How’s It Going? No, I Mean Really. How Are You

Here we are in the middle of winter with the shorter days, the lower temps and depending where we are, snow and ice on the sidewalk and roads, holiday stresses …

Some of us aren’t doing well. We’ve been faking it through the holidays, smiling and greeting people, but deep down inside we know: We’re not OK. Whether we’re in a funk, sad, dispirited, depressed, hopeless, anxious … call it what you will, but some of us just are not OK.

With the new year we have the opportunity to resolve to change that and have a better 2024. The Department of Veterans Affairs stands ready to help us. All it takes to start is a phone call.

A first step might be calling the Veterans Crisis Line anytime day or night: Just dial 988 and press 1. Or you can text 838255. The voice on the other end is likely to be a veteran’s, specially trained. It’s free and confidential. These responders can hook you up with the resources you need to get help.

To get a little more info, go online to veteranscrisisline. net. Under the “Resources and Support” dropdown menu, select “Local Resources.” There you can search for local veteran’s help near you. You can also find local VA resources at va.gov/directory/guide/ allstate.asp.

To get info over the phone, call 800-273-8255 and press 1. If you have hearing loss, the TTY number is 800-799-4889.

If you happen to be active duty and you’re overseas, there’s still help for you. Go to veteranscrisisline.net and click on “How We Help,” then select “Military Crisis Line.” You’ll see a list of direct free phone numbers depending where you are: Europe, Korea, Philippines or Afghanistan. Or you can call the original Crisis Line if outside of the U.S.: 800273-8255 and press 1.

Remember: You can always walk directly into a VA medical center day or night.