Tag: resilient

Eltina Three Stars

Posted on September 22, 2023 by - Uncategorized

What is the story related to mental health, suicide, and/or resilience that you’d like to share?

The beginning of the pandemic was one of the hardest things I had to go through. I know that many of my struggles were shared among the rest of society and on a collective conscious level. I work in public health, and once the pandemic started in March 2019, we were required to work remotely from home. I had 5 children at the time attending school virtually from home as well. It was very stressful trying to balance all of that.

My position was Community Engagement, but during the lockdown, I wasn’t allowed to go out into the community. At work, I volunteered to help with the efforts wherever I could. I found myself being the triage for those who think that they had been exposed or had symptoms of COVID-19. I would answer the forwarded COVID call line on my personal cell phone, which was directed from the Oyate Health Center. I would often have to hush my children or step out of the house to take the calls, but I felt needed.

Over the next six months, it began to take a toll on me. I was in a toxic relationship, and I was forced to live with him during the lockdown. I had intended to break up with him, but the pandemic did not allow for this. He worked as a bartender and didn’t believe in the pandemic, masking up, social distancing. He said it was all hype. This created an extreme amount of anxiety as a mother, as I had fears that the disease would take one of my children from me.

I suffered through depression, anxiety, and thoughts of self-harm but hid it from my children and my partner. I began lashing out in bouts of anger or tears. I had even planned out my death to every little detail. I ended the relationship, and he left my home. But I still feared myself, and that was when I knew I needed to seek help.

I found help through a variety of local resources, people I trusted, and my work circle. Most of all, I learned that I am an empath and am very sensitive to other people’s pain/emotions. I learned the importance of practicing self-care. I now work in behavioral health, guiding others to the help that they need. I wholeheartedly believe that my suffering had a purpose to help others!

 

What resources have helped you to address this challenge?

Indian Health Services – counseling services; Oyate Behavioral Health – counseling services and cultural interventions; Oaye Luta Okolakiciye – Cultural Services, mentoring; SPEAK Network – suicide prevention classes

 

Think about the system that affects our mental health in our society, including aspects that are damaging to mental health and aspects of the system that improve mental health. Based on your experience, how might we improve that system to build resilience and better address the mental health needs of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities?

You build resilience when you go through hard times and challenges. This is a part of life that is inevitable. What we should be teaching our youth and young adults are the proper coping skills/mechanisms when faced with life’s struggles. We need to teach them the importance of self-love and self-care. Once these are taught and become part of a person’s foundation of learning, this will instill confidence and they will be better able to handle hardships.

 

What is one thing related to mental health, suicide, or resilience that you wish everyone could understand?

Having suicidal thoughts is a symptom of depression, and depression is treatable. I believe that this would encourage those who suffer from depression and thoughts of suicide to reach out for help.

 

 

 

Jessie Jo Van Bockel

Posted on September 20, 2023 by - Uncategorized

What is the story related to mental health, suicide, and/or resilience that you’d like to share?

I grew up in a mixed family, which had many difficulties and struggles throughout my childhood. At age 14, riding the bus home from my first week of school, I was picked up by my stepmother. This was odd because the bus dropped me off a block away from home. I jumped in the vehicle, and she was sobbing because her son, my brother at age 16, had died by suicide when he returned home from school. My brother was living with his birth father and his stepmother at the time. I was taken aback by what had happened. We’d just seen him a few weekends before summer ended, thriving with life. No one suspected that he was struggling in his personal life, especially family matters.

As life went on, I started to notice a pattern of suicides of boys and young men in small communities. Not only did our family suffer mentally, but we also lost a brother. I was lost and angry, and my own mental health suffered.

A few years ago, my cousin, who was like a brother to me growing up, had a suicide attempt. He had reached out to the Suicide Prevention Hotline and National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, but the following day, he completed suicide. My heart sank, wishing I would have reached out to chat sooner or responded to a text message that he left me.

Today, I still have a hole in my soul, and I advocate for men’s mental health. June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month and I still see today, men are put on the back burner, to hold their emotions, unable and afraid of healthy masculinity because of the society we live in today. As humans, we need a community of support for those who struggle, and who are unable to express themselves, especially men.

 

What resources have helped you to address this challenge?

Resources I have come across are 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, Men’s Minds Matter, and National Alliance on Mental Illness.

 

 

Think about the system that affects our mental health in our society, including aspects that are damaging to mental health and aspects of the system that improve mental health. Based on your experience, how might we improve that system to build resilience and better address the mental health needs of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities?

