In the heart of winter, it seems like nearly every community meeting or work event starts with some grumbling about The Winter Blues. Even the most enthusiastic skiers, pond hockey players, and snowmobilers aren’t immune to feeling the physiological tolls of the season, whether just feeling “a little down,” or experiencing more severe Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Winter is a timely season to talk about how mental health can impact community well-being.
For communities to reach their highest potentials socially and economically, people need to feel well at the individual level. Many NH communities are all too familiar with how mental health issues can contribute to community-level crises including homelessness and addiction. Mental health can also have considerable impacts upon workforce retention, community engagement, and senses of belonging and connectedness between residents. These are all issues that UNH Extension Community and Economic Development (CED) team members hear about frequently in our community forums, stakeholder meetings, and research. The impacts of mental health run wide and deep.
Mental health also affects economic development. Many New Hampshire businesses are currently hiring their summer employees, from students on break to retirees looking for part-time opportunities. Employers recognize that individuals’ health and well-being will have impacts upon overall employee satisfaction, rapport, and productivity, but not all managers or coworkers have the skills, knowledge, or direction to proactively address mental health in the workplace. Recent years have been particularly challenging, as many employers continue to feel the impacts of COVID-19 in regard to employee contentment, morale, and performance. The community-based nonprofit Mental Health America reports that 71% of employees found it difficult to concentrate at work in 2022, compared to 46% in 2018.
Mental Health America’s research indicates that supportive managers and the availability of mental health resources are correlated with employee empowerment, positive employee mental health outcomes, and generally healthier workplaces. With youth as young as 12 years old entering New Hampshire’s workforce, many employers face the task of creating supportive and healthy environments for people from a wide range of age groups and backgrounds, which may be associated with different respective needs and concerns.
UNH Extension is here to help. For the many reasons we’ve mentioned here, our CED team considers our area of work to be inherently intertwined with UNH Extension’s Health and Well-Being program area, which offers a wealth of training opportunities, special programs, and helpful articles. These resources can guide individuals, families, community members, coworkers, and managers toward being positive forces for mental health and well-being for themselves as well as for their communities. Organizational leaders, coworkers, and others who are looking to strengthen their communities’ mental health support networks can consider signing up for an upcoming Mental Health First Aid (or Youth Mental Health First Aid) training. Employers may find the Wellness Wheel to be a helpful tool to share with employees.
If you or someone you know needs support, you can find links to a variety of local and state resources below.
- Mental Health First Aid for the Older Adult Training – March 6, 2025 (in person; Stratham, NH)
- Walk with Ease 6-Week Series - March 10, 2025 (online)
- Youth Mental Health First Aid Training - March 14, 2025 (online)
- County and Statewide Mental Health Resources for New Hampshire
- Mental Health First Aid®
- Master Wellness Volunteer Program
- Take Charge of Your Health! Living Well with Chronic Health Conditions
- Aging Well Program and Resources:
For more information about mental health and other UNH Extension Health and Well-Being programming, visit https://extension.unh.edu/health.
