U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Teams Up With Mindfulness Company Calm to Address Mental Health Support
- The “Mindfulness Tools” series, available from Dec. 1, includes five sessions around relatable themes, including, easing holiday stress, and anxiety.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has teamed up with popular mindfulness company Calm on a series of free wellness offerings designed to give people some mental health support. The “Mindfulness Tools” series, available from Dec. 1 on Calm and YouTube and includes five sessions around relatable themes, including, easing holiday stress, combating loneliness, navigating hectic days, and dealing with uncertainty, change, and negativity in the world, as reported by Fortune.
Murthy hopes these sessions “will give people some tools to care for their own mental health and that they’ll help people find some peace and some respite during difficult and hectic times,” he told Fortune. The Indian American, who has long been warning Americans about the nation’s worsening mental health, noted the need to increase access to mental health care. “We have to address some of the deeper drivers of unhealthy stress in our lives including in our workplaces. But we also need to create tools that help people manage stress when it does arise.”
This October, he released a new Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace outlining the foundational role that workplaces should play in promoting the health and well-being of workers and our communities. As reports of “quiet quitting” and the Great Resignation have shown, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the nature of work for many and the relationship that some workers have with their jobs.
Giving his example, Murthy told Fortune that during his service as the surgeon general during the Obama administration, he did “a rather poor job” of making sure that he was investing in his own mental health and well-being. “That took a toll on my work, but it also took a toll on my life outside of work.”
So this time, he has set up some practices to head off burnout, including regular exercise. Additionally, he has a nighttime routine that helps him end the day on a positive note.“Sometimes just a couple of minutes spent in silence or guided meditation or in reflection can help us access [peace],” he says. “They are simple tools that help people relax and reflect and center themselves.”