Building resilience is a daily choice. We are all going to have bad days; we have to stay consistent in addressing real mental health matters.

 

What is one thing related to mental health, suicide, or resilience that you wish everyone could understand?

Mental health issues do not make you a terrible person, and reaching out asking for help does not make you needy.

 

 

 

Mato James Abourezk

Posted on September 18, 2023 by - Uncategorized

What is the story related to mental health, suicide, and/or resilience that you’d like to share?

I had to deal with recovery from surgeries from age 5 to 15. This wasn’t exactly an ideal way to grow up. Because of this, I developed anxiety and depression at a young age, but it wasn’t until I was 19 going to college at Black Hills State University that I had thoughts of suicide and attempted to end my life. All my feelings ambushed me. I was away from home, I hadn’t gotten over surgeries and what I had been through, I hadn’t accepted myself and who I wanted to be. I was alone.

Then I was told a story by my mom about how I should’ve died when I was born but I didn’t, that I was supposed to be a vegetable my whole life, but I wasn’t. This hit me hard, because I thought to myself, “I didn’t fight that hard my WHOLE life just to give up now.” So I didn’t. I kept moving toward my goals of being in the entertainment industry and having a family. I am now in a place where it looks like I’ll be in the entertainment industry, and I have just recently gotten engaged. This is my story. I am resilient.

 

What resources have helped you to address this challenge?

I would say a support system consisting of my family, friends, and mentors helped me climb out of my hole. I began going to counseling and hanging out with family and friends more often, whether it was through the Boys Health Program at YFS or just a family dinner. I had support and understanding from them. 

 

Based on your experience, how can we work to build resilience in ourselves, our loved ones, and in our communities to better face life’s challenges? 

It may sound cliché, but I think belief in one’s self and recognizing one’s potential as a person goes a long way. The problem is that it’s hard to see that in ourselves because we are so self-conscious, so if we point that out to our loved ones, it can really help a person be confident in what they can do. This leads to pushing a person past what they previously thought they could reach. 

 

What is one thing related to mental health, suicide, or resilience that you wish everyone could understand?

You are NOT alone. You are LOVED. You are HEARD. 

 

Guy Siverson

Posted on September 17, 2023 by - Uncategorized

What is the story related to mental health, suicide, and/or resilience that you’d like to share?

I was 9 and close to my deaf aunt. Part of her struggle was trying to live in a hearing world. She always told me that she could understand me better than anyone else because I would take time to pronounce my words.  So we bonded. And at age 9, I found out that she had taken her life. That was one of my first real run-ins with abandonment because I was very close to my aunt. I just accepted it at that point, but only recently have I realized that I never really actually accepted it at all. What I did was I transitioned her fight into why I should give up too.  I never really understood that before.  I was finding myself dealing with a lot of issues related to suicide.

I’m 59 now. I was 9 then. Fifty years later, I only recently honestly, truthfully came to terms with what happened when I was a child. I still had to go through the valley. I still had to go through the issues related to suicide. And it’s helped me personally to realize, “Wait a minute. I’ve got the dynamic wrong.” I’ve got to shift the dynamic, that whole dichotomy. That has helped me to change a lot of things in my own.

 

What resources have helped you to address this challenge?

My faith, prayer, and studying the Word of God. 

Think about the system that affects our mental health in our society, including aspects that are damaging to mental health and aspects of the system that improve mental health. Based on your experience, how might we improve that system to build resilience and better address the mental health needs of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities?

By offering more connective loving support for all rather than alienating those who do not fit into your own defined expectations of humanity. 

 

What is one thing related to mental health, suicide, or resilience that you wish everyone could understand?

That there is a God who cares and that God has a Son who died for you that you might live for Him. 

 

 

 

Elsie Zajicek

Posted on September 15, 2023 by - Uncategorized

What is the story related to mental health, suicide, and/or resilience that you’d like to share?

I would say my story started at Brandon Valley High School where I was a knock-out athlete. I was always told in high school I was going places and going to do amazing things. So I tried living up to everyone’s fairytale. I practiced hard, I worked out after games we lost, and I even made myself throw up to get faster. Then I headed to college to start my collegiate volleyball journey, and I found myself with a full-blown eating disorder. My roommates called my mom and told her what was going on. I was ashamed and so lost. The next thing I knew, my roommate was bringing me to see a nutritionist—she had to bring me because otherwise I would literally always bail. I hated every step of this getting better journey. Next was a doctor’s appointment back home with my mom and primary care. This was an eye-opening appointment as I was diagnosed for the first time with an eating disorder and depression. I’m now graduated and in full recovery. I could not be more proud of myself nor could I imagine doing it alone.

