Category Archives: mental health

mental health awareness resources

Mental Health Resources: Taking Care of Yourself and Your Loved Ones

mental health

Taking care of ourselves and our loved ones includes looking after our mental well-being.  Even though May is Mental Health Awareness Month since 1949, there are many segments of our community where mental health issues are still somewhat of a taboo or not deemed important.  The reality is that we all suffer the consequences of ignoring our mental health issues as well as that of others around us.

How to Help Yourself Deal with Mental Health Issues

We all suffer from days when we have “the blues,” or just feel down or out of sorts.  When we seem to always be feeling this way, it’s probably a good idea to take a closer look at what we are feeling and what may be causing it.

There are many things you can do on your own to foster a healthier mental state. These things range from simply doing  exercise or physical activities, talking to a friend you trust, and even changing your environment temporarily—perhaps going for a walk in the park or the beaches.

When these things don’t seem to work, it may be time for you to bring up the issue of how you’re feeling with your doctor or therapist.  You also have available resources locally and nationally which can be a source for you to seek help.

The important thing when we feel severely depressed or facing any other mental health issues is to know that we are not alone.  This may sound trite or be a cliché nowadays but it is nevertheless true.  It is true because we are social beings.  As such, we look to see ourselves reflected in those around us, we learn from each other and we seek comfort from each other.

Helping Your Loved Ones

In my opinion, nothing beats paying attention to our loved ones, being observant.  If you notice that your child, spouse, parent or any other loved one seems to be stuck dealing with an issue or mental state, please don’t ignore it.  Offer support and look for resources to help them and to help you help them.

Local and National Mental Health Resources

Whatever the mental health issue you or your loved ones may be experiencing, chances are that there is a resource available to help you or to begin looking for help.

The Suicide Prevention Hotline: (800) 273-TALK or (800) SUICIDE is a good one to keep top of mind.

At the local level in Miami-Dade you have:

NAMI Miami-Dade:  This is the Miami-Dade organization part of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.  They provide free mental health support, including crisis and suicide prevention assistance, connection to a trained crisis counselor you can reach 24/7 by text via their Text NAMI 741-741, group and online counseling.  The site also provides you additional resources.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools –  Our children are specially vulnerable because they don’t have the tools or agency to take care of their mental health, but you as parent or caretaker can do a lot.  The Miami-Dade County Public Schools provide resources to help you help your child. Visit their Mental Health Services  where they have webinars available 24/7 for students and parents in English, Spanish and Creole, and other resources.

At the state/national level:

National Institute of Mental Health.  Besides having resources for you to reach out to, they also have information on a variety of mental health related topics.

NAMI.org is the national organization of which NAMI Miami-Dade is a part.

FloridaHealth.gov Mental Health Disorder Resources – If you can’t find what you are looking for when you search your city/county for mental health resources, you can search on this page.

The important thing to remember is that there is help for just about any mental health issue or situation.  Whether it’s you or someone you love/know, any situation can be more manageable by taking action to look for help and support.

children

Mental Health Tips to Help Your Family Deal with COVID-19 Worries

mental health, relationships

By now, we should be well aware of the precautions to minimize the spread of COVID-19.  We should also take steps to safeguard our mental health, including the mental health of children, who may only be aware of bits and pieces of the total story.

The best source for any reliable news are health organizations, not just for our physical health but also our mental health.

The CDC has a page dedicate to mental health and coping related to the virus.  It includes information for supporting yourself as well as for you to help your children.

Taking Care of Yourself

Not surprisingly, the CDC’s top tip for safeguarding your mental health is to limit your exposure to media coverage of the virus.  In journalism circles, the cliché about “if it bleeds, it leads” is true: the media will have a tendency to lead with stories that may garner the most clicks, views, and shares, but that may put an unnecessary bad spin on circumstances. 

While some of these news articles may be useful, they may give the impression of things being worse than they really are.  This is were real facts can put things in perspective.  So pay attention to the sources of news you read.

Be equally careful when reading source that disseminate conspiracy theories or negate the need to take precautions.  Just because someone doesn’t want things to be true, doesn’t mean that they are not true.

The CDC’s second suggestions is for you to get plenty of rest, eat healthy and exercise regularly.  These are things that we should do regardless of a pandemic, but they take on a special meaning because not only do they keep us healthy, but doing these normal things give us a sense of normalcy that may otherwise be missing given the current state of things.

Refer to the original CDC page on coping with COVID-19 or their main page on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 for more.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published  a pamphlet (pdf) on Mental Health Considerations during COVID-19 Outbreak.

Helping Your Children Cope

As is frequently the case with children, they learn from us: parents, grandparents,  and other adults in their lives. Just as you may look for tips to help a child deal with divorce, you can find tips to help your children deal with what is going on right now.

However, each child is different, just like adults; and how they cope in dealing with this or any other situation has a lot to do with what they see us do.

Because each child will respond in their own way, the CDC gives you some things to watch out for, including:

·  Excessive crying and irritation

·  Returning to behaviors they have outgrown (e.g., toileting accidents or bed-wetting)

·  Excessive worry or sadness

·  Unhealthy eating or sleeping habits

·  Irritability and “acting out” behaviors

·  Poor school performance or avoiding school

·  Difficulty with attention and concentration

·  Avoidance of activities enjoyed in the past

·  Unexplained headaches or body pain

They also have suggestions for you to help and support your child.  This includes the same advise as to limiting exposure to media coverage of the event, and ensuring that children understand what they are hearing/reading on the news.

Like the CDC, the WHO’s pamphlet includes information on helping your children.

COVID-19 may be new, but our resilience is not.  We are—each of us and together—well equipped to deal with the virus if we deal with facts, prepare adequately, and address each challenge as they come, one day at a time.