May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we want all Ames team members to have resources at their fingertips to help themselves, each other, and their families when facing a mental health challenge. These tools will help you to support each other, understand stress management, recognize warning signs, and practice self-care.
We especially want to highlight Ames’ Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This benefit is available to all Ames team members and their immediate families.
- User ID: ameseap
- Password: construction
Call us, toll-free 888-267-8126
En Español 800-346-8126
Learn more about Ames’ EAP and access many other resources on Ames’ Mental Health Resource Page.
Support
Ames team members should feel safe and confident when asking for help and when supporting each other. By staying connected, we will continue to achieve great things as a company.
Resources
Construction Safety Week provides resources for mental health, addiction recovery, and suicide prevention, many of which are tailored to our industry.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call, text, or chat 988 to be connected.
Text the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) to connect with a volunteer crisis counselor. Free 24/7 support is at your fingertips.
Stress Management
People in the construction industry are particularly vulnerable to mental health struggles—we may spend long periods of time away from family and friends, suffer chronic pain from work-related injuries, and experience high levels of stress because of deadlines and other project complexities. Understanding stress management is a key factor in protecting yourself.
Resources
Mental Health America (MHA) has stress resources including information on the physical and mental effects of stress, tips for reduction and controlling stress, and treatments.
Find additional resources on stress management at HelpGuide.org.
Warning Signs
Helping a person struggling with a mental health illness is not easy, but you don’t need to be a professional to offer support. We want to be sure that all of our team members have the tools to recognize the warning signs when a person is struggling with mental illness.
Resources
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers suggestions for recognizing the signs, starting a conversation, and directing a person to professional help:
Self Care
Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical and mental health. Self-care helps you cope with stress and foster resiliency.
Healthy living habits essential for overall well-being include:
- eating a balanced diet
- engaging in regular physical activity
- getting enough sleep
- managing stress
- avoiding harmful habits such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
