Upper Mental Management

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Upper Mental Management

My Hip Life Monthly

After a recent trip to America’s west coast, specifically – California, I feel compelled to address the elephants in the room or at least discuss the state within that State as it pertains to humanity wellness or moreover, the lack of.

Mental Health affects everyone in the world at one point or more during their life.  Fact.

We talk a lot about coping techniques, prevention tools, warning signs, triggers, and of course patterned behavior as we condition our health in progress daily to form and create positive, consistent habits.  We also share resources for therapy, programs, support, and interventions to assist in the complicated, often lonely, and shamed inquiries or unveiling of our personal conditions we become aware or concerned and moreover, conflicted about.

It is asked of us at emergency care centers across N. America when someone requires medical intervention, close to the ledge and abnormally reactive to whatever complex mental health trauma they are exhibiting; “are we a danger to ourselves and others?”.0   You would assume that someone in that state is absolutely in immediate danger to both self and others as in majority of these cases, the individual is suicidal.  However, this question immediately results in fear-based control and eradicating the systems from having to address the weakened minds.  Many individuals not in a financial position to apply the medical care needed are in constraints already and thus the downfall of humanity right where we need it most but as like all social inequality cruxes to society – our Countries still admittedly differentiate the rich from the poor; the well from the sick; the good from the bad; the leaders from the followers, the educated from the non.  The list goes on, the problems remain, and the result is a staggering downward spiral from creating solutions towards the reality, which is – we are creating more problems.  Mental Health a paramount pitfall and abundantly growing problem worldwide which leads to a long list of subsequent problems from there.

Mental illness and mental health disorders are a vicious cycle of tremendous pain, despair, anger, shame, and hopelessness so we need to stop pushing people away from emergency rooms for starters.  We have treatment plans and programs in place for all other conditions, so its high time we provide more time for patients to heal in a safe, controlled, assisted environment when they are suffering and seeking help.  Referrals to other facilities for the various symptoms and diagnosis presented should be made from there thus allowing the properly trained professionals to treat everyone as individually needed.

Add on to this circle of care beginning with those front-line workers and first point of contacts for those attributing mental health symptoms.   in that spectrum of wellness’s variable ways that it can and does conflict with the patient in Urgent care that may have broken a limb or perhaps experiencing covid-like symptoms which, lets be honest – truly do not synergize well in an emergency for both mental and physical health inflicted patients.  However, the opportunity here is to employ the right front-line workers that are not only equipped and trained properly on how to treat every individual mental health patient but also have the compassion, empathy and patience to align hand in hand from their initial intakes in regard to body language, tone, facial expressions and absolutely their overall communication techniques.  It’s time to stop shaming and even silently passing unknown judgements towards mental health disorders.   Unless the fight is your own, one can never predetermine the reasons for, the potential problems from and the solutions overall that would be necessary to “fix” any individual with mental illness.

Our job as always is to love one another and to share ourselves selflessly, while learning about the things that may harm us and how to behave in a cruel, uncomfortable situation that we may temporarily encounter throughout our day to days ( and I don’t just mean inside the health care systems but generally everywhere we go in life should we be equipped with this knowledge and those attributes).

BE THE LIGHT.

The world is full of darkness and mental illness comes with a plagued bucket full of that shadowed veil and dark minded state. This leads me to a very unfortunate set of warnings I was appealed to be wary of and to also fear should I not heed their advice.  I am referring to my time in the State that is globally known for the epidemic pharma related addictions and death it is known for.  Referring to that States growing unemployment rates, economic regression, peak in crime related activities, high number of immigrants, veterans, physically disabled and certainly mentally impaired individuals.  Also – i refer to all of this as in relation to the above-mentioned crisis the impact that all of these individuals have within communities nationwide is not favorable when their situations are not governed and matched with the appropriate solutions they require.

What is happening on a larger-than-life scale is the unavoidable “rock bottom” that hundreds of thousands face and continue to fall into, which is homelessness.  This to me as a non-citizen, non-resident and uninvolved traveler simply made privy to provoked such compassion and unquestionable concern for what was eye witnessed and more importantly, what was conveyed to me by several locals, one of which was local law enforcement.

I was told, “not to look or stop to talk to anyone on the streets”, “not to smile or give eye contact if someone approaches you”, to “walk quickly and avoid these streets as much as possible” and to “just ignore what you see and look the other way around here”.

Now I am not about putting myself into life threatening situations or provoking unnecessary scenarios where and when it’s evidently not my place to do so.  However, I am about kindness.  I am about being the light.  I am very much about non-judgmental, unfearful, genuinely indifferent co-existence and compassionately dwelling amongst the people that surround us all, whenever and wherever we should be. I was rather put off by this heeded advice so further to that, I marched my happy demeanor self right through the poverty-stricken masses, smiling where applicable, responsive cordially when situations called for and maintaining all the time, the light that I pray burns brightly from within me. This to, a protector as it is my faith above all that strengthens my walk throughout life and guides my path…this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!

Finally, while stopping to sit and write within a local park did I have the fortunate opportunity to be positioned to meet a young man my own age that depicted everything all advice insisted I turn my back to.  A man who had been homeless for 80% of his life at the now age of 41. He was full of effortless joy.  His street sense is more intellectually profound than many “Educated” white collared middle class might believe they preside above low-income locals such as he.  A man who didn’t share a story that blamed, passed judgement, or victimized his realities as he told it to me.  A guy that I trusted explicitly from the first warm greeting right through to my next day departure home as from this meeting of two like minds (that couldn’t be more opposite in terms of the worlds we both had come from), we went on to explore the city, enjoy laughter, share learnings and dissect the state of the States mentality as it has divided itself from supporting ill mentalities.

Refreshing?  Hell ya.

Enlightening?  Absolutely.

Memorable? Um, yes – as I write this almost two months later to finally give the proper context and purpose behind sharing the significance.

Change provoking?  You tell me.  Do any of these harsh facts, normalized realities, unfortunate but solution worthy circumstances and symptomatic problems hit a nerve or soft spot for you? Do you disagree, agree or feel absolutely numb from any connection as you read my words?

One thing and I do promise to end this here, is a reminder that people who are tormented with mental health, come by it through no fault of their own. People with mental illness can and will recover when properly treated and given compassion. Those individuals are deserving of legitimate care, an accessible pathway towards it, or, at the very least, a fighting chance to experience relief from this horrible illness.

Don’t be discouraged by the ignorance around us because a spoken word of encouragement can go a long way, especially when someone is in desperate need of hope. When you or someone else is in a dark place, just a little bit of light can make a huge difference. Let’s be that light in the darkness and be seen as a trusted beacon for those who are weathering through life’s storms.

The current times are wet and many of us are drowning.  If you can be the change, for yourself, from within … then we can all make a difference as hearts change minds.

With Love and Hope <3

A.

I’ll be your candle on the water,

My love for you will always burn.

I know you’re lost and drifting

But the clouds are lifting.

Don’t give up, you have somewhere to turn.

I’ll be your candle on the water,

‘Till every wave is warm and bright.

My soul is there beside you,

Let this candle guide you.

Soon you’ll see a golden stream of light.

A cold and friendless tide has found you,

Don’t let the stormy darkness pull you down.

I’ll paint a ray of hope around you,

Circling in the air,

Lighted by a prayer.

I’ll be your candle on the water,

This flame inside of me will grow.

Keep holding on, you’ll make it,

Here’s my hand so take it.

Look for me, reaching out to show,

As sure as rivers flow,

I’ll never let you go.

I’ll never let you go.

I’ll never let you go…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]