The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates of any industry in the United States, and MCAKC responded with something tangible. The Micro Moments Toolkit is 12 free tools including postcards, wallet cards, stickers, a poker chip, and more, all designed to support mental health on the job site and in the office. Learn what is inside, how to use it, and how to get one for yourself and your crew.
There is a card in the Micro Moments Toolkit with three blank lines on the back. It asks you to write down your three reasons to live.
That is not a small ask. And is exactly why we built this toolkit.
The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates of any industry in the United States. Tradespeople are nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than the national average.
That statistic is not abstract. It represents our field leaders and tradespeople, our project managers and estimators, our apprentices and office staff, the full range of people who keep our industry running.
They carry pressure every day: tight deadlines, physical demands, financial stress, and the weight of responsibility. Too often, they are expected to manage that pressure without the tools or support they need.
At MCAKC, we know that contractor success depends on the well-being of every person doing the work, whether that is on the job site or behind a desk.
That is why we built the Micro Moments Toolkit to help people navigate hard moments when they need it most.
What Is a Micro Moment?
A Micro Moment is a small action that helps you reset your focus, calm your body, and support your mental health. Think of breathing exercises, stepping away for two minutes to cool down, or tracing a textured sticker while you breathe. These moments are something you can do wherever you are, in the middle of your day, without stopping everything else.
That idea is the foundation of everything in this toolkit.
Why We Built This
This workforce solves problems with its hands, and the tools we offer for mental health should reflect that same practicality. We built tangible resources designed to go where the work is: into pockets, onto hard hats, into break rooms, and onto desks. The Micro Moments Toolkit consists of 12 tools, designed to meet people wherever they are.
What’s Inside
The Brochure
Every toolkit starts with context. The brochure walks through the mental health crisis in construction with a clear infographic and answers: why does this exist? It is the entry point and a reference guide you can come back to when you need it.
The Postcards
- Sentence starters card: Gives you actual phrases to use when you want to check on someone but cannot find the words. The card does the work of getting you started.
- Intentional conversations card: A guide to the harder, deeper conversations that are easier to avoid but matter most.
- Breathwork card: Multiple breathing techniques with clear instructions. The exercises on this card are Micro Moment practices: quick methods for resetting your body.
The Stickers
- Textured breathing sticker: An infinity sign you trace with your finger as you breathe. Yet another Micro Moment practice. Stick it on your water bottle, phone case, or anywhere else you will actually reach for it when you need.
- Hard hat sticker: Includes a QR code linking to MCAKC’s mental health webpage, where you will find direct links to 988, union-specific resources from Local 8 and Local 533, Kansas City mental health and family support options, and more resources.
Putting this sticker on your hard hat sends a message to everyone around you: mental health matters. In a culture that has historically treated struggle as weakness, that visibility matters.
The Poker Chip
One side: 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The other side: a QR code linking to our mental health webpage. The chip is designed to be carried in a pocket, a wallet, or a chest pocket on a work shirt. It goes where you go, every day, on every job: a physical reminder that help is always one number away.
It is also designed to be given away. If someone on your crew is struggling, handing them a chip is a simple, low-pressure way to put those resources directly in their hands.
The Wallet Cards
Five credit-card-sized cards, each built around a specific emotional state and packed with Micro Moment practices that help you shift your focus and calm your body.
Four of them are color-coded by feeling: yellow for anxiety, red for anger, teal for depression, and gray for stress. Pull the card that matches what you’re feeling and work through it. The micro moment practices are specific and built for real conditions.
And then there is the Peer Ally card.
One side has a blank line where you write the name and number of a person you trust – your ally – to call when your mental health feels overwhelming.
The other side has three blank lines.
Write your three reasons to live.
This card does not soften that ask. It does not reframe it as “things going well” or “reasons to be grateful.” It asks directly for the reasons that keep you here, even on your hardest days.
More Resources from MCAKC
The toolkit is the foundation. We have also built a set of resources that extend it further into your job site and your safety program.
Toolbox Talks
We developed a complete set of Toolbox Talks specifically for the Micro Moments Toolkit. Each one is a short, structured guide that walks you through a different piece of the toolkit: the wallet cards, the postcards, the peer ally card, the poker chip, etc. Built for job site use and ready to run in a few minutes at the start of a shift. Download them free on our mental health webpage.
Large-Format QR Stickers and Magnets
The same QR code from the hard hat sticker is also available as an 8-by-8-inch sticker and magnet, designed for job trailers, portable restrooms, job boxes, and break rooms. The QR code on a hard hat is small and not always easy to scan privately. A large-format version on a wall means anyone can access the same resources quietly, on their own terms. Stop by the MCAKC office to pick them up. They are free.
Additional Textured Breathing Stickers
The infinity sticker in the toolkit is one of four designs we offer. The full collection also includes a box breathing square for the classic four-count method, a Get Grounded sticker that guides you through the 5-4-3-2-1 senses technique, and a labyrinth sticker to trace while breathing. Different methods work for different people. All designs are free at the MCAKC office.
How to Get the Toolkit
Request the full physical kit by completing this short form here:
- Download the brochure and Toolbox Talks at: https://www.mcakc.org/mentalhealth
- Download the wallet cards (coming soon to our new website!)
The physical kit is the full experience; all of it ready for wherever you work.
No one should have to figure this out alone, and this toolkit is here to help.
Whether you are on a job site, running a crew, managing a project, or working in the office, these tools were built with you in mind. Pick one up. Pass one to someone on your team. And when you get to that card with the three blank lines, take the time to fill them out.
We built this because the people in this industry are worth it. Every one of them.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Help is available 24/7.