Mental Health and Well-Being Stories
The University of Iowa aims to create a sustainable culture of holistic well-being and success. Discover people and perspectives that help us care for ourselves and each other as we integrate study, work, and life. For additional articles on mental health and well-being, read University Counseling Service's news.

Emotion and Stress Do Not Equal Distress and Crisis
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
When we experience a colleague, student, friend, ourselves, or anyone else who is “upset,” we can jump quickly to "this person needs help.” When someone experiences upset emotions, it is important to differentiate along the continuum between stress and crisis.

A Case for Gratitude
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
I’ve read these articles before. “Times are tough. Focus on the positive. You'll get though, you always do.” Sure, it might be a winning argument because those who don’t aren’t going to argue with you. But I didn’t think that was the message we needed, and it wasn’t the message I needed.

The Power of Conversation: When Talk Turns Tough
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
Having a conversation with confidence and a clear understanding of what was said and shared is familiar; yet when following up, confusion and uncertainty can exist. We might say or hear, “That’s not what you said,” or “I did what we discussed,” or “That’s not true.”

Connection is Key in Moving Forward Post pandemic
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic ripped apart all sense of normalcy for many people. Data shows a rise in addictive behaviors since March 2020 as people saw drastic increases in stress and isolation. Stress and isolation are risk factors for increased alcohol consumption, other substance use, and maladaptive coping, such as other process addictions, which include eating or shopping. The brain seeks pleasure from the chemical dopamine that is produced through connection and enjoyable things, but in the absence of positive stimuli, the brain seeks out pleasure, including alcohol or other substances.

Fostering Veteran Community
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
As a member of the Air National Guard, a student at the University of Iowa, and someone who works in the area of veteran support, I have seen first-hand the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on our veteran and military-connected (VMC) community. While no two people’s experiences of the pandemic have been the same, one defining feature that lockdown had on the VMC community was loss.

Burnout: Disturbance and Succession
Monday, April 11, 2022
Disturbances alter the state and trajectory of an ecosystem and can shape ecosystem dynamics long into the future. This is particularly the case for disturbances that are large, severe, and infrequent that capture the public attention and challenge our understanding of an ecosystem. I see the disturbance of the COVID-19 pandemic creating similar damage and challenges to our human ecosystem. This disturbance has been large, severe, and infrequent.

Reframing Focusing on the Positive
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Practicing positivity can lower stress, improve physical health, yield healthier relationships, and more. I am drawn to books, articles, and podcasts that provide practical strategies for reframing my outlook and perceptions in ways that support my wellness and healthy relationships with others. There is no shortage of strategies. Strategies such as these worked for me at various life stages—until March 2020.

Grace and Patience
Monday, March 21, 2022
Grace, the experience of gifts freely given, is ever present; it’s the body breathing, and the heart beating, it is seeing, tasting, smelling, touching, and feeling (emotion), thinking, and it is language and speech, listening, laughter, kindness, generosity and gratitude, and it is the awareness that knows in and through all these and more. “Resting” in grace requires patience, the ability to stay and attend long enough to receive and savor what has been freely given.

Revive Meaning in Work with Mindful Actions, Attitudes
Monday, March 7, 2022
Our success at work is often measured by metrics of productivity and efficiency, with working faster, longer, and harder sometimes presumed to be their own reward. Work also can be entangled with status judgments, in which our answer to, “What do you do?” brings a loaded assessment of our importance by another’s standards. Our work is not only about what we do or how fast we do it. It is also about who we are and choose to be. It is about the deep meaningfulness of our individual stories, values, and self-understanding.
Pagination