Mental Health Matters
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year we showed our support in a variety of ways, including a group Soundbath event (thanks, YouTube!) and a group share of our favorite books, films, and podcasts that focus on mental health issues.
While promoting and preserving the wellbeing of our team is always a priority, the particular challenges brought about during the past year have made it all the more important to take care of ourselves, and one another.
When our Employee Resource Group started discussing how to celebrate Mental Health Awareness at Athletics, two of our core values — humanity and positivity — continued to come up. Our team members’ minds are our greatest asset, so supporting mental health must be at the heart of everything we do.
Humanity
We are committed to creating a culture that is safe and inclusive, where our team can be themselves, and feel secure in the knowledge that any personal challenges they face will be met with compassion, not stigma.
Positivity
We know that by cultivating good habits in the workplace, and creating a warm and positive atmosphere, we will set the stage for our team, and by extension our clients, to thrive.
To cap off the month, we asked our team to share what they do in their lives to cultivate good mental health, and the results reminded us just how important it is to make time for creativity, rest, and self-care.
Jaime Patino-Calvo, Interactive Designer
“Always set time aside to work on personal work, either painting or drawing, I find it very meditative for me.”
Alexa Aron, Director of Finance and Operations
“Sitting in the sun and soaking up as much Vitamin D as I can. Preferably on a beach in the summer (shoutout to the Rockaways!), but sunshine is my tonic year round.”
Katherine Lee, Executive Strategy Director
“Workouts keep me grounded.”
Kristen Ord, Account Director
“CYCLING!”
Lorraine Kim, Resource Manager
“A good ol’ catnap cuddled up with my cats. Their purrs and furry bodies are so soothing.”
Jason Gnewikow, Creative Director
“Meditation, sleep, dancing (in normal times!)”
Kathryn Farwell, Senior Project Manager
“Call a friend.”
Zander Abranowicz, Senior Strategist
“Movement! Humans are designed to move, and despite no longer being hunter-gatherers, movement remains our most powerful tool for survival.”
Triana Thompson, Designer
“I’ve started reading in the park over lunch which has been a nice reset during the day. And weekly therapy helps too.”
Allison Connell, Design Director
“I definitely use cooking dinner after work as a mental reset; it helps clear away anything that came up during the day and makes for some good off-screen time.”