Reverend Candice McKibbin
Several years ago, my church, the Tallahassee Fellowship, studied Abraham Kennedy’s important book, “How to be an anti-racist.” What Kennedy makes clear in his comprehensive and well-commented volume is the difference between saying, “I’m not a racist” and saying, “I’m an anti-racist.”
After several months of reading and sharing our insights into what we read, we all felt the need to take action on our new awareness of this important difference.
For the past 17 years, October has been recognized as National Emotional Health Month. Wellness is not just about the absence of disease. It is about the pursuit of health. It involves awareness, understanding and acceptance of feelings, and the ability to effectively manage through challenges and change.
As my church has taught regarding racism, there is a big difference between being negative about a topic and being proactive.
World Mental Health Day 2021 is set for Sunday 10 October 2021. In 1992, the World Federation of Mental Health, led by then Deputy Secretary Richard Hunter, established World Mental Health Day with the primary goal of advocating mental health. For the first three years, there was a two-hour television broadcast around the world through the satellite of the US Information Agency.
Imagine my surprise and happiness when I learned that the broadcast studio was located in Tallahassee. This TV broadcast has become a useful way to get the message of mental health advocacy to the world. People from Chile, England, Australia and Zambia participated while the videos were previously recorded in Geneva, Atlanta and Mexico City.
Mental health in an unequal world
During the years since those first TV shows, World Mental Health Day has taken on various themes, such as: mental health and aging, mental health and work, children and mental health, dignity in mental health and, this year, mental health under inequality. Globalism.
Today is about advocating for one in four people worldwide living with a diagnosable mental illness. But it is equally about empowering people to take care of their mental health and provide support to others. It’s about being proactive.
Healthy diet, exercise, safe social sharing, deep breathing, working through unhelpful thinking, taking breaks for self-care activities, and having meaningful conversations with people you trust are just a few things one can do daily to maintain good mental health , as good general health.
asking for help
Wanting to seek help whenever we feel that our troubled emotions are interfering with our daily routine is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.
More recently, athletes Simon Biles and Naomi Osaka have brought the need to prioritize mental health in the public arena. Their willingness to talk openly about their mental health challenges seems unexpected.
According to the World Health Organization, the pandemic is increasing the demand for mental health services worldwide. Bereavement, isolation, loss of income, and fear of uncertainty give rise to mental health conditions or exacerbate existing conditions. Many people may experience increased levels of alcohol and drug abuse, insomnia, and anxiety as they try to cope.
If these fears seem far from you, perhaps you can give your emotional stability to those who are painfully real to them.
Ways to connect with others
Of the eight suggestions for celebrating World Mental Health Day, four relate to helping others, including:
- Spreading awareness about mental health topics to help end the stigma associated with mental illness
- Support someone you know who suffers from mental illness by reminding them of their value and your love
- Participation in community initiatives aimed at combating mental illness
- And learn more from reputable sources about mental illness.
We can all pledge on World Mental Health Day to give just as much importance to our mental health as it extends to our physical health. We can remove or eliminate negative distractions that negatively affect our emotional stability and mental health.
We can practice self-care by indulging in at least one practice a day that nurtures mental health, such as meditating, walking, jogging, being mindful, eating healthy, or writing gratitude. We can resolve to speak with someone we trust or seek professional advice if we realize that we are struggling with our mental health.
Being proactive about the mental well-being of all of us, especially in a world where the rich are getting richer and the poor are being neglected, is certainly a challenge. It requires all of us to commit to doing what we can in an unequal world, as the theme of World Mental Health Day 2021 encourages.
Solutions speak in Landis Green
The World Federation for Mental Health, the World Health Organization, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness all have websites with useful resources regarding understanding and promoting the mental well-being of all. In our area, the Big Bend Mental Health Council has a directory of mental health providers on their website, as well as other related resources.
People who feel mentally impaired can call 2-1-1 Big Bend to speak to a trained crisis counselor. If you prefer texting to speak, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting 741741 to text a crisis counselor. Both services are free.
On World Health Day, October 10, 2021, at Landis Green at Florida State University, SheSpeaksSolutions is hosting a World Mental Health Day event from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Founder and CEO, LiTeena Parks, is excited to promote a positive perspective on mental health issues in the society.
The goal of this event is to create awareness and experience with alternative mental health modalities such as art, music, theater therapy, yoga or Zumba to provide additional resources for the traditional clinical setting. The community is invited to participate in this day of advocacy, collaboration and education. See shespeakssolutions.com for more details.
During National Emotional Health Month, I pray that we all seize the opportunity to be more determined and proactive about our own mental health and the health of others.
Reverend Candice McKibbin is an ordained chaplain and pastor of the Tallahassee Fellowship.
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