Inspirations

This week, many of us will proceed to the polls to cast our votes for the presidential election. Voting this year looks different. Some are voting by mail for the first time or voting early to avoid crowds, while others are voting on election day to maintain the status quo. Although the process of voting this year may feel foreign, the fundamental right to vote remains the same. The act of voting provides us with the choice to support leaders who align with our values and the social issues we observe as prevalent to ourselves and others well-being. Today’s political polarization and the increasing acceptance of violent rhetoric is leaving many of us to question reality, and struggle with the preoccupations of right and wrong. In the face of this dilemma, we are reminded of the importance to exercise our right to vote and speak out with direct expression. Direct expression allows us to put accurate words to our thoughts and feelings to ultimately feel heard by others.

As we go into the election week, we want to remind everyone to be compassionate with themselves. We encourage you to practice direct expression of your thoughts, feelings and sensations to allow others to hear your voice. We want to hear from you. How are you using your voice to be heard? How are you rocking the vote this year? How is this year and this presidential election empowering you?

Halloween is almost here! We have been enjoying the festive decorations at our local stores and have appreciated the playful displays of skeletons, witches, and Frankensteins throughout our neighborhoods. Halloween is the one night a year we are encouraged to express our creativity through disguising our identities, and finally we can consider a different kind of mask than what we have all been prioritizing over the last seven months. We fully embrace the upbeat nature of this holiday (we love candy, too), and simultaneously have been thinking about the function of disguise during the other 364 days in a year.

As it turns out, many of us wear some version of a mask nearly every day. This is so common, in fact, that DBT has a name for it! Apparent Competence describes that “thing” we do to mask our emotional vulnerability, suffering, or capability. While apparently competent behaviors vary from person to person, they typically function to “trick” our environment into believing we are more okay and more capable than we really are. Is this something you do? If so, what might you be avoiding in expressing yourself more authentically to your community? What are the pros and cons of wearing this mask?

On Halloween, some of us are attracted to glamorous costumes or dressing as a favorite cartoon or movie character. Others find themselves drawn to gory makeup, or dressing as Freddy Krueger. Wherever you find yourself, we would like for you to consider that perhaps the scariest, most glamorous thing you could do is avoid the trap of apparent competence and be your most authentic self.

Now, most importantly, what is your favorite candy? We can’t wait to hear what costumes you wear for Halloween, and how you will practice being more authentically you.

Since 1990, NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness) has designated a week in October to raise awareness about mental health.  One out of every five adults in America live with mental health concerns. However, many of such adults do not seek treatment in the early stages of mental illnesses as they don’t recognize the symptoms.  Accordingly, Mental Health Awareness week is designed to promote education about symptoms of major mental health disorders.

During the month of October, Metro has been raising mental health awareness by sharing information about mental health symptoms. Additionally, we are challenging some rigidly held beliefs about mental health.  We are also encouraging family, friends and therapists to step in as advocates to support each other.

We want to inspire people to recommit to a routine of self-care.  We want mental health to be a common part of any lifestyle and well-being discussion. We want to motivate people to be screened regularly for mental health concerns.  Finally, we want people to enthusiastically contribute to the knowledge and research currently being done to recognize and understand signs of mental health concerns.

The past 7 days has been a whirlwind, it feels more like a year worth of activity as opposed to only a week. Whether its wildfires, partisan politics, Covid, or school challenges, many of us are finding ourselves navigating tremendous distress. It’s difficult to feel peaceful in this stressful environment.

Most of us are prioritizing our mental and physical health, attempting to make wise-minded decisions. However, it is normal to doubt our capacity to bear the discomfort and stress caused by the current environment. Sometimes we tend to forget, the help we need exists in implementing our distress tolerance skills. In particular, if we remember to stop, and choose our TIPP skills, in order, to best bear the discomfort until comfort comes. TIPP skills remind us that while we can’t calm our surroundings, we can turn the mind to calm oneself.

This week we want to hear how you have tried to bear distress until your storm passes. How have you creatively customized TIPP skills for yourself? What are your favorite ways to practice TIPP in your busy lives?

This year has brought on many challenges, both individually and as a society. Amidst current news, 2020 may continue to feel everlasting.  Each day we encounter a variety of emotions that can bring painful and uncomfortable sensations.  However, how we interact with these feelings can impact our mindset and overall emotional health. When we experience negative emotions, it is within our biology to treat the discomfort as a feared response, push it away, or reject it quickly. Practicing to experience our emotions through awareness is a part of learning to be mindful of our current emotions. When we allow ourselves the opportunity to observe our emotions, we come to learn that the sensations are temporary.  At the height of a powerful emotion, it is common for all or nothing thinking to creep in and to convince ourselves that the experience is permanent. We may start to use judgments, question reality, deny the sensations, or engage in harmful urges.  What we know about emotions is that as human beings these feelings, sensations, and urges are temporary and subside over time.

There are several ways we can practice this philosophy and embrace the temporary experiences. Two important and useful skills are the use of encouragement and self-validation. Using encouragement and self-validation during these moments can help us remind ourselves of the short-term nature of our emotions. Try practicing a mantra like “this too shall pass”, or “I have survived 100 percent of my previous painful emotions”, to help move through the emotion.  Feelings come in waves, and although some are stronger and more painful than others, they do pass. This week we want to hear about how you practice encouragement or self validation to help manage difficult emotions and cope through the waves of our emotions.

HOPE