Making it Through These Challenging Times: Hamilton Center Promotes Resiliency as Tool for Success
There isn’t anyone in the nation that hasn’t felt the effects of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, nor been stirred by the recent and lasting political discourse; however, it’s true to say that the lasting impact on our mental health from these chronic experiences can vary based on one key factor: resiliency.
Currently, Hamilton Center, Inc., the local community mental health center for a number of counties in West Central Indiana, is focusing on developing emotional resiliency with those seeking and currently receiving mental health services.
“During these times of quarantine and political anxiety, our service providers focus on assisting our consumers in developing resiliency,” said Mark Collins, Chief Clinical Officer. “Resiliency is often thought of as the ability to overcome or withstand challenging events, though we also frame it as the ability to recover or even grow from these types of events.”
American’s mental health has declined since 2019, according to a recent poll conducted by Gallup in November 2020. The report highlights this as the lowest rating in nearly two decades, and cites 34 percent of Americans reporting a mental health rating of “excellent” in 2020, a nine-point drop from 43 percent in 2019. In addition, only 76 percent of Americans even rated their current state of mental well-being as positive, another nine-point drop from 2019.Today, the term resiliency can be broadly used to describe our state of mind in relation to our current lives, including financial resilience, immune resilience, and emotional or mental resilience, all of which are unique problems and equal in importance. The first two seem to be most relevant to our current and future state; though focusing on the latter two is likely to be the most impactful.
“In working with anyone who might have experienced a traumatic or anxiety-inducing event one, of our goals is to develop emotional resiliency in that person,” said Sara Chambers, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Trauma Informed Care Specialist. “By building resiliency, a person is better equipped to make it through and recover from emotionally challenging events.”
“A huge factor right now is that not only is everyone experiencing these challenging times, but they also cannot seem to
decompress from them due to social media and other forms of media,” said Collins. “We encourage individuals to proactively unplug, step back from it all, and give themselves a moment to really prioritize their mental wellbeing over these things.”
Here are five things anyone can do to develop resiliency:
- Be open to change and allow for flexibility
- Keep things in perspective
- Take care of yourself with activities you enjoy
- Prioritize your relationships
- Ask for help if you need it
Hamilton Center is open and currently serving all mental and behavioral health needs. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call 800-742-0787.
