Health: Self Harm Awareness Month

by Taliha, 10th grade

Can you believe it is already March? March is truly one of the busiest months, particularly with the mental health campaign going on in our world today, as it is self-harm awareness month.

Self-harm is defined as “deliberate injury to oneself, typically as a manifestation of a mental condition.” It can happen with people of all ages but is most common among teens. It is a symptom of emotional distress, or mental illness and can be fatal if not discussed. While it may be “taboo” to discuss mental health, it is important to break the cycle of self-harm for our future generation and inform them of this unhealthy behavior.

Reasons for self-harm vary, but some of the most common include poor coping skills, difficulty managing emotions or an undiagnosed mental illness. Through self-harm, a person may be trying to express feelings in an unhealthy way, provide a distraction from painful emotions or communicate depression. It is important to protect yourself and loved ones from self-harm by discussing your emotions, no matter how hard it may seem.

Having open conversations with your friends and family is crucial to understanding what every person is going through, and it is essential to remember that no emotion should be ignored. If you’re worried a friend or loved one might be hurting themself, ask them how they’re doing and be prepared to listen to the answer, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Getting an adult or a licensed professional is also a good idea, so they can intervene and make it easier for whoever is self-harming.

I hope this month that we all can reflect on our emotions and be there for our loved ones, no matter what!

Balance & Change: Cordiality, Kindness, and Tact: The Essentials of Constructive Communication

by Michelle Gottlieb, Psy.D., MFT, LPCC

Be cordial. Be kind. Be tactful. None of these are difficult concepts. We are taught them when we are young. Our pre-school teachers made sure that we followed these rules when we were but two or three. And yet, many people appear to have forgotten these very simple rules.

It is possible when we disagree with another person to keep these rules in mind. We can express what we are feeling and needing without resorting to name-calling, being degrading or being just plain mean. These same rules need to apply if we are talking to our partners, our children, our co-workers or political foes.

Communication simply stops when we begin to yell and say hurtful things. If your goal is for your “opponent” to listen to you, then follow my rules. If your goal is to create an atmosphere of hurt, distrust and non-cooperation, then do the opposite of these rules.
However, if we create an environment where it is safe to express our opinions, where we can discuss our differences and perhaps even honor them, then we can perhaps move towards a compromise that works for both sides. But only if we are cordial, kind and tactful.

Healthy Awareness: Sue’s Journey After Breast Cancer

by Jo Ann Branno­­­ck, Ph.D.

One of my readers recently asked me where I got the ideas for my Health Awareness Column. I get my ideas from real people and their life situations, but I change the names and situations in many cases so that they remain anonymous. I give my thanks to real people for learning from their experiences.

In this column, I want to talk about Sue and how she took charge of her life at the age of 43 when breast cancer came to call. Understandably, on receiving the news, she became depressed, but she pulled herself up by her bootstraps and took a hard look at her life.

She has a very successful career as a lawyer in a big city. But her job is very stressful, which probably played a role in her having cancer. After much thought and with an awareness of her mortality, she moved to a small town in the Midwest and conducted her business there. Sue only came to the city when she had to appear in court.

Something she always wanted to do was to own a horse. After she moved, she adopted a rescue horse named Hope. She was taking charge of and making the most of her fulfilling a wish. I saw a video of her riding her horse on the 4th of July in her hometown parade and have never seen Sue so happy. She recognizes that she does not have control over how long she has to live but is making the most of her life today.

Stress can also occur through daily dissatisfaction with your job. More than 60% of workers experience this dissatisfaction and suffer poor health. Here are several reasons from http://www.alhr.com/blog/job dissatisfaction why people become unhappy about their jobs:
1) Lack of appreciation of one’s work
2) Being or feeling underpaid
3) Experiencing inadequate management
4) Having limited career growth prospects
5) Lack of training and developmental options
6) Relationship difficulties in the workplace
7) Balancing home with work
8) An uninteresting or meaningless job

If any of these factors resonate with you, it might be time to make changes to enhance your life and reduce stress. Consider your choices and the direction you want to take. Remember not to quit your job until you’ve secured a new one, unless you can afford it.

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