Your Mental Health Matters!

During this pandemic, people are coming together to ensure the physical health of their community and their families, while also taking care of themselves. While the conversation around the pandemic focuses primarily on the physical impact, it is also important to keep in mind the impact on mental health. Nearly ? of all people in the US are experiencing symptoms of depression, three times as many as before the pandemic. This past Thursday, I had the privilege of talking with Juliana Harper, Chief Program Officer and Senior Vice President of Easterseals Michigan, and a client who uses their mental health services.

One of the things that Juliana said that resonated with me is that we need to instill hope rather than fear, specifically on social media. With so many people using social media, especially during this time, to talk about their concerns and their problems, it’s easy to focus entirely on the negative. This is compounded by the news consistently reporting on the effects of the pandemic. When the stress gets to be too much for me, I find comfort in taking walks with my husband and unplugging for a while. Self-care is so crucial and can even positively affect your physical health. As we’ve probably all heard, lots of people have taken up baking or crocheting as hobbies to help deal with the anxiety many of us are facing.

Some of these self-care tips may not be enough. If you need professional help, there is nothing shameful about that. There is a heavy mental health stigma that often stops people from getting services that they need. As the saying goes, “it’s okay to not be okay.” I encourage you to talk about mental health openly with your friends and family, and be in tune with your health needs, both physical and mental. Easterseals also has mental health resources on our website, specifically dealing with COVID-19. Juliana also emphasized getting “a checkup from the neck up,” and told us about MindWise, a free and easy screening tool used to determine if you potentially have a mental illness. And if you need it, please use the suicide hotline number at 1-800-237-8255.

Even though we must remain socially distant, no one has to be alone. Let’s reach out and support each other.