Chapter 8
Balancing Your
Career and Wellness:
A Hopeful Message
for the SOC Community
By Peter Coroneos
In the high-stakes world of SOC analytics, the pressure can often seem insurmountable. It is against this backdrop that Cybermindz.org, a dedicated nonprofit mental health initiative, brings a hopeful message that career choice and mental wellness need not be mutually exclusive.
Since our inception in 2022, Cybermindz.org has set out to transform the narrative around mental health in the cyber field from one of despair to a tale of hope and resilience. Through our targeted mental health programs, we aim to turn the tide and bring relief to those on the front lines of cyber defense.
Step 2
The Cybermindz Mission
Our mission is born from the stories of hundreds of SOC analysts and cyber professionals. We've seen firsthand the emotional toll of an ever-evolving threat landscape. The most poignant cry we've heard is a plea for balance—a call for a world where maintaining mental health doesn't have to be the price paid for a career in cyber defense.
Commitment to a mental health program can often have an immediate morale boost. The very anticipation of help inspires hope and reassures participants that their struggles are seen and understood. We often hear from leaders embarking on the program that their team is very excited to be starting the journey.
Cyber teams grapple daily with an unending barrage of threats. With increasing scrutiny from regulatory bodies and an amplified media focus, the consequences of a significant breach have grown more daunting. This has only heightened the pressure on cyber defenders, leading to increased fears, unmanaged stress, and potential burnout.
Leveraging the iRest Protocol
Recent studies have highlighted a troubling trend of burnout and increased resignation intent. As cyberthreats intensify, we risk losing critical professionals in a field already facing a skills shortage.
Cyber professionals are reaching their breaking point as attacks increase and new risks emerge, with many considering leaving their roles due to stress and burnout.
To counter this, Cybermindz.org launched a groundbreaking program, leveraging the Integrative Restoration or iRest protocol. iRest, while not specifically developed for the military, saw early implementation there and is now in use in over 70 Veteran Affairs facilities throughout the United States.
Beyond the military, it has helped millions worldwide recover from and prevent anxiety, trauma, depression, insomnia, and manage stress.
This protocol guides participants into a state of calm, facilitating the release of stress and the emergence of a positive, mission-focused mindset. Over an eight-week period, we address industry-specific stressors—from detaching from work, managing overwhelming issues, and dealing with control loss, to tackling fear of failure and performance anxiety. The final step is integrating these tools and practices into daily routines, promoting sustained resilience.
Our peer-informed programs foster trust and engagement, which are essential for acceptance within the cyber community. This industry-focused approach has helped create a sense of camaraderie and support, promoting the normalization of discussing mental health.
The Results
We've received overwhelmingly positive feedback on our program's effectiveness, particularly for managing stress, improving cognitive recovery and aiding in burnout recovery. One New South Wales SOC team leader noted, "The program has had a great effect in my burnout recovery, I highly recommend it as a very good addition to the cyber defenders toolkit."
We are grateful for the support from organizations like Devo, which has been instrumental in raising awareness that help is within reach, and mental health need not be compromised based on career choice. Through this partnership, we remind our community that help is at hand.
As we continue our mission, our message remains clear and hopeful: to equip SOC analysts and other cyber professionals with the neural tools and training necessary to navigate their high-stress environment with resilience and clarity.
At Cybermindz.org, we believe career choice and mental wellness can harmoniously coexist. We are committed to shielding our protectors, helping to build both psychological resilience and improve overall cyber resilience within organizations and society as a whole.
We invite you to join us in our mission or learn more about our work at Cybermindz.org
Let us bring back hope, balance, and resilience to the heart of cybersecurity.
About the author
Peter Coroneos
Peter Coroneos is an internationally recognized authority on cyber policy, an internet industry leader, author, activist and policy innovator. As part of the mission to build a faster, fairer, safer and more trusted internet for all Australians, Peter led the development of icode, an industry-wide botnet mitigation program developed while he was head of Australia’s iconic Internet Industry Association (1997-2011). Peter founded Cybermindz.org, a not-for-profit dedicated to bringing scalable, evidence based mental health support to embattled cyber teams. It is the world’s first application of the US military-backed iRest protocol into cybersecurity to build and powerfully restore emotional and cognitive resilience and prevent burnout.
Cybermindz.org
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Next Chapter
Change, Challenges, and Priorities
Previous Chapter
Positioning Yourself for a SOC Leadership Role
[ The Cybermindz Mission ]
[ Leveraging the iRest Protocol ]
[ The Results ]
Chapter 8
Balancing Your
Career and Wellness:
A Hopeful Message
for the SOC Community
By Peter Coroneos
In the high-stakes world of SOC analytics, the pressure can often seem insurmountable. It is against this backdrop that Cybermindz.org, a dedicated nonprofit mental health initiative, brings a hopeful message that career choice and mental wellness need not be mutually exclusive.
Since our inception in 2022, Cybermindz.org has set out to transform the narrative around mental health in the cyber field from one of despair to a tale of hope and resilience. Through our targeted mental health programs, we aim to turn the tide and bring relief to those on the front lines of cyber defense.
