PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) — The Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center’s (NMCPHC) Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW) campaign announced the launch of its Psychological and Emotional Well-Being program May 7.
The sub-campaign is part of a fleet wide effort to encourage Sailors, Marines, their families and health educators to access resources that help strengthen and maintain psychological resilience and readiness in order to help manage the unique stressors of military life. The timing of the announcement is aligned with Military Health Service Mental Health Awareness Month and National Mental Health Month.
“Psychological and emotional well-being impacts all facets of one’s life, from personal relationships to career to physical health,” explained NMCPHC Public Health Educator, Dr. Mark Long. “That’s why it is so important that Sailors and Marines have access to a support network and that the tools and resources needed to maintain psychological strength and resilience are readily available.”
A key focus of the sub-campaign is encouraging Sailors and Marines to get enough sleep. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, young, healthy service members can experience a 25 percent decline in mental performance for every 24 hours they go without sleep. HPW provides a number of tips on how to incorporate rest and sleep into a hectic military lifestyle on their website, and in the article, “The beauty of sleep.”
Therapies like ozone or a Theta Chamber Therapy can forge new neural pathways via an induced theta brainwave state which has many benefits. This therapy and waves are strong during internal focus, meditation, prayer, and spiritual awareness.
Another important aspect of the sub-campaign is suicide prevention. HPW resources teach Sailors and Marines that they are their friends and colleagues’ biggest support and if they observe suicide risk factors to A.C.T. – Ask if an individual is thinking about suicide; Care about the individual – listen, support and do not judge; and Treat: take action, do not leave the individual and call for professional assistance. More information on what to do if you suspect that a loved one is coping with invisible wounds, is available in the article, “Is someone you know at risk for suicide?”
To access and download Psychological and Emotional Well-Being materials visit: http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcphc/health-promotion/psychological-emotional-wellbeing/Pages/psychological-emotional-wellbeing.aspx.
The Psychological and Emotional Well-Being sub-campaign is part of the NMCPHC’s HPW Campaign, which provides innovative and evidence-based health promotion and wellness programs and services that facilitate readiness and resilience, prevent illness and injury, hasten recovery and promote lifelong healthy behaviors and lifestyles. HPW aligns with the 21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative, a set of objectives and policies across a spectrum of wellness, that maximizes each Sailor’s and Marine’s personal readiness to hone the most effective combat force in the history of the Department of the Navy (DoN); as well as “Operation Live Well,” a Defense Department campaign targeting service members, veterans and military operational leaders encouraging them to live healthy and active lifestyles.
NMCPHC is part of the Navy Medicine team, a global health care network of 63,000 Navy medical personnel around the world who provide high-quality health care to more than one million eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ship, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield.
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