Caring for Your Mental Health: A Round-up of Content from Plantae Fellows for Mental Health Awareness Month

When discussing mental health, the conversation is often paired with comments to break the stigma—the negative or discriminatory attitudes associated with mental illness. Yet, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 adults in the US experience mental illness each year, with 50% of mental illness symptoms appearing by age 14. Indeed, mental illness affects friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, classmates, and more. In academia, job insecurity and the ever-increasing high expectations of the academic system contribute to researchers experiencing even more pronounced mental health struggles.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, ASPB’s Plantae has compiled the many articles, webinars, and insights from Plantae Fellows of this year and years past on working toward balance, practicing self-care, and finding help.

• Plantae Presents: Importance of Self-care and Community Care
• Dealing with Health Anxiety in the Lab: A Short Guide
• Happy Life, Happy Science
• How Researchers Handle Work-Life Balance
• Transitioning in the lab
• The Art of Academic Mentorship
• Benefits Of Collaborative Research
• Setting Up A New Lab: PI Perspectives

If you feel you’re struggling with your mental health, consider these resources:

• Thrive Lifeline: A text-based crisis line staffed by people in STEMM with marginalized identities.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine: Available Monday Through Friday, 10 A.M. – 10 P.M. ET.