The Cybermindz Mission
Our mission is born from the stories of hundreds of SOC analysts and cyber professionals. We've seen firsthand the emotional toll of an ever-evolving threat landscape. The most poignant cry we've heard is a plea for balance—a call for a world where maintaining mental health doesn't have to be the price paid for a career in cyber defense.
Commitment to a mental health program can often have an immediate morale boost. The very anticipation of help inspires hope and reassures participants that their struggles are seen and understood. We often hear from leaders embarking on the program that their team is very excited to be starting the journey.
Cyber teams grapple daily with an unending barrage of threats. With increasing scrutiny from regulatory bodies and an amplified media focus, the consequences of a significant breach have grown more daunting. This has only heightened the pressure on cyber defenders, leading to increased fears, unmanaged stress, and potential burnout.
Leveraging the iRest Protocol
Recent studies have highlighted a troubling trend of burnout and increased resignation intent. As cyberthreats intensify, we risk losing critical professionals in a field already facing a skills shortage.
Cyber professionals are reaching their breaking point as attacks increase and new risks emerge, with many considering leaving their roles due to stress and burnout.
To counter this, Cybermindz.org launched a groundbreaking program, leveraging the Integrative Restoration or iRest protocol. iRest, while not specifically developed for the military, saw early implementation there and is now in use in over 70 Veteran Affairs facilities throughout the United States.
Beyond the military, it has helped millions worldwide recover from and prevent anxiety, trauma, depression, insomnia, and manage stress.
This protocol guides participants into a state of calm, facilitating the release of stress and the emergence of a positive, mission-focused mindset. Over an eight-week period, we address industry-specific stressors—from detaching from work, managing overwhelming issues, and dealing with control loss, to tackling fear of failure and performance anxiety. The final step is integrating these tools and practices into daily routines, promoting sustained resilience.
Our peer-informed programs foster trust and engagement, which are essential for acceptance within the cyber community. This industry-focused approach has helped create a sense of camaraderie and support, promoting the normalization of discussing mental health.
The Results
We've received overwhelmingly positive feedback on our program's effectiveness, particularly for managing stress, improving cognitive recovery and aiding in burnout recovery. One New South Wales SOC team leader noted, "The program has had a great effect in my burnout recovery, I highly recommend it as a very good addition to the cyber defenders toolkit."
We are grateful for the support from organizations like Devo, which has been instrumental in raising awareness that help is within reach, and mental health need not be compromised based on career choice. Through this partnership, we remind our community that help is at hand.
As we continue our mission, our message remains clear and hopeful: to equip SOC analysts and other cyber professionals with the neural tools and training necessary to navigate their high-stress environment with resilience and clarity.
At Cybermindz.org, we believe career choice and mental wellness can harmoniously coexist. We are committed to shielding our protectors, helping to build both psychological resilience and improve overall cyber resilience within organizations and society as a whole.
We invite you to join us in our mission or learn more about our work at Cybermindz.org
Let us bring back hope, balance, and resilience to the heart of cybersecurity.
About the author
Peter Coroneos
Peter Coroneos is an internationally recognized authority on cyber policy, an internet industry leader, author, activist and policy innovator. As part of the mission to build a faster, fairer, safer and more trusted internet for all Australians, Peter led the development of icode, an industry-wide botnet mitigation program developed while he was head of Australia’s iconic Internet Industry Association (1997-2011). Peter founded Cybermindz.org, a not-for-profit dedicated to bringing scalable, evidence based mental health support to embattled cyber teams. It is the world’s first application of the US military-backed iRest protocol into cybersecurity to build and powerfully restore emotional and cognitive resilience and prevent burnout.
LinkedIn
Cybermindz.org
Next Chapter
Change, Challenges,
and Priorities
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Positioning Yourself for a SOC Leadership Role
Chapters
01
So You Want to Be a SOC analyst...
02
The Hard and Soft Skills Needed
to Crush a SOC Role
03
Advancing Cybersecurity and Career-Readiness in Academic Institutions
04
Break into Cybersecurity by Leveraging LinkedIn
05
Navigating Your Cybersecurity Career as a SOC Analyst
06
Becoming a Security Researcher:
5 Questions Answered
07
Positioning Yourself for a SOC Leadership Role
08
Balancing Your Career and Wellness: A Hopeful Message for the SOC Community
09
Change, Challenges, and Priorities
Back to Home
Chapters
01
So You Want to Be a
SOC Analyst
02
The Hard and Soft Skills Needed to Crush a SOC Role
03
Advancing Cybersecurity and Career-Readiness in Academic Institutions
04
Break into Cybersecurity by Leveraging LinkedIn
05
Navigating Your Cybersecurity Career as a SOC Analyst
06
Becoming a Security Researcher: 5 Questions Answered
07
Positioning Yourself for a SOC Leadership Role
08
Balancing Your Career and Wellness: A Hopeful Message for the SOC Community
09
Change, Challenges, and Priorities
Back to Home