LyrArc Article Gist
The coronavirus variant surge has led to burnout for frontline medical workers in the US. It has been calamitous for the mental health of public health workers in the US. These are the data analysts, policy advisors and other workers in public health departments. Many have quit their job as reported here in The Guardian. A CDC survey of 26,000 public health workers in the US shows about half have problems of mental health. Public health workers have to face problems with elected officials as well as public resentment on issues such as vaccination.

LyrArc Article Gist
Estimates show one in five new mothers or about 800,000 mothers in America are experiencing anxiety disorders during the pregnancy or a year after giving birth. Mental health disorders are now the leading cause of maternal death, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The US is the only high income nation in the world without paid maternity leave and this increases risks of mental health. About one in four women return to work within 4 weeks of giving birth. This report shows the work done by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hills's Center for Women Mood Disorders, one of only 3 inpatient facilities for mental health in the US. 

LyrArc Article Gist
The new trend of work and wellness hotels is becoming popular so that busy workers in office jobs can get a chance to relax, do yoga and exercize, eat healthy, and get renergized for work. Employees working on projects who are getting burned out with endless hours get a break with a week continuing work but also having a few hours to devote to mental and physical health each day. Hotels are adapting to meet this demand with mindfulness and yoga-pilates classes, and healthy food. 

LyrArc Article Gist
The astonishing and strange case of wellness and productivity being linked to nicotine pouches for tech workers. It reflects on the condition of the so called "Tech" industry of today. Scientific and technological change was the basis of advanced economies since the 19th century, today's so called "Tech" has misappropriated the name for things like social media in the last 2 decades of American decline which have nothing to do with scientific advancement, and are piggybacking on existing technologies for products that actually harm education, mental health and building healthy societies.

LyrArc Article Gist
A more fundamental difference comes from health, mental health, worklife, wellbeing that are essential to healthy living. Taking care of one's health comes before everything because there is no quality of life without good health and well being. One can see this in the contrast of the styles of Carlos Tavares who is current CEO of Stellantis which includes Fiat Chrysler and the CEO of Fiat Chrysler Sergio Marchionne. Carlos Tavares comes across as an example of healthy living and healthy living practices at Stellantis, Marchionne and Elon Musk are a big contrast and appear not to care about practices essential for healthy living and healthy worklife. Proven over and over again and over time humility and respect for the dignity of others matters,Tavares and others like him leaders who have humility, respect the dignity of workers, listen to their managers, and support healthy worklife practices that enhance productivity, are the real role models for young people in business, in America and in the World. Media loves hype, yet for ordinary managers and workers in factories health and healthy living is what matters uppermost. It is also true for their children in how they choose their role models and for America as a Nation, the values the World respects America for and is willing for America take the lead. After the pandemic this is more true than ever.  ...

LyrArc Article Gist
This WSJ report looks at the toll on mental health of men during the pandemic.

LyrArc Article Gist
A survey published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows mental health related ER visits from 2011 to 2020 rose from 4.8 million to 7.5 million. The proportion of ER visits for mental health issues rose from 7.7 percent to 13.1 percent. Insufficient treatment options and availability of preventative care is leading families to seek help in emergency rooms. The JAMA paper's conclusion: "A dedicated national commitment will be needed to address the gaps."

LyrArc Article Gist
Effects on mental health of the lockdowns in China for covid and personal stories of despair and helplessness.

LyrArc Article Gist
In his speech at the Labour party conference Keir Starmer wll put mental health as Labour's key pitch to voters. Starmer will say that a Labour government will take note of the mental health crisis after Covid and make mental health treatment available to anyone who needs it within a month, and create drop-in mental health hubs for children and young people. This is Starmer's first in person address to Labour's party conference.

Labour believes the mounting fuel crisis with most petrol stations out of gasoline is creating concerns about Boris Johnson's ability to tackle Britain's problems after Covid pandemic. Referring to Boris Johnson's plea for motorists not to fill cars unless necessary, Starmer will try to contrast the challenges facing Britain after the pandemic with the chaotic approach of Boris Johnson. 

