Manage Your Mental Health

May 5, 2025
|In Article
|By Jess Webb

Throughout my career coaching CEO’s and executives, around the world, one of the most fascinating learnings I’ve had is how mental health can change so quickly, and in ways that people don’t see coming.

We are all just one or two life events way away from a mental health crisis. It’s like nobody can survive two or three head shots from a boxer like Mike Tyson.

When we break a bone, we go to the ER and get somebody to fix it. And when we break our brain or spirit, we need to go to the mental health version of the ER which is a therapist or psychologist.

It’s easy to slip into that red zone of mental health. And, this year, amidst all the chaos around us in the world, I’ve noticed I am drawing on very specific tools and techniques to manage my mental health.

Mental Health Month in the US, May 2025

Mental Health Week in Canada, May 5 to 11, 2025

So, I’d like to share with you some resources, in case you or anyone you know needs help:

  1. Mental Health Continuum. This model is very helpful to assess how you and those around you are doing, and an indication of what you could do. For example, the yellow zone is an early warning, the orange zone means you need to double-down on your resilience rituals and book an appointment with a professional, and the red zone means you need more serious help, now, to get you through.

2. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). Using the ALGEE model (Assess, Listen, Give reassurance and information, Encourage appropriate professional help, and Empower with self-help strategies) MHFA provides practical, step-by-step guidance about what to do if you or someone else are having a mental health crisis. Learn more about ALGEE in action here and how to talk to your team about burnout here.

3. Here’s a story about “John”, a CEO who generously offered to tell the story of his debilitating burnout so that others may recognize themselves and get help, sooner than later.

4. Here is an interview with a CEO Michael Wendland, who was very willing to share the story of the close call with his mental health. When he reached out to me for help with a challenge in his business, it was clear he was also in crisis.

5. Mental Health Associations. Many mental health associations, around the world, provide free, 24-hour crisis support, 365 days of the year and mental health education.

In Canada & the US:

Call the 9-8-8 hotline for mental health & suicide prevention support.

6. Many companies offer access to free counseling through employee assistance programs. Although the companies know how much usage these programs get, they know none of the details, so confidentiality is ensured.

7. Your Oxygen Mask First. I wrote this book to help leaders to not just survive but thrive in leadership and in life that includes managing their mental health. Check out these chapters for practical tools:

8. And here’s the webinar version of my mental health/resilience keynote, which I’ve delivered more than 100 times.

The Challenge

  • What might you do to strengthen your own mental health?
  • Who do you know who could use some additional support now?

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