In #goodgraciousgrief we bask in the glory of #collectivehealing … not just conceptually but wholly. Much is written about the therapeutic outcomes when communities are formed to collaborate working integrated than fragmented especially after being affected by a disaster or a mass traumatic event.
This is the era of predominantly individualistic focus on approaches to 'treatment' or 'recovery' or 'healing' of those impacted by wars, grief, loss or calamities. Nothing can be more traumatic than the disruption in the normal that our World is experiencing now.
You know what I am talking about. Don't you? There is always something going on that stresses us out.
Since all of us our impacted with the disruption in some form, directly or indirectly, accessing and amplifying the power of collectively based approaches to healing is not just refreshing but also much-needed as the power of collective is vital in making us understand triggers, patterns, behaviors and emotions that lead to thoughts that lead to actions. Yes, we can learn from other peoples lived experience but that doesn't mean we disregard our own. It means there are people like us and so it relieves us from the pain of being alone or suffering in isolation when struck by mental health challenges.
The fatigue of moving from one crisis to the next, the cognitive dissonance of feeling surreal, frightening things and experiencing new ideals that are being normalized, we are bearing witness to constant change. It's a lot to process and it's overwhelming to say the least.
That's why Mental Health must become our priority.
There is resistance to change. Some of us throw ourselves into work. While some can't get brains in that gear no matter how hard we try. Some are glued to the news and almost addicted to #doomscrolling. While some of us have to disconnect from the constant barrage of "happenings".
Whichever way it may be for us, we must know that there is no "right" or "wrong" way to process these challenges. We are still required to continue living, working and experiencing and accepting change whether we are ready or not for it.
We have to find a balance especially while absorbing the current events in the world in small doses and find our own personal ways to take actions that help, guide & prepare us to the constant "new new". The action of trusting that your feelings are valid, the change is real, and it's really important to find some space to do the things that help ground us right here and right now!
Yesterday is history and tomorrow isn't promised. Today is the day to call someone you care about, send a text, write a letter, drop by to say hi, hug tightly, bake a cake... whatever you do, make sure you celebrate the people you love ❤️
The setbacks and challenges of the past couple of years especially after the height of pandemic have made us more adaptable, resilient, and compassionate, skills that we can utilize in our work and personal life daily. It has also shown us that work-life balance isn't just a buzzword. At the end of our life, we won't be thinking about that promotion we got or that time we aced a presentation. We're going to be looking back on the memories and sharing moments with our family and friends that make this life so wonderful. Reflecting on this thought reminds us that our mental health journey isn't always easy or how we expect it to go, it can be painful but it can still end in being beautiful and meaningful.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘻𝘦 𝘪𝘵.
𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘺 & 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴.
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.
Hoping 🤞 that as we think of our future, we acknowledge wholeheartedly that we are human beings and we live our best life when we are connected and when we are empowered to seek support from others in similar life situations.
--- Amit Anand