WELL-BEING
Check in with your inner self this year
“Many have this romanticized notion of what the holidays should be, but instead they feel more isolated and disconnected from all of the merriment that has been going on.”
Now that we are almost a full week into the new year, hopefully, the transition back to your normal routine after all of the holiday hoopla is going smoothly. You might have set some new goals for yourself for 2023 that pertain to your health, like joining a gym, shedding some pounds, or carving out more “me time” for yourself. If that’s the case, you might be feeling renewed energy as you are in the process of achieving those goals.
But for some, the holidays can be an entirely different experience and the new year might translate into feeling directionless, hopeless and stuck in a bad place.
“Anxiety and depression can be heightened during the holidays because we can feel a larger sense of disconnectedness,” said Kirsten Freitag Murray, director of development and public relations at Creative Health Services in Pottstown. “Many have this romanticized notion of what the holidays should be, but instead they feel more isolated and disconnected from all of the merriment that has been going on.”
Creative Health is a place to turn to if you need help. The community behavioral health center offers many different services to all ages.
“We serve individuals across the lifespan — children, adults and families,” Murray said. “We are serving your mental health issues, anxiety, depression and also substance abuse issues.”
She sees the new year as a good opportunity to address and check in with your inner self.
“Goals like losing some weight or learning to ski or knit are all great, but you can also have resolutions such as, ‘I’m going to pay attention to my inner self and my well-being needs’,” she said.
Murray suggested asking yourself what you need that will help you feel “more well-being.”
“A goal someone could set is to do some self-care in accessing behavioral health services,” Murray said. “At Creative Health Services we really do work with addressing wellbeing — mental health is wellbeing.”
You might want to improve the way you feel on a daily basis or feel more connected to the people in your life or the purpose of your life.
“Those are things that, through the services we provide, folks can move forward and get out of that stuck position,” she said.
At some point, Murray said that no matter how it looks to people on the outside, we can all struggle with feelings of isolation and disconnection.
“Sometimes those feelings can get larger and can become depression, she said. “It’s normal and healthy to be selfaware and take action to receive help before it feels overwhelming.”
In some cases, an individual might be feeling so down and anxious that they don’t have the capacity to reach out to get the help they need.
“It’s also good for everyone to be aware, not only of what is going on with themselves, but what’s going on with the people in your life,” she said. “Gently and lovingly talk about that with your loved one who is struggling.”
Murray offers suggestions as to the best way to offer help. Overall, she recommends the best thing you can do if someone is struggling is to try to have a positive influence and speak positively about mental health.*
“You can tell them, ‘I’d be happy to make this phone call while you are in the room for you to get help’, ‘I’d be happy to go with you to therapy’, ‘I’d be happy to drive you there’, ‘I’d be happy to watch your kids while you go to therapy’,” she said.
It might take some time for someone to warm up to the idea of getting help.
“Keep encouraging them to be open-minded about receiving behavioral health care,” she said. “Bring it up gently and at the appropriate times.”
Creative Health services about 6,000 individuals per year, primarily from Montgomery County, along with parts of Chester and Berks County.
In addition to behavioral health needs, the center also has ways to connect people to basic needs through referrals and the sharing of community resources.
“We have a case management arm,” Murray said. “If someone is having trouble paying their fuel bill, for example, we have ways to connect you to opportunities to do that.”
In addition to resources, their case management services can help in cases where you don’t have the health insurance to cover the behavioral health services they offer.
“Case management will help you apply for the insurance that is needed if you are eligible, so that is another obstacle that is taken down for receiving care,” Murray said.
For more information, visit www.creativehs.org ,call 484941-0500 or email info@creativehs.org