Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 17th
Wellness & Well-being Highlights
for the
Week of November 17, 2025
This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at the impact of a Military Vet’s incarceration—to how teens stepped in to fill the Mental Health needs of peers after DC’s cuts—to the concept of food as medicine.
This week I would like to discuss the impact of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) on our Vets. I approach this topic initially from a historical perspective via the first article. Wherein, Stahl takes a closer look at the ‘invisible’ scars left by WWII.[1] This made me reflect…as I recalled speaking to a 72 yo friend of mine a few years ago. He told me how it only recently dawned on him why the father of the family next door was so ‘tough’ on his kids. Why? Mostly because due to the returning service members from Vietnam, it was not until 1980 that PTSD was recognized as a diagnosis. Many of us—who had family members that served in WWII—may recall the term shell-shocked.
From a contemporary standpoint, women service members are quickly growing in numbers. However, being the minority, they are often overlooked or misunderstood. Due to gender-related discrimination, women are sometimes excluded from a variety of military roles which can negatively impact their sense of belonging and result in mental health challenges.[2] Furthermore, nearly 40% of women Vets (vs <4% for men) have experienced MST (Military Sexual Trauma). In a system where reporting seems futile, these survivors often feel a sense of institutional betrayal.
To me, as a +40-year construction professional, the latter story sounds all too familiar. In fact, this past Friday, I attended a funeral of a former pre-apprentice. A female trades-worker who was killed in an act of domestic violence. With 1 in 4 women being subjected to domestic violence, we must seek solutions to protect and prevent our mothers, sisters, and children from harm.[3] EACH one of us has a duty to become active bystanders who are willing to step in to assist those in need. I strongly urge labor and management training trustees to explore a couple of programs that come to mind:
Mentorship Matters: improves safety and relationships on the job https://mentorshipmatters.com
RISE Up: promotes a respectful work environment via the ‘bystander intervention’ model
Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/
Sources: [1] https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/the-wounded-generation-bearing-the-invisible-scars-of-war/
Women Vets / MH / Domestic Violence
WWII / PTSD / Invisible Wounds
Business Safety for Colder Months
Labor Shortage vs Jobs Shortage
Gardening / Slavery / Resilience
Upcoming webinars, etc.:
Caregiving: Ups & Downs (11/18)
Vets: Talk Saves Lives (11/18)
Suicide Loss Survivors Day (11/22)
Social Media / SUD / MH (12/10)
NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.
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