assistance professionals, resulting in 3% of total short-term disability days. For context, that’s more disability than what’s caused by heart disease, hypertension and diabetes—all in the form of an illness that isn’t nearly as visible as a broken bone.…
If you’re in front of a computer or smart phone reading this, you’re clearly doing a poor job of celebrating National Take A Hike Day! Established by the American Hiking Society, Take a Hike day aims to encourage families, friends, and individuals to get away from their routines and experience nature while improving health. The…
