Committed to the mental resilience of its people, Accenture partnered with Thrive Global to create Thriving Mind, a cutting-edge mental well-being experience based on Stanford Medicine’s renowned Precision Health approach. In this five-part series, Accenture Mental Health and Well-being “Role Models” from around the globe open up about how they prioritize their well-being, and how Thriving Mind has improved their approach to managing stress.
Thrive Global: What are the things that stress you out?
Hanna Kelley: I get stressed when I’m facing a time-sensitive deadline, or am working on something high-profile that requires a sense of urgency. I also get stressed when I have back-to-back meetings and barely have time to eat lunch.
TG: What are the signs that you’re starting to reach your breaking point?
HK: When things start to fall through the cracks and people have to follow up with me in order for me to get something done. That’s the moment when I identify with the Rumination biotype: I get stuck thinking about how I have messed up and could have managed my time differently. I already knew I was prone to these ruminative thought patterns because of my O.C.D. and anxiety disorder, but Thriving Mind helped me see that rumination is more common than I thought.
TG: What steps do you take to recharge your mental batteries?
HK: I spend time with my cats and husband, and make sure I carve at least a little bit of time out of each day to listen to my favorite band. They all help me ground myself in what’s important to me at the end of the day.
TG: Have you shared any of your learnings from Thriving Mind with loved ones? What have you shared?
HK: I shared Thriving Mind with a friend of mine who is getting their degree in social work, and they in turn shared it with other members of their program. I thought the whole program could be beneficial for that population to know about.
TG: What surprised you most about your Thriving Mind experience?
HK: I was surprised to see how much Thriving Mind lined up with what I have been working on in my one-on-one sessions with my therapist. We have done a lot of work around mindfulness and the power of breath, as well as how upstream changes can have a big impact. I was happy to see that this insight was available to anyone taking the Thriving Mind course, regardless of whether or not they had access to a therapist.
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For more on the importance of mental well-being in the workplace, check out this conversation between Thrive Global’s Arianna Huffington and Accenture’s Chief Leadership and Human Resources Office Ellyn Shook.