The American Red Cross states that, ” Stress is a normal response to a challenging physical or emotional situation. It can come from an event that makes you feel frustrated, angry or nervous. It is your body’s reaction to a challenge or demand. Toxic stress occurs when demands are out of balance with our resources for coping.”
Ask yourself something, are you stressed? The world is shut down, you have been in quarantine for over a month. You cannot go into work, school, your friend’s house or even church. You cannot enter a grocery store without the fear of getting a loved one sick, or becoming sick yourself. You might even be one of the heroes working in the medical field, a first responder, a member of a delivery service, a grocery store worker, or, in our world, our clergy. Church communities especially are looking to clergy for guidance, live streams and answers to difficult questions, as we all mourn the lives we had just months ago.
The better question is, how are you handling your stress? Did you know that some people are better at handling stress than others? There is no right or wrong way to handle stress, which comes in all shapes and sizes. Stress does not have an age requirement, and it affects everyone’s physical and mental health. We need to bring a mental health conversation into our communities, and more importantly into our households.
For the past few months, Metropolises across the Archdiocese have been researching resources to bring Mental Health awareness to our youth. We have found a great resource in the American Red Cross, whose class Mental Health First Aid, has now added models about COVID- 19. The class is currently FREE and is accessible by clicking the link here.
Please remember, that your personal mental health is truly the most important aspect of daily life. If you can recognize your own thoughts and feelings, you will be better equipped to help others, especially during events such as the pandemic. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity, by also taking this class, and sharing this information with your local community.
In His Service,
Monica Gjerde
Youth, Education & Hellenic Culture Coordinator
Metropolis of Atlanta