Mental Health

This session will provide attendees with relevant and practical knowledge on how we approach the issue of mental health, why it is imperative to check in consistently, and what strategies can be employed to help address and mitigate issues that might negatively impact us both personally and professionally. 

Learn tips and tricks for interviewing within your organization to advance your career and set yourself on the path to career success!

Do you ever feel a constant war between the demands of work and home? If you do, you are not alone. Part of the problem is that technology has separated the boundaries between work and home. Employers expect their employees to be reachable outside of the office. With work happening more and more outside of the office, it is not easy to separate the two. The effects of burnout are real and impacts organizations, reducing employee productivity, and retention. There is no right way to address work-life balance for yourself. Each person is different and requires different ways to build a healthy balance. For me I try to prioritize wellness both mentally and physically. Each day I take a few moments to check in with myself and become aware of how I am feeling; improving my mental wellness. I make exercising, eating healthy, and getting enough sleep a priority. When you take care of your body, it takes care of you. One of the most important things, for me, is to take my PTO. There have been many years that I lost my PTO time due to me not taking it, and I felt the burnout. Taking time away from work is very important. Take the vacation! When your job takes more and more of your time and energy it can lead to burnout, and it is hard to find a way out. Finding a work-life balance might take some trial and error, but the reward will be incredible once you figure out what works for you. Varena Harding, CAPP, is a Project Manager for Central Parking Systems. Varena can be reached at vharding@municipalparking.com.

Like most of the world today, we are challenged to do our best to stay healthy and safe. Many people take special precautions through medicinal interventions, while supplementing their health with vitamins, a good healthy diet, and good old fashion exercise. These are great ways to stay and maintain your health, but I have recently discovered the fascinating world of Arts and Medicine. I never really thought about how positive and influential the arts could be on one’s health. After diving further into the topic, I learned that the world of the arts, whether that is dance, music, or painting, can have very therapeutic benefits. In fact, a number of different studies in the Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care and Frontiers in Psychology have shown the benefits of simply looking at art. This has inspired some hospitals to add art to their rooms and doctors to prescribe non-medicinal artistic therapies. These unconventional therapies have proven to be very helpful for those with anxiety, stress, and mental health conditions. So as a friendly reminder be sure to wash your hands frequently, take your supplements, eat a healthy diet, take a daily walk, and take a trip to your local art museum or have a solo dance party to release those endorphins. Shontel Zamora, MPA, is a Budget Analyst for California State University at San Bernardino. Shontel can be reached at szamora@csusb.edu.

Suicide Mitigation on Parking Garages

Suicide deterrence is important both from a moral standpoint and also to minimize trauma to parking professionals and other witnesses or bystanders. If a suicide or attempted suicide does occur in one of our garages, how do we handle the situation? IPMI has gathered information from a number of experts as well as members of the parking industry itself, with the goal of providing assistance, direction, and resources.

Embrace the Confidence to Take a Chance on Yourself

Normalizing & Encouraging Mental Health Discussion Among Male Employees

Hold Space for Gratitude

A Foundation for Innovation

Mitigating suicides in parking facilities is a continuing topic of interest. While people may be struggling and in pain with mental health issues to the point where they may consider suicide, but still exhibit few outward signs of their distress. Research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that suicide rates rose by 25 percent across the country from 1999 to 2016, and 45,000 Americans age 10 or older died by suicide in 2016. In more than half of all deaths, the people had no known mental health conditions. Experts say people are likely to scout convenient locations when they are considering suicide. That’s when parking garages and facilities become part of the concern.

Increased awareness and education may save lives and reduce trauma (Alexandria, Va., May 18, 2016) – Suicide has surged to the highest levels in nearly 30 years, according to a recent report by the National Center for Health StatisticsWhile only about two percent of the estimated 43,000 suicides each year Read More »