LyrArc Article Gist
 A English school teacher at Middle College High School in South Los Angeles, says it gives her close to a livable wage, in this report on Los Angeles school teachers. Before she did other part time jobs including as an Instacart worker, not an healthy situation for students or teachers created by two decades of neglect of school teachers and education during the tech era of Silicon Valley in California's largest city. A settlement is reached in the Los Angeles Unified School District strike with a pay increase of 21% over 3 years, covering 35,000 schoolteachers.  The agreement includes a $20,000 pay increase for nurses, mental health workers, counselors and special education teachers. It reduces class sizes by 2 students, which creates more teaching positions per campus, as well as additional mental health services and counselors. The trade union serving 30,000 members, including bus drivers, janitors and teaching assistants, also reached an agreement after a brief strike. Overall this provides 42,000 students in the school district a better environment for studies after the pandemic.   ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Washington Post's Tara Parker Pope who runs its Wellbeing Section offers important tips on restful breaks and rest activities that perform an essential restorative function for people. Restorative activites include taking a walk breaking off from routines of work, a cultural concept Feierabend in German of breaking off work at a set time, so that one can recharge mental and physical batteries. Science supports this- that during these restorative hours the brain is in the Default Network Network and active. Active rest means disconnecting from tasks say experts and this is why the concept of Feirabend or closing time, finishing time, end of work is very important for resting the mind and rejuvenating. This means rethink long days, to be productive throw in periods of rest, Feierabend, microbreaks, frequent vacation breaks of 8-10 days, every bit helps to be productive and to be healthy and strong in mental+ physical health.

LyrArc Article Gist
This amazing story about Bend Oregon is a reminder of the mental health crisis that lurks behind the homelessness crisis in America's cities. It is also most unusual because it is about the Mayor of Bend, Oregon, grandson of the mayor of Bend, Oregon then a timber capital in the 1900's, who is a public defender attorney, and finds himself at at a homeless shelter in 2023 in the city he built, the result of mental health issues. He reconciles with two daughters before his death after periods of isolation from his family and ending up in a homeless tent on city streets. At one point he had helped turn Bend into a tourist destination pushing up average home prices to $800,000 to protect residents when timber demand dropped. He finds himself unable to afford a home in this very same town after his mental illness and losing his job.

LyrArc Article Gist
A poll showing 70% of boys and girls 16-17 years of age are missing school from mental health problems. After covid girls are exposed to an explosion of online pornography, and had more exposure to screen time and social media than would be useful for young people. The problem is acute for girls where one third say they "suffer from anxiety."

LyrArc Article Gist
The effects of loss of caregivers, grandparents, on the mental health of American children, is shown in this report in The Guardian. A similar situation exists in other countries, and will have long term effects.

LyrArc Article Gist
What will the workplace of the future look like? What has happened during the pandemic that will change the way we look at work and life? These questions are answered in this WSJ report. There will be a greater mix of people of all ages, it says, as people live and work longer. Companies competing for workers will offer travel, sabbaticals, parental care, and flexibility for remote work around the world depending on an employee's needs and preferences. Some software firms already offer 60 days of remote work overseas, as travel is seen as broadening and good for mental health. Meditation, mindfulness, mental health assistance are seen as part of services companies will give employees.

LyrArc Article Gist
During the latter period of the pandemic midsized companies encouraged workers to take minivacations to avoid burnout from excessive hours of work in the pandemic environment. These companies found that happier workers were more productive workers. In 2024 workers are continuing to protect their mental health following the pandemic by adding mini vacations using the opportunities to work remotely. Workers are doing this across the workplace for all ages because this saves their official vacation days and because vacation days are scarce. Only 15 days after working 5 years and 18 days after working 10 years, these vacation days are precious for mental health and for medical situations in the family, and for essential time off work to rejuvenate.

LyrArc Article Gist
Why self compassion is so important not just for mental health, but also for resilience and success.

LyrArc Article Gist
Mental health is no longer an issue during the pandemic and its aftermath just for a few. It has assumed a mainstream character. Here in this NYT report one finds the Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy, describe his problems with mental health. To create an awareness among the public that it is important to pay attention to what may be lost in a overly large focus on work or business, ignoring the social signals whose importance may not be realized till much later. As Surgeon General he says he simply focused on work and did not pay attention to the simple social interactions that help one relate to other people, and knowing about other people's lives that add a new dimension to living.  In Lyrarc during the pandemic we described the German mental health practice of Feierabend of consciously breaking away from work- especially remote work that lacks preset boundaries- so that by 5 or 6 pm one just calls it a day. At that point going out for a bike ride or walk or some activity in the outdoors that helps revive mind and spirit in ways that keep good health. It also prepares one for the next day's activity, to be able to approach it feeling refreshed and invigorated. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Salad company Sweetgreen supports Naomi Osaka as she draws attention to mental health issues. During the pandemic large parts of the population in countries such as the UK are known to be affected by mental health issues. The NHS, other agencies are tackling this and providing help.

