Volume II / Issue 11 — 25 May 2021
This newsletter issue is written by Lisa, IOM’s Director of Operations. Creating opportunities for new voices and perspectives is what we’re all about. Enjoy!
It might seem cliche, but this pandemic we are living through has changed my perspective on mental health. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and I think we need to talk about it. Unfortunately, mental health is not something that we have been comfortable discussing. How often do you watch the news and hear about someone that committed a horrific crime, and trivialize the crime by saying, “Wow, that person must have had some kind of mental breakdown!”
When did you have your last mental breakdown? What was it about? I think I have some kind of crisis at least every other day. Sometimes, it can be as simple as wondering how I am going to lose the “quarantine 19” I have gained.(It could be more, I gave up on buying new batteries for my scale.) Or, it could be as deep as wondering how am I going to stop hurting from the loss of my mom.
Living in a pandemic has forced us to live in our own little bubbles and not always take other’s feelings into account.
My daughters are college graduates and have “flown the coop.” As such, I had a hard time connecting with all the families that have had to deal with homeschooling at the dining room table during the past year. No one gives you a manual when you become a parent, but somehow you wing it and hope for the best. However, nowhere in the parent guide is there a chapter on homeschooling. So moms and dads have attempted to teach their child “the new math” only to throw up their hands in frustration and say, “I DON”T KNOW, GO ASK YOUR [OTHER PARENT]!”
Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, a gifted IOM Family member, recently participated in a webinar entitled “How Teens Can Cope With the Past Year’s Stressors” focusing on overcoming mental health issues within the context of a global pandemic. This webinar hit home with me because it was organized by the high school my daughters attended.
Never before have we realized the incredible and challenging work that teachers are tasked with every day. But, who can a teacher turn to when he or she is at their wits end? Why does a teacher go back day after day? More importantly, what does it take for a teacher to just quit (which too many have felt compelled to do? We need our teachers and we need to support them.
Be well,
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“Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.”
– Margaret Wheatley –
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Latest News and Upcoming Events
Highlighting Mental Health Awareness Month
Our online content is curated to be fun, informative, and inspirational. This month, we are also focusing on Mental Health Awareness. As such, we’ve decided to share inspiring quotes by various authors and writers throughout May. From contemporary author, Matt Haig, to classics like Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinson, we hope you enjoy this addition to our normal roster of creative content!
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