myStrength helps employees to be psychologically fit

Brittany Federal’s life was turned upside down in May when she lost her home and all her possessions in a fire.

“I grew up in that house. It was my foundation,” she said. “After the fire it was difficult to cope day by day.”

She found herself feeling depressed and anxious. So she checked out the Christiana Care employee Wellness Website to search for resources. She found myStrength, which offers web-based and mobile self-help resources that empower users to be active partners in their journey to becoming psychologically and physically healthy.

“It’s easy to navigate and has lots of great techniques that people can use every day,” said Federal, a medical assistant in the Ambulatory Infusion Center.

When she opens the app on her smartphone, she touches the picture that best describes how she is feeling. She can access it whenever and wherever she wishes, “at home, work, in a restaurant, walking my dog, any time I need a little pick-me-up.”

Through myStrength she has learned effective relaxation techniques, such as taking 10 deep breaths.

“Or you can picture your annoyance floating up to the sky in a helium balloon,” she said.

Colleagues also are benefitting from myStrength — 95.2 percent of Christiana Care members reported they were either extremely satisfied or satisfied with their myStrength experience.

Here’s what employees had to say:

“MyStrength is there when I need it. I can go weeks without it but on the day that is hard, it is at my fingertips.”

“A place to go for help and guidance to cope with life’s challenges.”

“MyStrength reminds me to be positive and take one day at a time.”

The features that are most-often utilized are personalized articles, followed by inspirational images. Federal said the videos on myStrength provide her with the most help.

“The videos are really short, just a few minutes, which makes it convenient to watch them,” she said.

Today, Federal is renting a home with her mother, grandmother, sister and nephew while their house is being repaired. It’s still unsettling. But myStrength is helping her to get over the rough patches.

“I’ve learned positive ways to cope with my situation,” she says. “MyStrength is there on my phone, whenever I need it.”