October, 2024
Focus Topics for October, 2024
Mental Health Awareness Month
October has many mental health awareness observances. Take a few minutes to review the information below as the topics may have resources that could provide insight to you or someone you know.
Click the interest area to be taken to the observance website for information, resources, and toolkits!
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National Depression Screening Day, October 10, 2024
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OCD Awareness Week, October 13-19, 2024
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World Mental Health Day October 10, 2024
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Bullying Awareness Month
Bullying continues to impact children, teens, adults in many ways. Bullying is defined as the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online. This is provided by the resource, Anti-Bullying Alliance​.
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Bullying can occur in educational settings, social groups, organizations, work environments, non-profit organizations, and in families. Adult bullying includes spreading malicious, false rumors about the target; turning social alliances against the target by painting a negative picture of them; putting down or silencing the target in front of others; excluding; mocking the target; withholding information from the target; and/or claiming credit for the work of the target. ​
Resources are provided below for children, teens, and adults. ​​
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This telling video was prepared by teens to help stop bullying.
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Student Stories about Bullying-2015. It is interesting for almost 10 years, the behaviors are still on going severely impacting the mental health of children and teens.
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About Adult Bullying from Psychology Today
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How to Deal with Adult Bullies, the Types, the Effects, and How to Help
Preparing for the Holiday Season-Challenges and Changes
The Fall and Winter holiday season brings many challenges as preparations, plans, and scheduling begins for many people starting in October. Time management issues surface, thinking about family gatherings which could be stressful, working through issues of grief and loss during the holiday season when one may not feel like celebrating, and financial stressors create concerns parents, couples, senior citizens, and families.
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Some timely articles and resource links have been provided for researching ways to seek information to reduce stressor and make the holiday season brighter this year.
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Resilience: Prepping for the Holiday Season from the Mayo Clinic
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From Forbes Magazine-Time Management During the Holiday Season
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Managing Family Gatherings with Less Stress
Managing Finanaces During the Holiday Season from Equifax
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For Seniors and Caregivers During the Holiday Season
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What I Am Reading This October
Going through my library of books on many topics relating to connection, communication, relationships, self growth, and personal insight, I decided to re-read a work entitled, "Platonic". As we went through COVID-19, relationships were strained, friendships distanced, and connections often lost. Now, still in 2024, many are trying to reconnect, redefine relationships, having lost the skills once used for connecting with one another.
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So often, there are misconceptions about "friendships" between men and women, women and men, which may be perceived, for example, by a committed partner, as being inappropriate, not a healthy behavior for a marriage or committed relationship, which is very far from the truth. Friendships, as this work, "Platonic", are essential for our being in healhty committed relationships, for our learning about ourselves and others, and also to grow personally in our lives. In recent years, committed relationships were thought to be best being in a bubble not having different gender friendships. In research about connections, it was found having relationships, close friendships, of both genders to not only be appropriate but necessary to benefit the marital or committed relationship.
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When through jealousy, insecurity, envy or other negative feelings, a partner restricts the other partner from such relationships, this creates animosity between the couple, distancing, and unfounded mistrust. Healthy, platonic relationships are transparent, authentic, respectful of the committed relationship, and also encourage with support the union.
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By reading "Platonic" it is hoped one learns about how they can enrich their life and that of their partner and also to try to reconnect with others with Post COVID-19 with a richer, more connected way of living.
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Key Take Aways About Building Friendships
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Friendships shape who we are.
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Making friends takes initiative.
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Being vulnerable will help you connect better with friends.
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Make friendships deeper by being authentic.
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Opening up about conflict will strengthen your friendships.
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Be generous – but know your limits.
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Affection creates new friendships and deepens existing ones.
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