As a white person, I don’t generally have much to say about other groups. It’s not my place to talk about the hows and whys of the reluctance of black Americans to seek out mental health resources.
I do, however, know that there is a gap in the availability of treatment for most minority groups in the US and that it’s important for members of every group to talk about mental health.
These observational studies clearly tell us that being online could be both good and bad for us, and that may depend on what kind of shape we were in when we opened the browser today and what we chose to do while online.
I think this comment is correct: If you’re finding it hard to cope with the news and social media, you’re not alone. It isn’t easy to know when to stop reading the news. The line between being informed and obsessed with it to the point of impacting our lives and mental health is a fine…
It doesn’t have to be a grand purpose either, just something that makes you want to return each day. It can be wanting to learn something new, be there for the important days for a friend or family member, see what happens with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, or whatever makes you want to get up the next day to be part of it. That moves us to healing, showing up for our lives each day. That, to me, is purpose. What keeps you here? What keeps you connected to other people?
Do more of that.
I’m going to consider this as I write going forward. Not that I’ll suddenly become the source of toxic positivity, but I will think more about hope, healing, and growth because as hard as many things are, there is hope. We should remind people of that.
If you plan to talk about mental health topics, take a look at the research.
I’m linking to this not because I think we should all give up on finding a better balance between screen time and in-person time but because I want to remind all of us that simply taking away screens from someone struggling or kids is possibly taking away a lifeline, too. There are dangerous things out here on the internet, but there are also a lot of good, positive experiences.
