Burnout

Burnout

The term “burnout” is term that was first coined in 1974 by Herbert Fruedenberger, in his book, “Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement” burnout has been referred to as an “unintentional end point” for certain individuals who are exposed to chronic stress within their working environment. This can leave individuals feeling like they have no control over the quality of services and work that they provide. They can often times have feelings of inequity or lack of respect. These feelings usually have a gradual onset where one can go from feeling like you are making a difference to where one is feeling that their efforts don’t make a difference.

Christmas at the Woods

Christmas at the Woods

Another year has come to an end, bringing with it the holiday season. A season that so many people look forward to. Here at Sprucewoods, we start getting ready for Christmas right after Thanksgiving. Staff and residents get into the holiday spirit and start decorating the building inside and out. We have many different decorations that have become tradition at Sprucewoods. Many of them have been donated by staff or their families to help make the residents’ Christmas bright. There is a tree for each apartment and the residents have fun trimming them by hanging lights, ornaments, and putting their names on the stockings. As the festivity of the season’s Christmas lights shine through winter’s early dark nights, we reminisce of years past, make presents for family and friends, and the clients who enjoy baking make cookies and treats for our annual Christmas party.

Small Talk Isn’t Just Small Talk

Small Talk Isn’t Just Small Talk

Many of us, including myself, sometimes roll our eyes at the idea of small talk. Maybe it’s because of the disingenuous pleasantries, the trivial topics, or the triteness of the whole affair. Or maybe it’s having to answer ‘pretty good’ when someone asks about your day, even if you feel like pulling your hair out. Or maybe it’s because talk is cheap, as they say. But what if there is more to it than all that? Below are some of the unspoken messages that potentially can underlie small talk.

Keeping Yourself Spooktacular this Holiday Season

Keeping Yourself Spooktacular this Holiday Season

As the holiday’s approach we are filled with a sense of urgency. Urgency to plan, attend, craft, decorate; the list is never ending. As Lisa Dean likes to state we begin to function in “fragments of time.” This is your friendly reminder to slow down, enjoy the pumpkin spice or apple cider. Breathe in the change of seasons and embrace what that change of “seasons” looks like in your life.

September - Suicide Awareness Prevention Month

September - Suicide Awareness Prevention Month

Every year, since 2014, I have been involved in a dart tournament and silent auction that is focused on Suicide Awareness. We lost a family friend to suicide. While it is important for everyone to be aware of suicide, I also think it is important to know how everyone can help with the prevention of suicide.

No matter a person’s age, gender or background, suicide can affect anyone.

Fall is Upon Us

Fall is Upon Us

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons - SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you're like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Less often, SAD can cause depression in the spring or early summer.

The Importance of Being LGBTQI+ Informed in Mental Healthcare

The Importance of Being LGBTQI+ Informed in Mental Healthcare

The residents of Willow Haven give the staff ideas of topics they would like to learn about as staff prepare for person centered groups and one on one encounters. Topics asked for recently by our residents, gender and pronouns, have apt timing because the summer months are often marked with Pride celebrations throughout the United States. As a member of the LGBTQI+ community myself, I could write copious blog posts about this topic, and the myriad of connections which tie it to mental health. While I cannot address it all in one blog post, my hope is something I say will knock on the doors of your curiosity—and you might open your heart to visiting with this topic for the first time or revisiting for an umpteenth time.

National Pollinator Month

National Pollinator Month

Spring has sprung! With the change in season, we are seeing trees returning to their green splendor and flowers that add pops of color to our landscape. Did you know that pollinators such as butterflies, moths, flies, birds, bats, and bees use the nectar in these blooms as their first foods, which in turn helps the plant cycles continue? To encourage people to protect pollinators and to honor their important work, National Pollinator Week was established in 2007 by the US Senate with the Pollinator Partnership under Laurie Davies Adams. It has since grown into a month-long international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services that pollinators provide to the plants and in turn, to us. It encourages people to protect the pollinators by providing them with the right environment.

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Thrive Behavioral Network, LLC, St. Cloud, MN 56303

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