CHARISSA REYNOLDS, MSW, is a Behavioral Care Manager at Health First Medical Group who sees patients inside primary care exam rooms to discuss their mental health concerns, their medications, and what they can do to improve their moods or seek more intensive treatment with a psychologist or psychiatrist. 

Kids’ school schedules. Worrying headlines. A close national election. Stress is something that only seems to climb, and managing it is critical. Every learned technique – helpful or harmful – has an impact.

Recently, Vero News visited with Charissa Reynolds, MSW, a Behavioral Care Manager at Health First Medical Group.

At Health First, mental health care is an on-request service in many primary care offices.

Health First began its Collaborative Care Management program – psychotherapeutic counseling and prescription management brought into your primary care office – in 2022. Patients in mental health distress, because of a diagnosis or not, are quickly paired with a specialist.

Reynolds gave Vero News readers five “quick stress-busting techniques” for when tensions run high.

1. Take a few deep breaths. You don’t have to breathe deeply for long, Reynolds says, but the rhythm is important. 
2. Play.  Play boosts creativity, improves mood and sharpens focus.
3. Add a meditation app. “There’s a wide range of apps and YouTube videos that can help you relax, and they range in length from five to 30 minutes,” says Reynolds, “and they’re so easy to watch. Calm and Headspace are great apps, and I also like guided meditation apps. My family practices guided meditation together.”
4. Make a list. Breaking up a task into components, or simply unloading all we have to do, is a relief. “But you have to give yourself permission to NOT finish the list,” says Reynolds. “You need to learn to give yourself grace on those days when you just don’t get it all done.”
5. Step outside Reynolds says spending time in nature is a powerful way to relieve stress and anxiety, and boost feelings of happiness and well-being, says Reynolds.

To make a doctor's appointment, visit HF.org/findadoc. 

READ the full feature with Cherissa Reynolds at Vero News HERE.