The holiday season can be a whirlwind, especially for educators who are juggling so many responsibilities. However, taking a break—no matter how small—can help refresh your mind and body. What are your go-to ways to find a moment of peace amidst the ...

As the year draws to a close and the holiday season is upon us, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible community that makes up Instructure—educators, parents, and students alike. You are the heart and soul of what we do, and it’s a priv...

Losing someone you care about is never easy. It doesn’t matter if they are a close family member or someone you’ve only known in passing. The pain is still deep. It can break up families, tear friendships apart, and leave an aching void in people’s l...

During the busy holiday season, it’s easy to focus on checking boxes—shopping, hosting, decorating, cooking, traveling! How can we shift our attention to making meaningful memories instead? What strategies help you stay fully present with loved ones,...

Thanks for sharing such a nice content. I truly believe that expressing our feelings is a great way to deal with it, specially in the difficult times.

Mental health is often viewed as a taboo subject in Latinx communities, where discussing emotions and personal struggles was discouraged for generations. Many of us, including my friends, family, and colleagues, grew up feeling that expressing our fe...

Thank you for sharing, @chriscas!

This is amazing @cms_hickss. Thank you for sharing.  What a great idea to meet people where they are. 

      At the University of Central Florida (UCF), the mental health and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff is very important. To assist with knowledge and access to the tools available from our UCF Cares Office (part of Student Success an...

As an employee at University of Michigan (Dearborn campus), I can attest to how important mental wellness overall is for all three of our campuses.  In addition to the resource @Renee_Carney linked to in the blog, Dearborn has some additional worksho...

The “Back to School” season often brings a wave of excitement and new beginnings, but it can also carry a heavy load of stress for both educators and learners. This year, with the added layer of an election season in the United States, the mental loa...

In a 2023 InstructureCast conversation, host Nicole Hiers, joined by Don Lourcey, Sarah Hawkins, and Elizabeth Lourcey, engaged in a candid conversation about the challenges of teacher burnout and the importance of prioritizing mental health in educa...

October was a significant month for mental health awareness, culminating in World Mental Health Day on October 10th. At Instructure, we believe in the power of prioritizing mental well-being, and we used our social media platforms throughout the mont...

The University of Wolverhampton is leading one of 18 UK national projects funded by the Office for Students. The project represents a partnership with the Students’ Union, Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Recovery College to develop, t...

In a 2023 episode of InstructureCast, Melissa Loble and Ryan Lufkin are joined by Texas A&M University's Dr. Jocelyn Widmer and student Ellie Richter to chat about how important mental health is and how technology can help support teachers and studen...

Every student has a story, whether they are a first-generation student navigating higher education alone or a working professional balancing a career and new studies. Each journey comes with its own set of hurdles. This is why institutions are focusi...

Thanks so much @ProfessorBeyrer, feel free to cast a rather wide net, we currently don't have a closing date on this. Hoping to have some results to report back here in a few months. 

This looks very interesting, @Ai , and I want to pass on this request for participation to my researchers and other faculty at my college. Can you share the deadline for expressing interest? That will help me determine how widely to cast my net.

Student mental health and well-being is one of the most pressing issues for higher education institutions nationwide. Studies have repeatedly found that emotional health challenges like stress, anxiety, and depression are the leading impediments to a...

It is with great gratitude that I am sharing this guest blog from our friends at Headspace. They have been so kind to share their passion and resources to support our mission in this Mental Wellness Hub. 

Headspace, renowned for its commitment to advancing mental healthcare, embarked on a transformative journey after merging with Ginger in October 2021. With a culture steeped in passion, hard work, and innovation, the team at Headspace set out to l...

Thanks so much, @james_whalley. Yes, we are only asking permission for access to pertinent instructor materials at this time. We are invested in respecting the privacy and integrity of individuals and their work.

@Ai This sounds like an awesome project! Just to verify before I go share this with some of our instructors, the ask for Phase 1 is just for access to academic materials through Canvas, yea? Is there anything else you would need of the faculty at thi...

tl:dr We are looking to partner with educators and researchers to test the effectiveness of a framework/tool to detect non-neutrality and expressions of unconscious bias in online academic discourse. This solution has the potential to reduce non-neut...

As we enter into Mental Health Week, I have been reflecting on a recent episode of EduCast3000 we recorded with Johanna Bjartmarsdottir, mental health advocate and founder of Harts. If you’re as passionate about mental health in education as I am, I ...

We want to ensure that our “Needs Assistance?” section in the Mental Wellness Hub includes as many helpful resources as possible. Do you know of any mental health hotlines, organizations, or support networks—either local or global—that should be adde...

Along the right-hand side of the Mental Wellness Hub, we’ve included a list of mental wellness observances from various countries. We know there are many more out there! What are some mental health awareness days, weeks, or months that are celebrated...

As the back-to-school season in North America kicks into high gear I want to take a moment to acknowledge the hectic pace and immense pressures you face as educators and administrators.  You are constantly navigating dozens of priorities, including m...