Mental illness awareness week is here, and I am glad we are talking about it!
There is always a lot to say about millennial’s (anyone born between 1981 and 1996). Magnetism towards devices and technology and the constant craving for instant gratification that we have grown up accepting as the norm.
Millennial professionals are far less likely to stay in a job that they are miserable in, and are cutting edge towards what it means to discover ones self, authenticity, and purpose – on our own time. With fewer and fewer jobs providing pensions and healthy retirement plans, and with the promise of social security being around by the time we get to the age to reap the benefits of what we’ve paid into for a lifetime, we are more apt to follow the pursuit of happiness, in the here and now, whatever that means.
Mental health is finally moving out of the taboo realm, and into a much more serious tone
With so many platforms to consume new knowledge, more people than ever are feeling inspired to tell their truths, in order to spread awareness, and set them free from the shackles that mental illness places on your feet, without warning. Podcasts, self-care books, YouTube videos, and news programs, all present normalcy, and usually surprise people about the transparency that people are willing to share. The truth will set you free…
Support is crucial for battling mental illness and it’s extremely important to reach out when your symptoms become prolonged and worsened. It is OK to not be OK, but it’s not OK not to take responsibility for your mental health and reach out to talk to someone who’s trained in these very unique positions.
It takes a village to recognize the symptoms and warning signs of mental illness
Provide support and intervention when it is needed. Sometimes you may have to find your friend or family member a therapist or psychiatrist to talk to when they feel too weak to do it, and sometimes you have to sit with someone while they choose to lie there and sleep when possible. Your job as a friend or family member is to be there, without expecting a whole lot in return.
If you think your loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts, and in direct danger of harming themselves, you have to intervene. You can call a crisis line or the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Peer support groups, along with group therapy, ensure that commonalities are shared; but, also illustrates how different conditions can be, all triggered by different past traumas, experiences, upbringing, and relationships that have been molded and created.
We have to take care of one another!
“Take care of each other. Share your energies with the group. No one must feel alone, cut off, for that is when you do not make it.”
– Willi Unsoeld
