Take Care of Your Mental Health

holidays
December 16, 2020
Get a Daily Inspirational Message

How many people have found group texts, quick messages and funny memes a moment of light during these months of isolation? Gillian Anderson founded My Friend Abby following her daughter’s death by suicide. Now her group will send you a daily message to bring a little sunshine into your life. If you know someone living alone or struggling, this can bring a smile and sense of hope. Sign up here.

Dear Neighbors,

With the storm on its way, I wanted to first remind you to sign up for alerts by texting "FairfieldCT" to 888777 and following the prompts. You can click here to sign up. After you dig out tomorrow morning, please join the Fairfield delegation for an informative discussion about vaccines and what things are like for one of Fairfield’s own hospital doctors on the front lines. I hope you will join us via the Zoom or Facebook and share this information with others. See below for details.
Today we are also sharing a number of mental health resources. Though these are geared to parents and teens, they can be helpful for all of us. Growing up, I always loved the ‘60s Andy Williams classic, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” For many people this is not the most wonderful time, whether due to stress, the pain of loss or a lack of connection. This year in particular, we are ending a year of collective trauma. In the midst of the darkest days of the year, I wanted to remind you that there is always hope and support. Whether you have a student who is struggling or just holding on, a spouse who has been searching for work for months or maybe more, a friend or you yourself need some support, take a few moments to access some of the resources below. If what you need is not here, please reach out.

Meanwhile, bundle up, charge your devices, get those snow shovels ready and be careful if you are headed home in the storm.
Gizmo’s Pawesome Pledge for Mental Health

As Connecticut moves forward together during this challenging time, many people are looking for ways to foster hope and wellness, and to build emotional and mental health resilience in their families and communities. To support this, the United Way of Connecticut, in collaboration with the Connecticut Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Children and Families and State Department of Education, is pleased to announce the release of the “Gizmo’s Pawesome Pledge for Mental Health.”

Taking this pledge means youth will commit to:

  • Taking care of their mental health every day
  • Talking to their Trusted Adults
  • Completing their mental health plan, and using it when feeling sad, mad or worried

Taking this pledge means Trusted Adults will commit to:

  • Support youth and be a role model by promoting ways to take care of their Mental Health together and separately
  • Being available as a Trusted Adult
  • Completing their own mental health plan, using it, and reminding youth to use their own Mental Health Plan when they feel sad, mad or worried

If you would like to learn more about "Gizmo's Pawesome Pledge for Mental Health," click here, or watch the video below.
 
School Stress

As college students head home for winter break, we recognize that school can be stressful for our kids, especially this year. This time home can be the perfect opportunity to discuss the importance of mental health with your students and ways they can alleviate stress.
 
Research conducted by Greater Good Research Center (GGRC) at University of California, Berkeley, shows that taking time to appreciate the goodness in our lives, helps us feel more positive emotions, rather than negative feelings like stress, anxiety and depression. We can teach our young people to count their blessings – it will provide a deep emotional connection to others, lessen the burden of stress overload that they’re experiencing, and help them feel more optimistic and happier. And as we teach them, we can deepen our own practices of gratitude.

The following are four gratitude practices from mindfulness expert Cheryl Vigder Brause:
  1. Gratitude Jar: Any time you experience a moment of gratitude write it on a piece of paper and put it in a Gratitude Jar. Periodically, empty the jar and read what you wrote. This exercise helps us savor moments of gratitude and motivates us to look for more.
  2. Give Thanks Out Loud: We all have many moments throughout our day when we can offer a heartfelt “thank you” to someone in our life. Did your teen take out the garbage or walk the dog? Parents can thank a child for their good behavior, which will model gratefulness and show gratitude in action. Acknowledging good behavior is a win-win.
  3. People Who Make a Difference: Identify someone who did something you feel grateful for.
    • Close your eyes, and take five deep, slow breaths, in and out.
    • Bring to mind an image of the person.
    • Hold that image while breathing deeply.

Notice how it feels to hold that person in your attention. Focus on the feeling of gratitude you have for this person while you take five more deep breaths, in and out. Simply notice how you feel.

Acts of Kindness

We often feel grateful when others do things for us that show kindness, caring and helpfulness. But there are also times when you have done things that are kind, caring and helpful to someone else. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

  • Think of someone that you have been kind to or someone you helped. Maybe it is someone who said “Thank you” to your recently. Try to see a picture of that person in your mind.
  • Remember what you did for that person that was kind or caring or helpful. See yourself doing it.

How do you feel inside? What is the other person saying or doing when you are kind to them? How does that feel to you?

Key takeaways
  • Gratitude practices create an opportunity to focus on what we have to be thankful for.
  • When we choose to do something that benefits others, we often benefit ourselves emotionally.
  • Show your teen some exercises that help her or him feel grateful.
  • If you are feeling overwhelmed or have a question about your child’s drug or alcohol use, connect with one of our parent specialist.
  • If your teen is experiencing anxiety, depression, insomnia, attention disorders or suicide, seek out professional help.
Help is Here

Help Is Here is a free eight-part online series to provide Connecticut parents and caregivers with the skills and information needed to navigate Connecticut’s teen and young adult substance use resources. The video library is listed on the Live Loud website and on the Live Loud Families Facebook Page.
Visit the Linked Flyer for Resources