What exactly is mental health? How can you tell when your or someone else’s mental health may be out of balance? If so, how to restore that balance What steps can be taken to do so?
Goldeners delved into these tough questions and more at a new Mental Health 101 event held at the Community Center on April 3rd. About 25 people attended the presentation, led by the Jefferson Mental Health Center, followed by community-focused questions from Golden United and other local agencies.
Golden United member Ron Benioff and his colleagues said that based on feedback from the April 3 event, they plan to hold similar events in the future, including a mental health first aid class.
Benioff, who helped organize the event, said it was part of an “important conversation about mental health and wellness” within the Golden community. He said mental health is a “big challenge for us as individuals and for our communities as a whole,” and that Golden United and its partners want to provide resources to support Golden United on their journey. I explained how I was thinking.
Presenter Charles Floyd, Community Engagement Coordinator at the Jefferson Center for Mental Health, said: Mental health is a journey that everyone walks alone.
While there are resources available to help with that journey, including treatment, crisis services, and community support at large, Floyd said that because “no one else is experiencing the world the way you are,” He said each person’s journey is unique.
Floyd said he has long shared a multifaceted definition of mental health that is largely accepted by medical professionals. He focused on the term “dynamic state of internal equilibrium” and emphasized that no one should feel like they are failing even if they feel out of balance right now.
He also said no one is too old to start taking care of their mental health.
When and how to ask for help
Floyd said common mental health warning signs include:
- Changes in mood, behavior, thought patterns, and/or personality.
- Increased substance use.
- social withdrawal;
- Eating too much or too little.and
- can not sleep.
These apply to ourselves and others, but it’s often easier to recognize changes in others, Floyd says.
Mr. Floyd offered a list of self-help strategies that emphasize physical movement. Spend time in nature and/or with your community. Meditation and deep breathing exercises. proper nutrition; and good sleep habits.
“Do whatever works for you,” Floyd said. “Do whatever you can to fulfill yourself and keep moving forward.”
She encouraged people to seek professional resources if self-help strategies don’t provide enough relief or if they simply feel they need to talk to someone. He stressed that people should absolutely seek professional help if they are considering suicide or self-harm.
Floyd said the Jefferson Mental Health Center offers a wide range of services to those in need, including individual, group and family therapy options. Support from peer specialists. Wellness classes and coaching. Parenting resources. School-based services. and substance use treatment. We also have resources for children, youth, families, seniors, veterans, and military personnel.
Additionally, in July, JCMH will merge with Denver-based WellPower, making it the largest mental health organization in Colorado, he said.
Whether Golden recognizes the red flags himself or sees them in others, Floyd is more likely to seek professional help for himself or tell a loved one that they should. “It takes a lot of courage,” he said.
“Society tells us to mind our own business,” Floyd continued. “So, it’s hard to say…’Hey, I feel like you’re not someone I know. Is everything okay?'”
What’s next for Golden?
After Mr. Floyd’s presentation, members of Golden United, Golden Rotary Club, and other community partners asked the 25 or so attendees what mental health topics they would like to see addressed at future events. Asked. Participants indicated that they would be interested in mental health first aid classes, especially if they could attend online or in-person. They also wanted to make sure teenagers and Colorado School of Mines students were included in these community discussions.
Benioff said Golden United plans to hold an additional event or two with these suggestions in mind, adding that he was “really pleased with the results of the April 3 Mental Health 101 event.” “There is,” he said.
Despite the very heavy topic, he thought attendees had “frank, open and good suggestions” and questions.
Golden’s Cummings family was among those in attendance April 3 and said they attended because they found the topic useful and relevant. Chris Cummings said Floyd was very passionate and engaging about mental health and was able to keep things appropriately light without detracting from the heavy subject matter.
Michelle Cummings said she was grateful to learn about the precise definition of mental health and the steps people can take to maintain their inner balance. Staying physically and socially active is a step the Cummingses have discussed as a family, and Michelle emphasized that warning signs can easily “creep up.”
She described a person’s mental health as like a piece of a puzzle, adding: “Everything is important.”
Additional mental health resources
Contact Colorado Crisis Services 24/7 at 844-493-8255 or text TALK to 38255.
Jefferson Center for Mental Health Walk-in Center, located at 4643 Wadsworth Blvd, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is available to anyone who is currently in crisis or just needs someone to talk to.
A complete list of all JCMH locations and services is available at jcmh.org.
