Topics in Mental Health
Creating a sustainable culture of mental health and wellbeing is a top priority at the University of Iowa. As part of this effort, university experts provide insight and guidance into the many aspects of how to integrate work and life so we can best care for ourselves while also caring for others.
Overcoming Stigma Around Mental Health
Friday, April 7, 2023
After the birth of my third child, I found myself bursting into tears for no reason and I had no energy. I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and responded well to medication. When I told one of my fellow family practice physicians how much better I was feeling, he quickly hushed me and told me I shouldn’t let people know I had been treated for depression. I was stunned. As physicians, we know depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and is treatable with medication.
Healthy Vulnerability in the Workplace
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
The pace of work sometimes demands we function at 110%, juggling multiple high-stakes projects and priorities, all with unflappable composure
Feeling busy? Create healthy routines using habit science
Monday, March 20, 2023
In 2022, my husband and I became first-time parents. While we were overwhelmed with joy and excitement when welcoming our son into the world, we learned quickly that we were not immune to the juggling act of being full-time working parents.
Grit and Taxes
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Successful people find areas of interest, develop those interests into a passion, and keep going despite inevitable setbacks.
I am Here to Listen: Empathy Over Judgment
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Empathy has no script. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It's simply listening, holding safe space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of “you are not alone.”
A Lesson from the Macbride Nature Recreation Area
Monday, February 20, 2023
I grew up visiting Iowa’s field campus, the Macbride Nature Recreation Area (MNRA), home to my earliest memories of exploring outdoors. It is the place with the “little house” in the forest, in which my sister and I would peer out the window at the bird feeders, counting the songbirds and making up names for each one we saw.
Bouncing Back as a Leader
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
As a college dean who began my position on March 1, 2020, and then closed all in-person activities 13 days later, I’m often asked to comment on the topic of resiliency. Resiliency is the ability to recover from traumatic or cumulative stresses. Early research on resilience emphasized the role of genetics – as in “some people are just born resilient.” However, more recent research shows that some people become more resilient over their lifetimes – suggesting that there are things we can all do to bounce back more quickly and effectively.
I See You
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Dr. Scott Peck writes in his book, The Road Less Traveled: “Life can be difficult. Scratch that. Life is difficult.”
It Makes Me So Mad: Managing Upset in the Workplace
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Workplaces can be like families and neighbors in that we typically do not get to pick who is a part of these groups. Often these relationships work marvelously and sometimes they can be difficult, stressful, and even contentious.
Strategies for Coping and Thriving Through Adversity
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
As I reflect on my experiences working in health care over the last few years, I can’t help but think of the exhaustion the staff at University of Iowa Health Care has felt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through witnessing that exhaustion, I have gained an even greater sense of pride and appreciation for health care workers around the world.
Pagination