FINDING OUR PEACE IN THE WORLD'S STORM
With everything that is happening in the world, it’s okay to give yourself permission to feel upset, to feel worried, to feel confused, and to feel sad. What we feel matters! Validate your emotions. Knowing what to do with our emotions and how to manage them can be challenging and excruciating to bear. Not only do we have our personal challenges, but many of us also find ourselves to be carrying the burdens of the world. World events have changed the way we move, the way we think, and our outlook of our future.
But remember, WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER. From social inequality and injustice issues, to COVID-19 stressors, to the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, we have ALL experienced changes in our environments, our lives, and ourselves.
So, how are you holding up? Where are these stressors showing up in you? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Unmotivated? Mentally fatigued? Easily irritated? You might be wondering, what can you do about it?
Well, I’m glad you asked.
First off, congratulations: YOU ARE STILL HERE. Despite all of the above, and everything occurring around you, you have found a way to stay in school, take care of what is necessary within your mental capacity, and still remain in route to control your own destiny. Have you taken the time to acknowledge this?
What if I told you that all you need is what you already have? Would you believe me? Let’s look at how you can give yourself permission to “feel” and manage those “feelings” for yourself.
- Validate your feelings. Take time to tell yourself, “It is okay to feel this way.” Learn to acknowledge rather than suppress your feelings. Suppression is an unhealthy temporary bandage. When you suppress your feelings, they don’t go away – they are just stored somewhere. Think of your emotions being placed in a container. At some point, the container becomes full, and eventually, it overflows. This is what I refer to as the “Boom-Pow” effect. In this moment, you are not able to think rationally, and unhealthy – sometimes even dangerous – behaviors show up. Learning to validate, work through, and manage your emotions will help you keep your container from overflowing.
- Take time to do self-reflection. Challenge your thoughts that lead you to feel the way you do, and reframe your thoughts if they do not serve you, or if they create a barrier to your growth and movement forward.
- Take care of yourself. Maintain a self-care regimen. Provide time for you every day. Connect with the beauty of nature, maybe by taking a walk, or sitting outside. Look in the mirror at yourself and feed yourself positive affirmations with acknowledgement of who you are, what you have already done for yourself, and where you are going. I have a positive self-affirmation that I tell myself daily: “My past is only a thread of my story, but it does not define who I am and who I am becoming in my story.”
- If you do not understand something, RESEARCH IT. Do not allow the media, or some other person’s versions of something become your version. In other words, develop your own understanding and feelings about whatever is going on. If you believe in something, you should be able to justify your belief, through other means than because someone told you so, or something you heard. Ask yourself, what do you believe in? Can you explain why?
- Accept that sometimes you are wrong. This is hard for all of us. Understand that acknowledging our wrongs can promote a great opportunity for growth within us.
- Remove the stigma of needing mental health services (counseling). Whether it be a cultural “no-no” within your family, or whether you think “counselors are for other people,” push through these barriers and get the help that you need. Counselors can provide you with support, a non-judgmental ear, and assistance with living a healthy functioning and fulfilling life.
- Discriminate between what is out of your control and what is in your control. Often, we will find ourselves ruminating over things that we cannot control or change. There is great strength within us. However, there are some things that we cannot control, such as other people, world events, the weather, stopping time, and structures of rules and regulations, just to name a few. We can control ourselves with what we allow to occupy our mental spaces and how we respond to our challenges.
As I stated above, “All you need is what you already have.” You can validate your feelings, self-reflect, take care of yourself, research things you do not understand, acknowledge when you are wrong, remove the mental health stigma, and discriminate what is in your control and not in your control. Do you believe me now? Empower yourself, advocate for yourself, and encourage yourself.
Please contact your ASA/ADON for resources or complete a Student Support Counselor Referral if you are experiencing unmanageable mental health symptoms and/or experiencing unsafe conditions that are affecting your academic success. Your Student Support Counselor will be able to assess your symptoms and get you the help that you need.
Please attend Open Consultation hours available on Thursdays 10am-12pm/6pm-8pm using the link below.
(You do not need a referral form completed for Open Consultation)
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU.
Watch the video below to learn about our referral process to get resources and support.