How are you doing?
No, really. How are you doing?
If you are like me, answering this question is difficult.
The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (May 2 to 8, 2022) is #GetReal, which encourages people to #GetReal about what is really going on in our lives, but also to listen to others as they attempt to truly communicate.
For the last two years, we were encouraged to “stay home,” isolate and keep our distance as COVID spread through our community. Now, the world is opening up and our community is shifting to a “learn to live” with COVID model, which includes shifting our mindset to one of resilience and adaptability.
As a person who has struggled with social anxiety (a fear of doing the wrong thing at the worst possible moment), I will admit that the move towards a sort-of-almost-not-quite normal has wreaked havoc on my mental health.
Where I used to worry about calling someone by the wrong name or tucking my skirt into my undergarments, I find myself avoiding social activities I once enjoyed. I’m not sure about the current rules about masks, what casual dress even means or if I’m comfortable around more people than my partner.
I also find that the complex emotions like grief, anger, fear, embarrassment and loneliness continue to linger and hold me back from many fulfilling social engagements and interactions. Truth, I may not be good at working through some of the tough bits of life.
Interesting fact: I am not alone.
In any given year, one in five people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness. While mental health and mental illness are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, mental health is a concept similar to “physical health” as it refers to a state of well-being. Mental health includes our emotions, thoughts, feelings, connections, and being able to manage life’s highs and lows.
One of the best ways to reconnect with others and our mental health is to answer the question honestly, “How are you doing?” It’s also just as important that we listen to others with open hearts and utter empathy when they answer that question. We all want to be heard and seen. Empathy is our hearing aid and eyeglasses.
This was a lesson I learned through volunteering for a very special organization on the Sunshine Coast – Arrowhead Clubhouse.
Arrowhead Clubhouse, one of 35 programs operated by the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society, is a place where people living with mental illness on the Sunshine Coast can come to learn skills, get support, and build relationships in a safe, stigma-free environment. It is a community of hope where individuals find encouragement, opportunities, and, most importantly, a sense of ownership and belonging.
While I donate two hours of my time each week to helping them with social media and communications, the members have left me with incredible insight into resiliency, inspired me with their heart, awed me with their authenticity, and taught me the power of empathy. In short, I have learned how to handle the tough bits in life – including COVID.
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Arrowhead Clubhouse invites you to an open house and BBQ at 5554 Inlet Avenue, Sechelt on Thursday, May 5, 2022 from noon to 1 p.m. Come out, grab some lunch, take a tour of the clubhouse and learn about this essential service on the Sunshine Coast.
If nothing else, a little mental health break for lunch and great company may help change your answer to the “how are you doing?” question. It usually does for me.