 

What resources have helped you to address this challenge?

Eating disorders in athletes are very common and not talked about. I would have to dig to even find a global resource. What I found helpful is Victory Garrick’s TED Talk and her resources. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdk7pLpbIls

Locally, I’ve created a blog that sheds light on the journey in hope to make you feel less alone and hopefully laugh at yourself a little! https://elsiezajicek1.wixsite.com/justedthings

Think about the system that affects our mental health in our society, including aspects that are damaging to mental health and aspects of the system that improve mental health. Based on your experience, how might we improve that system to build resilience and better address the mental health needs of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities?

Personally, I struggled with social media. I have now been able to tailor it so that I see very healthy posts when I log on. I think this is deeply rooted for many of us, when children are so often in front of screens. Getting away from the screen and connecting to the soil really played a big role in my recovery.

 

What is one thing related to mental health, suicide, or resilience that you wish everyone could understand?

It truly is one day at a time.

 

 

 

Chesney Garnos 

Posted on September 14, 2023 by - Uncategorized

What is the story related to mental health, suicide, and/or resilience that you’d like to share?

My life changed one fall evening in 2014. I was about to catch a volleyball game with some friends from high school in my small hometown. One group member was not answering his phone, so I decided to swing by his house to see what was taking so long. When I walked through the door, I found him attempting to take his life.

At 18 years old, I had never been educated on how to handle the situation—suicide was not often discussed, especially in rural South Dakota. I decided to intervene and help my friend in the best way I knew at the time. Luckily, this friend of mine is still alive today. I often reflect on that moment and think about how fortunate I was that this situation did not end up differently, as I later found out there were better ways to handle that situation.

Shortly after my friend’s suicide attempt, I lost two former cross-country teammates to suicide. I mourned and searched for answers. How, as individuals and as a community, could we be better? During this time, I also started therapy for myself. I also sought out solutions during this time. Not just for myself but for rural communities like the one I grew up in. Why weren’t the topics of mental health and suicide being discussed? This led to a research project with my professor at the University of South Dakota, which later became an organization called Break the Chains 17.  The organization’s goal was to go to rural communities and schools in South Dakota to provide education on bullying, share the warning sides of suicide, explain what to do in times of crisis, and provide resources for the students. The organization has recently rebranded and is now known as “The Unseen Struggle.” This transformation focuses on the mission of sharing stories related to mental health and increasing awareness about invisible illnesses/diseases. “The Unseen Struggle” will place a strong emphasis on education and the dissemination of inspirational narratives, all to break down the stigmas and provide hope around these significant subjects.

While I wouldn’t want anyone to go through the experiences mentioned earlier, it’s important to understand that these situations are not isolated incidents; they can potentially affect anyone. This is why having conversations and spreading awareness about these subjects is of utmost importance. By doing so, we contribute to the overall health and wellness of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities as a whole.

 

What resources have helped you to address this challenge?

I grew up in a small rural community in South Dakota, where resources for dealing with mental health were limited at the time. When I began experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, I felt ashamed and alone. Luckily, improved telehealth options are available for those in rural communities (so check into that)!

Once I started college, things changed. I began attending therapy sessions at the University of South Dakota’s counseling center, which I learned about through my sorority sisters. If you are in school, look into these resources! Upon being diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder and Seasonal Affective Disorder, I was fortunate to have supportive friends and family around me. Finding a group that will support you and your mental well-being is important.

It’s been nine years now! I’ve continued with therapy, and it’s been a game-changer. When things feel unmanageable for me, I try prioritizing baths, eight hours of sleep, cycling classes, making time blocks in my schedule, and ensuring I attend my therapy sessions! I’ve also used medication to manage my anxiety, and having a supportive primary care physician who prioritizes mental health has been crucial. Whether it is therapy or medication, know there are solutions out there for you to make things more manageable. It takes time, but it’s worth it!

 

 

Think about the system that affects our mental health in our society, including aspects that are damaging to mental health and aspects of the system that improve mental health. Based on your experience, how might we improve that system to build resilience and better address the mental health needs of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities?

Prevention, conversation, and education! We can build better prevention systems in our communities to help create a more resilient community that better addresses the mental health needs of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities. Starting the implementation of prevention, conversation, and education at earlier ages in our homes and in our schools is a great first step.

 

What is one thing related to mental health, suicide, or resilience that you wish everyone could understand?

Mental health challenges, suicidal thoughts/ideation, and suicide are not “selfish.” As individuals and as a community, we can all be better at understanding and supporting those who face any of these conditions.