ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This is the first of three articles that APG News and the Commander’s Ready & Resilient Council will share over the course of the month focusing on mental health and strategies to combat stressors.

The current pandemic, coupled with daily life stressors, has made mental health hygiene more important than ever for APG’s Warfighters, civilian workforce and the APG community. Engaging regularly in some form of self-care is critical for us all to remain ready and resilient during and post-pandemic.

APG’s Employee Assistance Program Manager, Jenise Bryce, has put together a couple tips and a quick way to take stock.

If your self-care techniques are not refined, stress will monopolize your space. Take time for you by doing things that make you feel good, but within the realm of rational and reason. Stress can be very deceptive and at times we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are ok, when in fact, we are not.

Let’s do an assessment: Do everyday chores feel like climbing a mountain? Do you feel like talking to your children is more of a chore than a pleasant interaction? When you communicate with your spouse do you feel like everything he/she is saying just grates on your nerves? Have you started to feel sluggish when you were once energetic and vibrant, and do you just feel foggy, in the brain, and having trouble capturing a logical thought? All these things are evidence of stress.

If you feel like it is a struggle to regain traction, contact Bryce at jenise.n.bryce.civ@mail.mil or 410-652-3892/410-278-5319 or Deborah Galimore at deborah.g.galimore.civ@mail.mil or 410-278-1716.

The Army Wellness Center at APG has provided a self-care checklist of activities to do to take care of yourself. Items include:

  • Eat three main meals
  • Go on a 24-hour social media detox
  • Find a quiet spot to meditate
  • Light an aromatic candle
  • Do a gratitude list
  • Practice deep breathing
  • Listen to good music
  • Exercise
  • Catch up with a friend
  • Visit a family member
  • Spend time outdoors
  • Have a mini-pamper session
  • Cuddle a pet
  • Try something new
  • Read a book

Call the AWC at 410-306-1024 to schedule a health coaching session centered around self-care.