September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and as such, Charity Chat is focusing on how our readers can help make an impact, break the stigma and start the conversations that could help save a life.
A text message is a simple thing – it can take less than a minute to open a thread and type out a quick message.
“Hi. Thinking of you. You’ve been on my mind.”
Nine words, or any variation or similar sentiment, that takes minimum effort on you’re part – but Dr. Terrie Andrews, executive director of Here Tomorrow, said something as simple as that could save a life.
“You’d be surprised at how many anecdotal stories we hear where people were at that particular moment,” Andrews said. “They were about to do something to hurt themselves, and someone called or texted, and it changed everything.”
This practice of reaching out to someone – someone you haven’t connected with in a while – to check in on them is part of a technique called Caring Contacts. It was created in the 1970s and remains a successful, non-demanding way to connect with someone.
“Now I do that all the time…It’s creating that sense of community and belongingness in that social connection, which is such a foundation for all of us,” Andrews said.
Recognizing the Precursors
Here Tomorrow’s mission is “to transform lives by building a community where suicide prevention is accessible without barriers.”
Its team of suicide prevention specialists works from a place of support and understanding, in addition to specialized training, bringing a unique connection to the “friends” seeking help.
“It’s basically like a professional friend, if you will, to be able to help that person through that difficult time,” Andrews said.
Recognizing the precursors to a crisis scenario is just as critical an intervention and Here Tomorrow’s team is “really honing in on,” Andrews said. These precursors include indications a person may be feeling trapped: a teenager gets a bad grade on an exam, for example, and believes they’ll never get into college or achieve a goal or a person’s partner breaks up with them and they feel alone, unloved and fear they’ll never find love again.
“Those are times to be able to talk to the teen about how they’re thinking and feeling and be comfortable with asking, ‘Have you ever thought about hurting yourself?’” Andrews said.
Those conversations can be scary for everyone involved, but they’re critical not only in saving lives but also in taking the first steps to helping someone get the help they need to address the struggles they’re facing.
Prioritizing Self-Care
Self-care has become a universal term that can have several different meanings depending on the context in which it’s used, but when it comes to mental health, prioritizing one’s own care and addressing one’s own well-being is a crucial component to stave off a mental health crisis that could have devastating consequences.
Hearts 4 Minds Founder Sheryl Johnson said mental health literacy and becoming better educated in how we can take care of our mental health the way we do our physical health is one of the most urgent challenges regarding mental health and mental illness in our community.
“We know how to manage a cold or headache or stomach virus, but we’re not necessarily armed with what it means, what the difference is between just having emotions or having a mental illness and having all of those self-care tips,” Johnson said.
Self-care, Johnson said, is not selfish. Nor does it have to be a “massive, overwhelming” undertaking. It could be as simple as taking a walk, journaling, or doing something that recharges you and refills your cup.
To that end, Hearts 4 Minds has launched the “Self-Care Bingo: A Guide to Mindful Wellness.” These are monthly bingo cards filled with simple self-care activities – or, if one prefers, a blank bingo card is available for people to fill out themselves. People can set their own rewards for achieving bingo or make it a friendly competition between co-workers, friends, or family members to see who can get bingo first.
“[The bingo initiative] takes away some of that overwhelming dauntingness of, ‘I don’t know what to do for my self-care, my mental health, I don’t know what works’” Johnson said. “It gives you a whole card full of options that you might find out work for you.”
Community Support
Breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness is another key component to help people who are struggling and facilitating those complex, yet life-saving, conversations. One simple way to do that is to participate in one of the many community events that take place in Jacksonville or the greater Northeast Florida area every year.
On Sept. 28, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Jacksonville is hosting its annual NAMI Walks Jacksonville to raise funds and awareness for its “free mental health programs that support individuals and families across Northeast Florida.”
NAMI Jacksonville Executive Director Suzanne Mailloux said community involvement is a powerful tool in breaking the stigma.
“It shows the rest of our community that there are many people out here that want you to know that you’re not alone,” Mailloux said.
Hope, Healing, Connection Shine at ECHO Fair
Here Tomorrow hosted its inaugural ECHO Fair in Jarboe Park on Saturday, Aug. 23, as a way “to amplify wellness in our communities.”
ECHO stood for Expression, Connection and Healing Opportunity, and more than 40 area organizations were in attendance to provide well-being resources. Jarboe Park’s walking path was transformed into an immersive “Wellness Walk” for the day, with approximately 100 guests participating in activities as they went.
“It truly takes a village to provide the care and support everyone deserves on their mental health journey,” said event organizer Maia Savage.
With Here Tomorrow staff and friends (clients) sharing stories of hope, the message for the day was clear – you are not alone – and those stories created opportunities for connection and welcomed vulnerability.
