We were thrilled to welcome Doctor Andrea “Drea” Letamendi for a conversation on well-being for Mental Health Awareness Month!
In honour of Mental Health Awareness Month, our global teams took part in Ask An Expert: A Conversation with Well-Being Strategist Doctor Andrea “Drea” Letamendi to discuss mental health in the workplace.
Joining us from the UCLA Resilience Center, Dr. Drea Letamendi discussed the importance of health consciousness, the practice of paying attention and responding to one’s well being. Especially important during periods of uncertainty and transition, health consciousness can help transform stress into success, and ultimately foster positive experiences, enhanced resilience and greater work enjoyment.
Dr. Drea shared several strategies to nurture health consciousness, including:
- THE HEAD, HEART & HUSTLE METHOD
This involves tactics to take control of our state of mind (ex. using positive thinking, “offloading” difficult thoughts through journaling, exercising, practising mindfulness), tend to our emotional and healing needs (ex. practising self-compassion, connecting with others, treating ourselves with kindness) and re-energize ourselves (ex. reflecting on personal values, seeking mentorship, connecting to our purpose). - MANAGING STRESS AND BURNOUT
This can be done through setting a consistent routine in daily life, taking digital detoxes, and practising common humanity through connection with others. - IDENTIFYING BARRIERS
Look inside to find your own personal ‘kryptonite’ — in other words, something that prevents you from reaching your goals (i.e. perfectionism and performance anxiety, giving up when faced with a struggle, or fear of failure). Once identified, this tactic involves examining the root cause of your barrier and beginning to overcome it. - ACCESSING SUPPORTIVE SERVICES
Services such as Employee Resource Groups, Employee Assistance Program & HR teams can be great resources to support you at work.
A licensed clinical psychologist based in Los Angeles, Dr. Drea Letamendi has eleven years of field experience in implementation psychology. specializing in organizational well-being strategies, mental health education and advocacy, trauma and PTSD, loneliness, depression and anxiety, suicide prevention and crisis response, multicultural diversity and inclusion, anti-racism and allyship, and psychological resiliency. Dr. Drea is the interim director for the UCLA Resilience Center, whose work has been featured in The L.A. Times, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, CNN.com, BBC News, and Psychology Today.
The session was moderated by DNEG’s very own Philipp Wolf, Executive-In-Charge, Corporate Strategy and producer of Reignite Yourself – Instruments to Face Daily Life, a free five-part webinar series focusing on supporting mental health within the VFX industry. Doctor Drea even featured in the first episode of Reignite Yourself as a panellist!
Focusing on and understanding mental health is a lifelong journey for all of us to continue improving our wellbeing. Thank you to Doctor Drea for guiding us in this discussion!
To find out more about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at DNEG, and our commitment to creating a safe and inclusive workplace where we invest in continuous improvement and allyship, click here.