May is Mental Health Awareness Month. What a complex web our mental health can be… it impacts every aspect of our lives.
“Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.” (US Health and Human Services) According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one-in-five adults live with a mental illness. Thankfully, that means that most of us (80%) don’t have diagnosable mental health issues.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t have problems or stress. It means that we either have, or can learn, ways to handle our problems and stresses in healthy ways. When emotions get overwhelming, PAVE suggests trying the RESIST method to self-soothe:
Reframe the situation: change our perspective. Don’t look at things as just black and white, try to identify the gray areas.
Engage in a distractingactivity: if your emotions are unmanageable, try to redirect your attention tosomething else to regular.
Someone else: redirect your attention to supporting or talking to someone else.
Intense sensations: take a cold shower or drink a hot tea. Intense sensations that are not harmful are good ways to release the emotions.
Shut it out: if possible, leave the environment that is causing the distress or go somewhere where you may feel more relaxed.
Thoughts – neutral thoughts: engage in thought patterns or mental activities that are neutral, such as counting to ten.
Take a break: remove yourself from the issue in whatever way makes sense. Maybe this is just a nap or a day off of work.
– From PAVE (Promoting Awareness/Victim Empowerment www.pavingtheway.net )
According to PAVE: “every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Every 9 minutes, a child is sexually abused. Sexual violence is a pervasive issue, affecting people of all ages, genders, backgrounds, and identities.”
Complex mental health issues sometimes develop from severe trauma. We’re fortunate in Colorado to have several well-qualified professionals who can help. If you know of someone who needs help, please feel free to refer them to our website, where we have a list of professionals we recommend.
Abuse sometimes happens in places where we’ve turned for help, where we expect to get help rather than be traumatized. A great resource for those who have been hurt through churches is GRACE (Godly response to abuse in the Christian environment. www.netgrace.org.) Their mission is to empower Christian communities to recognize, prevent and respond to abuse.
“Clergy sexual abuse happens when a person with religious authority uses their role, position, and power to sexually harass, exploit, or engage in sexual activity with a person in their care. Clergy sexual abuse is about the misuse of power by the perpetrator and the inability of the victim to provide consent because of that power differential.” – Dr. Pooler
One of the most effective ways I have found to “stay sane” is through prayer. Prayer gives me the opportunity to put into words what I am thinking and feeling, while talking with God. Prayer also means listening for His response – allowing Him to help me to process and see things from new perspectives.
We’d love to learn what helps you to stay mentally healthy. Thanks for caring for the traumatized among us.
— Sues Hess and the Reclaiming Hope Team
WHAT CAN I DO?
In an effort to prepare for what is our busier season for Hope Bags we are asking for more donations. Click below if you feel called to donate.
Thank you for being our prayer warriors! Please join us in praying for the following this month:
We continuously send Hope Bags across the nation. May they communicate God’s unconditional love for the Survivors who receive them
May the connections listed on our Survivor Resource List help Survivors find the services they need.
Our next friend-raising event is in the books!
May 16th from 9 – 5:30 pm
Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse
1268 Interquest Pkwy
Come grab pizza, chat with others connected to Reclaiming Hope, and support the organization just by eating!
The Dirty Dozen List is an annual campaign calling out twelve mainstream entities for facilitating, enabling, and even profiting from sexual abuse and exploitation. Since its inception in 2013, the Dirty Dozen List has galvanized thousands of individuals like YOU to call on corporations, government agencies, and organizations to change problematic policies and practices. This campaign has yielded major victories at Google, Netflix, TikTok, Hilton Worldwide, Verizon, Walmart, US Department of Defense, and many more.
Save the Date!
SEPTEMBER 10
Reclaiming Hope’s annual fund-raising dinner. Details to come!
Thank you to the groups that helped us in the past month through volunteering and bringing in donations.