LyrArc Article Gist
The runup to Intenational Yoga Day on June 21, 2021.  Pictures of Yoga Practice in wonderful outdoor settings in places all over the world from the Ministry of External Affairs, India. India Post issues a cancellation stamp for Yoga Day. The United Nations supports yoga practice as a way to promote physical health and mental health during the pandemic. Much remains to be done to bring yoga practice to people in India and around the world. The tremendous neglect of physical and mental health during the last three decades, in nutrition, eating habits, in exercize, has led to rising obesity and resulting diseases. The benfits of modern medicine and technological advances in medicine have largely been lost due to  poor habits of nutrition and exercize. Yoga and other forms of exercize including walking and cycling are an excellent way to get back to living in the proper way.

LyrArc Article Gist
In the first 6 months of 2020 about 21 million jobs were lost in the U.S., followed by a recovery following reopening with a third of the jobs regained by July 2020. Women and black people were disproportionately hit by job loss during the pandemic. Hispanics were hit the hardest but also recovered faster.

As the lockdowns dragged on in June, mental health, vaccinations  getting treatment for health conditions, and economic well being, became major objectives. This was accomplished through better incorporation of better practice such as social distancing and face coverings, ventilation, and healthy living practices including food, as more people went back to work. Bars and large gatherings remained a particularly vexing problem, with sports now being played in empty stadiums for television audiences. Offices were completely redesigned to be safe places for work and public transport featured empty seats.

LyrArc Article Gist
One survey in 2021 shows that about 73% of workers in all age groups are feeling burnout since the pandemic started says this BBC report on Work Life. The situation is the worst for young workers in their twenties who have the least work capital and the most work. For these Generation Z workers the burnout rate is higher at 80%. This presents a huge problem for mental health. Across all age groups volume of work is up over 50% with the highest for young inexperienced workers who are pushed to the limit, working late hours and not able to say no. 

This situation shows that so much has happened during the pandemic that mental health is a major priority in 2022 and beyond.

 

LyrArc Article Gist
Efforts in Utah by Governor Cox to limit the damage to children's mental health from overuse and addiction to social media outlets including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Utah governor Cox says in answer to the question why now, the better question is why didn't we do this 5 years ago. "If this was child cancer or car accidents we would be losing our minds about this," he says. New laws in Utah would put time restrictions and give parents access to messages and posts. Utah and other states will file lawsuits to make tech companies accountable. The CDC found 3 in 5 American adolescent girls had mental health issues in 2021, this has increased every year since 2011.

LyrArc Article Gist
The Cass Commission of the National Health Service in Britain looked at the serious risks to health of children and mental health of parents from transgender medical activities.

The Cass Commission in Britain of the National Health Service NHS has raised serious concerns about transgender medicine and its impact on the health of young people. Parents across the US and in European countries are very seriously worried about the impact on their children creating a great deal of stress, coming so soon after the pandemic when elder care caused much distress.

LyrArc Article Gist
A survey of 2000 workers by Prudential shows about 25% of workers plan to look for a better job after the pandemic, and 38% say challenges with work-life balance are a reason for them to change jobs. This is a trend seen also in labor statistics as there is a mismatch between jobs offered and jobs people are seeking in the job market in US and other countries, with job seekers looking for stability and work-life balance, and making physical and mental health a priority. This WSJ report shows how women are handling this challenge. It says it is not enough to go by a company's online policies one has to look deeper. Look for people in the know, look for clues in the interview, have a clear idea of what is important to you- flexible schedule, family friendly benefits. WSJ gives names of sites that can help provide more information- Mom's Project, InHerSight, Glassdoor, List Your Leave, Working Mother. Look for onsite child care center, fitness facilities, does company do followup emails at night, do employees appear frazzled, stressed or disorganized? Connect into alumni and other professional networks for clues and patterns at companies. Also says WSJ experts cited here employers will appreciate your asking the question early rather than later. Questions such as "does a firm promote associates with alternative work schedules" are normal questions to ask. ...