Mental Health Month at Curley Company

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and the COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted the importance of mental health and managing stress, anxiety and depression in new ways. Spending more time at home, experiencing more stressful situations and socializing less have all taken their toll on us. 

To help raise awareness, I interviewed some of my Curley Company team members to learn about what they do to focus on their mental health and how they have learned to balance and prioritize their mental health while juggling their busy careers.

Activities and Practices

When it comes to finding activities that help my mental health, I enjoy going to workout classes, getting extra sleep and spending time chatting with family and friends – but everyone is different! 

After talking to my Curley team members, I heard about how they like to focus on their mental health, with everything from yoga, meditation, working out and spending time outside to a few others that were more unique! while others are more unique.

“I focus on my mental health by making sure I take time to do things I enjoy,” shared Jessica Sklar, Account Manager. For Jess, these activities include knitting, hiking, and practicing yoga. Meanwhile, Senior Media Strategist Amanda Crane said that she tries to go outside and get some sun each day, and Digital Vice President Tina Anthony said that she works out every morning. 

Prioritizing Mental Health

No matter what mindfulness activities you choose to take part in, a common theme I heard from all my coworkers is the importance of prioritizing your mental health. Curley Company President and CEO, Jennifer Curley, shared, “I think it has to be a priority. You have to decide that it’s important, and we learned it the hard way this year.” 

Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone has had to personally learn how to fit their mental health activities into a busy and stressful schedule. Tina agreed with Jennifer, saying, “It’s something that you might not even realize that you need to prioritize until you do.”

Work-Life Balance

Even before the pandemic hit, finding a good balance between work and personal life was challenging, and now more than ever, doing so needs to be a conscious process. Amanda shared, “Since we all have been working from home for so long, it’s easy to feel like the hours in a day all blend together or feel like there is no separation from work and life. I think that finding balance through creating those boundaries is important to maintaining a healthy schedule. I like to find ways to break up my day so I am able to take some time to decompress, like taking a walk or listening to a podcast to help lessen my screentime.” 

If any team members are ever struggling to find this balance, Jennifer encourages them to be open about these issues and seek out help. “My advice for my team is to ask for what you need and be open about what you need,” she said. “There is no stigma to it. This is important – it’s as important as your physical health.”

Curley Company

Thankfully, working at Curley Company makes it manageable to both thrive in our careers and manage our mental health effectively. Curley’s values encourage us to treat each other as we want to be treated, and one way in which our supervisors do this for us is through offering unlimited paid time off.

“I love that Curley Company encourages us to take time off after busy seasons because it’s nice to take a break from work and find time to recharge,” Amanda shared. Jennifer explained further, “We love that our team works so hard and shows up to be present when they’re working, but I do expect that they’re going to take the time they need to live their best life outside of work as well.”

Additionally, the Curley Culture Committee does a great job of sharing resources and planning events for the team. Jess, one of the committee leaders, explained, “We’re working hard to not only remind employees of the benefits that Curley offers, such as free subscriptions to meditation apps, but we’re also working with the Senior Leadership Team to identify more opportunities to let everyone know that, as a company, we care about mental health and want to give everyone the chance to rest and recharge.”

Mental health may not always be at the top of your “to-do” list for the day, but this month and always, taking the time you need to help yourself should be a priority. Tina said, “I know from Curley’s perspective, the expectation is to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves,” and no matter where you work, everyone should seek out a way to find a sense of balance and calm that works best for them.