{"id":2781,"date":"2021-10-07T15:08:20","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T15:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=2781"},"modified":"2021-10-07T15:08:20","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T15:08:20","slug":"mental-health-90-day-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2021\/10\/07\/mental-health-90-day-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health 90-Day Challenge!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Bernadette Joy Graham,
MA, LPC, NCC,
Licensed Mental Health Therapist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Mental Health Moment<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Bernadette Joy Graham, MA, LPC, NCC, CCHt, Licensed Mental Health Therapist
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Truth Contributor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Happy Fall and hello October!\u00a0 Dear readers we are closing in on the end of 2021 and, before we know it, we will be again celebrating holidays, dressing in warm clothing, sledding and definitely experiencing some emotional ups and downs that seem to creep up and beat us down by the New Year.\u00a0 Why wait until January 1 to make some promises for the new year.\u00a0 Start now with some mental health goals.<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019ve never had a mental health assessment? First, ask yourself \u201cdo I need a mental health assessment?\u201d\u00a0 Most of us will say yes if we are truly being honest with ourselves but the kicker involves to what degree do we need an assessment?\u00a0 Mild, moderate or severe?<\/p>\n

I believe the words can speak for themselves depending upon how you are feeling but I will explain further.\u00a0 Mild<\/strong> = some mood swings, feeling unhappy sometimes, maybe some sleepless nights due to some low-level anxiety.\u00a0 Moderate <\/strong>= many mood swings, many sleepless nights or too much sleeping, anxiety levels that rock so hard it interferes with your functioning at work, home and personal relationships.\u00a0 Severe<\/strong> = Daily mood swings, thoughts of harm to self or others, inability to work or keep relationships going.\u00a0 Once you have identified your level, it\u2019s time for some decisions.<\/p>\n

If you have a counselor\/therapist you have seen in the past and comfortable seeing them again, call and make an appointment, express your concerns with the upcoming end of year possible complications and they will be happy to schedule you.<\/p>\n

If you have never been to a counselor\/therapist and you have insurance, call your insurance company and ask for providers within range of your driving distance (remember to filter out who you want to see \u2013 male, female, African American, Hispanic, providers who specialize in LGBTQ, etc.)\u00a0 If you do not have insurance, you always have the option to pay out of pocket as some providers have a sliding fee scale that meet your income needs but you can also be covered by Medicaid as it is open enrollment time \u2013 Online at https:\/\/medicaid.ohio.gov\/wps\/portal\/gov\/medicaid\/<\/a> or contact Jobs and Family Services at 419-213-8800.<\/p>\n

Just in case you are that person who says \u201cnope, I refuse to go talk to a complete stranger, not telling my business\u201d\u2026..etc etc, whatever the case may be then here are some steps to take but these are only for the mild maybe some moderate but if you feel you meet the severity described above please seek help immediately from friend, family, any medical provider, emergency room or 911.<\/p>\n

Do not allow the holidays to creep up on you and believe \u201cI got this, I\u2019m good.\u201d\u00a0 News alert \u2013 it worsens each year when we often think all we need is time to heal<\/em>\u2026.no you need some help and not the kind that is rolled in some papers or corked in a bottle from the liquor store.<\/p>\n

If you do this 90-day mental health challenge alone, you will need some resources just because<\/em> they can help.\u00a0 Visit Ohio\u2019s mental health website at www.rtor.org<\/a>\u00a0 also mental health & addiction services website at www.ohio.gov<\/a>\u00a0 last but surely not least, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Now flip over your vision boards, pull out your whiteboards or just a notebook and begin to list the big issues such as loss of loved ones who have passed away, any type of abuse \u2013 mental, emotional, physical and sexual no matter how long ago, and addictions and substance abuse issues.<\/p>\n

Next, begin to note what feelings and emotions do not serve you well, such as crying spells at work or school, feeling angry and irritable every day, inability to sleep or feeling lonely and worthless.\u00a0 Next, note what you want to change in the next 90-days such as \u201cI want to stop feeling so angry,\u201d \u201cI want to stop drinking alcohol so much when I\u2019m lonely,\u201d \u201cI want to feel better somehow after losing someone I loved.\u201d\u00a0 Lastly, begin recommendations to yourself on how you can begin to make changes no matter how small such as \u201cI will not isolate every day,\u201d \u201cI will report my abuse and\/or find a safer place\/situation,\u201d \u201cI will stop thinking so much about what I don\u2019t have or can\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you have arrived at the notion that you feel unable to do this alone, you are probably right \u2013 seek help, begin talking to someone.\u00a0 We are only human, we live in the Midwest (cold, dark and icy), and we are still surviving a pandemic\u2026.no one should be so happy that they cannot stand themselves right now.\u00a0 Whatever you do, do not feel you are alone or the only one with that issue\u2026hence the resources as they provide statistics and share common information.<\/p>\n

By December 31, if your only accomplishment has been to enroll in healthcare, throw a parade, pat yourself on the back and smile because by then any accomplishment will be better than none so don\u2019t become overwhelmed, do what you can but just be sure to do something different and positive from last year.\u00a0 This is a busy time of year for us all, especially medical and mental health providers but we are never too busy to help you.\u00a0 Things don\u2019t change, people do\u2026.check in with you all in November now go out there and get your mind right!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bernadette Graham is a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. She is also a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. Provide feedback or reach out at graham.bernadette@gmail.com\u00a0 For appointment information please call 419.409.4929 \u00a0(Appointments available on Tuesdays and Fridays only). Office location is 3454 Oak Alley Ct. Suite 300 Toledo, OH 43606 www.bjgrahamcounseling.org\u00a0 Available for team building, employee empowerment in motivation and better understanding mental health in the work place.\u00a0 Accepting new client ages 13 and older.\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Mental Health Moment By Bernadette Joy Graham, MA, LPC, NCC, CCHt, Licensed Mental Health Therapist The Truth Contributor Happy Fall and hello October!\u00a0 Dear readers we are closing in on the end of 2021 and, before we know it, we will be again celebrating holidays, dressing in warm clothing, sledding and definitely experiencing some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,17],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[77],"class_list":["post-2781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2781"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2782,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781\/revisions\/2782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2781"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=2781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}