Throughout the year, mental health is a huge priority and focus at NextRoll. And during Mental Health Awareness Month in May, we go the extra mile to provide events and resources to highlight all the ways Rollers can support their wellbeing.

Mental Health Awareness Month started in 1949, but today is more acknowledged than ever – as our emotional and mental well-being has arguably never been more challenged or more critical to our lives. 

This year, RollAble – our Employee Resource Group (ERG) for Rollers who experience mental or physical health challenges and allies – hosted a series of activities to help Rollers start creating space, prioritizing mental health, and “doing right by yourself” – this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month theme.

“Our hope is that there is something here for everyone throughout the month,” said Lizzie Chapman, VP of Partnerships. “It’s only by creating, sharing, and talking about resources that support a better understanding of mental health and how to manage it can we truly advance our efforts and care for ourselves.”

Here’s a glimpse into what we offered to Rollers during Mental Health Awareness Month:

RollAble Book Club 

The RollAble ERG hosted a book club and discussion around the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. The book summarizes several decades of research into the nature of trauma. It exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal and offers new hope for reclaiming lives. The group hosted discussion sessions at the end of each week to hear reactions from and learn from their peers.

Modern Health Roller Panel 

On May 11th, RollAble hosted an hour-long discussion panel to showcase the benefits of the Modern Health app. A Modern Health rep joined us to educate attendees about the resources and information available through the app. Rollers have free access to the Modern Health app, which includes six therapy sessions and six coaching sessions every year. It’s just one NextRoll benefit that focuses on mental health. In addition, Rollers have free access to the Calm app all year long. 

RollAble Sleep and Journal Seven-Day Challenge

In the fast-paced tech industry, it's vital to remind our teams – and let’s be honest, ourselves – that sleep is as important to our health as eating, drinking, and breathing. And while journaling is known to reduce stress, improve memories, boost mood, and strengthen emotional function – it’s sometimes easy to forget that or not make enough time for the task. That’s why RollAble challenged Rollers to sleep at least seven hours a night and journal daily for seven days. The winner, Mary Wu, Director of Business Systems, received a Whoop, a wearable health tracker, to keep tracking sleep and physical health. Overall 22 Rollers participated, and four additional Rollers – Kerrie Wong, Lisa Marks, Rachel Bates, and Kayvon Moradi – all achieved the challenge! They received journals from RollAble to maintain their sleep and journaling habits.

More Ways to Recharge

In addition to all the programming above, we hosted a variety of other events in May to help Rollers to recharge their brains, bodies, and hearts. RollWell, our initiative focused on improving Rollers’ health throughout the year, hosted its Monthly Mindfulness session led by David Perls on May 9th. RollAble rounded out the month with its Monthly Gratuities on May 26th, just ahead of our first half-day Friday Recharge Day! 

Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to a close, but our focus on mental health is not. We’ll still have many resources, events, and activities focused on improving the well-being of Rollers throughout the year! Learn more about our people-focused culture at NextRoll.