Remember, We All Rise When We Lift Others...Keys to 

Wellbeing and Building Resilience in Ourselves and Others 

Michael Diller, PsyD 

Licensed Psychologist/Director 

WellSpan Employee Assistance Program 

WellSpan Well At Work, EAP 
WellSpan Health Recording Criteria 

No recording, copy or use of this presentation may occur without permission from 

WellSpan Health. 

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WellSpan Today 

• 20,000+ team members and 3,600 volunteers 

• 1,750 Physicians/Advanced Practice Providers 

• 220+ patient care locations 

• 8 hospitals 

• Regional behavioral health organization 

• Regional home health organizations 

• $256 million in community benefit 

$3.2

BILLION REVENUE 

$164

MILLION 

$1.5

BILLION 

$990

MILLION 

38%

INPATIENT REVENUE 

6%

OTHER AND NON OPERATING 

56%

OUTPATIENT REVENUE 

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Objectives 

• Attendees will be able to identify multiple lessons learned from the pandemic that will 

aid in supporting good mental health, with specific focus on the power of human 

connection 

• Attendees will be able to identify specific strategies in supporting the psychological 

and emotional wellbeing of self (first) and of their fellow coworkers 

• Attendees will have access to resources that lead to actionable steps in growing 

resilience and supporting good mental health 

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Where we are now, what have we 

learned...? 

Recognize A Chance to Connect and Reflect: 

• What have you learned about Where We Are yourself? 

• What surprised you? 

• What has been most helpful? 

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Navigating Challenges 

Fight Flight Freeze 

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The Sights and Sounds of Stress 

▪ What creates stress for you at work? 

▪ How do you know you are stressed? 

▪ How do you know others are stressed? 

 “Catching” your stress response. Intentionally paying 

attention to your body. 

 We can’t change what we don’t notice. Need to become 

more aware of what we are feeling at any given moment. 

 When these signs of discomfort/overwhelm are “caught”, 

consider it like a yellow light at an intersection. 

 They are a SIGNAL to slow down, to be aware and to be 

prepared to stop 

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Something to Hold On To... Embrace 

Viktor Frankl--- He wrote: 

“Everything can be taken from a 

[person] but one thing: the last of 

human freedoms — to choose 

one’s attitude in a given set of 

circumstances, to choose one’s 

own way.” 

• The opportunity to exercise that freedom 

is available to all of us — and it is key to 

finding a way forward in uncertain times. 

• FOCUS on What we have control over----

put our energy there... 

• ...opens the door for meaning to follow---

name the meaningful moments---David 

Kessler 

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The Power of Caring Curiosity... 

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How Will You Choose to Show Up? 

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Lessons learned and keys to not only supporting good mental health 

in the workplace, but creating a culture of caring and thriving: 

• Creating times to meet and connect with one another to check-in, not about goals and 

strategy, but simply asking questions about how they are really doing and asking how 

to be helpful. It speaks to the power of meaningful human connection 

• Leaders acknowledging the pain, challenge and difficulty with transparency— 

reassuring everyone that, together, the team will find a way through uncertain times 

• Leaders leading with kindness, compassion and empathy 

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Lessons learned and keys to not only supporting good mental health 

in the workplace, but creating a culture of caring and thriving: 

• Breaking down stigma by speaking openly about mental health and overall wellbeing 

and creating ongoing awareness of — and access to — tips and supportive resources 

• Encouraging employees to create time and space away from work, take their PTO, 

maintain an end-your-workday boundary and focus on positive self-care activities as 

self-care has been found to be at the foundation of growing resilience 

• Re-emphasizing the unified purpose of the organization which has been linked as a 

major contributor to overall happiness, satisfaction, and engagement at work 

• Inviting the voices of the employees to be shared and heard 

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Setting the Stage: What do we need? 

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The Tree: 9 Evidenced Based Resiliency Strategies 

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Burnout At Its Core.. 

From, Sexton, Bryan, Duke University, Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality 

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Burnout, Mental Health: Workplace 

Landscape 

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The One Thing—Do This... 

3GT---Dr. Bryan Sexton 

Bite Size WellBeing in Times of Uncertainty 

3 Good Things. Cultivate your uplifts: 

• http://bit.ly/start3gt 

| 2 minutes | 15 days |---12 months of benefit 

• 3 Good Things - YouTube. 

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Bite-sized well-being 

During Times of Uncertainty 

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Strategies for Wellbeing 

• Schedule time to eat 

• Practice mindfulness 

• Express gratitude 

• Do brief intermittent exercise 

• Request external support 

• Make time for your spirituality/faith 

• Hold 45-minute meetings 

• Assume positive intent 

• Encourage others to take care of themselves 

• Allow those you lead to take time to separate from work 

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Self-Care: Finding the Time 

Self-care does not have to be time consuming. As nice as it would be to take a 3-week vacation to a tropical island, most of us do not have 

the time or resources for that. Below are some tips for using the time you do have effectively. 

If you have 2 minutes If you have 5 minutes 

Take a few deep breathes Doodle Listen to music Have a cleansing cry 

Do some stretches Acknowledge one of your 

accomplishments 

Chat with a co-worker Sing out loud 

Daydream Say no to a new responsibility Jot down your dreams Step outside for fresh air 

Share a smile or laugh with a coworker Complement yourself Enjoy a healthy snack Check in with family/friends 

Look out the window Spend time with your pet Look at pictures of loved ones Send an email that has been nagging 

you. 

Let someone know that you may need 

some time to talk later in the day 

Leave a message or send an email to 

someone important to you, letting 

them know you are thinking of them 

Have a conversation with someone you 

don’t normally work with 

Schedule a team meeting 

Read or tell a good, appropriate joke Do an “Act of Kindness”, no matter 

how small or humble 

Straighten up your desk or work area Massage your forehead or hands 

Make coffee Sign up for a training opportunity Take a brisk walk to drop off something 

to another department 

Run in place, do some jumping jacks, 

or touch your toes 10 times 

Note a strength or quality you value in 

someone else and share it with them 

Suck on a peppermint or a stick of gum Think of three things for which you are 

grateful 

Take a spiritual break 

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Be Kind 

Kindness provides an affirmation that no matter how bad the situation, there are still 

caring people in the world. 

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people 

will never forget how you made them feel.” 

Maya Angelou 

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You Are Not Alone: Resources to Support You 

• Maintaining Good Mental Health: 

https://www.wellspanphilhaven.org/MaintainingGood-Mental-Health-during-the-CoronavirusPandemic 

• Mental Health is Health: 

• Home - Mental Health Is Health 

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You Are Not Alone: 

Resources to 

Support You 

• PR-1155_EndingYourWorkDayChecklist_8.5x11 (wellspaneap.org) 

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WellSpan Philhaven – Free Training

(within the WellSpan Footprint) 

See the schedule for upcoming Mental Health First Aid 

and QPR Suicide Prevention trainings: 

http://www.wellspanphilhaven.org/Education/-MentalHealth-First-Aid 

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• What will be different? 

• What will you embrace? Takeaways: 

• What will tomorrow be for you? 

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Questions? 

Thank you for joining me today! 

Remember, You Are Not Alone! 

Michael Diller, PsyD 

WellSpan EAP 

3421 Concord Road 

York, PA 17402 

P: 1-800-673-2514 

mdiller@wellspan.org 

www.WellSpan.org/EAP 

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