May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and after everything that's been happening in our world recently, it may be more important than ever to talk about how you and your friends and family are doing.
WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with Ann Arbor psychologist, University of Michigan professor, and author Dr. Robert Pasick about his latest ideas to cope with our current emotional struggles and keep mentally balanced at this difficult time.
Dr. Pasick says people are struggling as the global health crisis drags on with no end in sight. He says that can make you anxious or depressed without you even knowing it. He suggests trying to talk to someone because sometimes your inner dialogue needs a reality check, adding, "It's hard to work it out in your head on your own." He says people need an outlet and someone to talk to because being isolated is not part of human nature.
He created a list of mental health guidelines for himself to refer to during the pandemic, which is listed below and discussed further in this interview:
- Keep working to know myself emotionally.
- Listen to others with full attention.
- Treat others with the utmost respect for what they are going through.
- As best as possible, stay connected with others with whom I have a meaningful relationship.
- Take good care of myself in terms of body, mind, and spirit.
- Take good care of others who are directly part of my life. Do what I can to be sure they can take care of themselves in terms of body mind and spirit.
- Reach out to others who may need my support.
- Recognize the power of fear, but also appreciate that fear does not need to be my guiding light.
- Remember that most often bad things happen just because, not through the fault of my own or the fault of others.
- Recognize that during these stressful times, I am going to make mistakes. What is most important is apologizing fully and accepting responsibility for whatever I have done to cause others discomfort.
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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu
