Friday March, 13th 2020
It is a trying time right now for the world. Limits are being pushed. Fear is being instilled. Rationality is leaving some of us. Yet right now we need a lot of faith in each other. COVID-19 is the talk of many people right now and every single news outlet among other things such as the presidential election. Many of you have heard what the news programming has had to say about this and many of you have gone on YouTube to see what Dr. Mike has to say on the matter. Doctor's from all over the country have provided their input and many have come across questions that they simply do not have the answers too. Many of us have either seen aisles of groceries stores empty in person or online through some social media platform. Some of us are thinking about the worst case scenario and planning to load up on guns, ammunition and a ton of supplies. The President has declared the virus a pandemic and to many of us that is a worrying thought and to others it is not. Some of us live with our grandparents at home and worry for their safety as well as ours and others of us have babies at home that we do not want to expose the virus too. Many of us teens are making jokes about the virus which is natural because for some of us we aren't worried our that is our coping mechanism. This virus, should it worsen, is the kind of things that we read about in history books and not the kind most of us expected to ever go through. Time and time again we have survived through the swine flu and ebola, but the question that remains is will we survive this? In response to this every community is being monitored regularly and certain ethnic groups are being watch more closely than others. Flights to Europe are canceled and schools are canceling classes and moving lectures and assignments virtually online. However, if you've been watching the news and reading information from the CDC and WHO then you already know this information, so why am I writing to you? I am writing to you because what does this mean in terms of our health? I won't be talking to you in terms of our physical health because, let's face it, I'm not a doctor and can't provide you with those logisitics. However, I will talk about the impact this will have on our mental and social health. Dallas county has already announced this a Public Health Emergency on March 12th, 2020. With schools closing down we are immediately closed off to many social interactions we encountered in our daily lives. Most of my sorority sisters live in the heart of dallas like Richardson, Plano and Fort-Worth, area to name a few. Seeing as I live East of them I am immediately closed off to seeing them and being able to interact with them. We are told to limit the amount of outside exposure for the sake of our health and others since the virus does spread so quickly. With the lack of social relationships our mental health will soon follow next. As I said before, this is a trying time for the world. With many locations deciding to close down to avoid spreading the virus it is important that we realize that isolation is a feeling that many of us might begin to feel with the routine of our daily lives being disrupted. While we are not yet under a nation wide quarantined situation yet, it is a possibility that could happen. So while your physical health is under jeopardy right now also be conscious and aware that all three aspects of your health: physical, mental, and social, are all connected to each other. If you are feeling overwhlemed by all the chaos you are witnessing, if you begin to feel lonely, if you just want to vent and/or cry then I urge you to call someone. If you can't talk to your parents call a friend, talk to your neighbors, call a hotline, or join an online community page and talk about your concerns. If there was ever a time to come together it is now. Practice safe sanitation by washing your hands and avoiding touching your face. If you use hand sanitizer make sure it is above 60% in alcohol in order for it to be effective. Keep your distance from people because coughs/sneezes can travel up to 6 feet. Stay hydrated (preferably with water) and please stay home if you are sick. These are all things that news outlets and schools are talking about, but if it's been repeated so many times then it must be relevant. Now is not the time to use your own privledge and see it as a time of us against them. Along with the virus there is a lot of discrimation and stigmatization around people, in particular those who are Asian, travelers and health professionals/first responders. As I said above, "fear is being instilled" and with fear comes this stigma. We shouldn't deny these people health care treatments and we shouldn't see them as a threat because a virus does not see color. It will attack those in a close proximity regardless of who you are and what you think you are entitled to. Break this stigma and realize that while COVID-19 is spreading quickly that we have a drastic difference between those who have died and those who have recovered from it. Do not instill fear. Instill faith. -Cassandra Servin P.S. feel free to leave comments/concerns you have. This is a safe space and there are so many emotions going on in the world around us.
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Thursday February 20th, 2020
Today's post is going to be a heavy one. It is one that I have yet to fully process and it is also one that is very recent and dear to my heart. I write this to let my audience know that certain situations happen all the time and when these things happens it feels as though our power is gone. We live in a world where there is a lot of hatred and we also live in a world where we have many advocates fighting for change. Change is not something that we can expect overnight and it is not something that will come easily as well. Even with it pertraining it's own difficult challenges we still have those who fight against it. I am one of those people and last friday I was a victim to an act of violence. As I will soon disclose what exactly happened to me, I want to be clear that I didn't always see this as an act of violence until recently. I will not disclose any information about any of the parties involved to keep it all confidental because the names do not matter-- the situation does. I am a health educator and my role consists of providing resources, knowledge and skills to students in order to handle situations about their mental health, sexual health, and substance abuse, should they need them in the future. I am not a teacher. I am not here to tell them what they should and shouldn't do and I am not here to tell them they have to learn this material a certain way. I act as a mentor, a liason, between them and health. This is something that is very hard for me to write because as I've said before it is very recent and still fresh. Last Friday I went to a school as scheduled with my coworker to present our workshop over identity. In this workshop we were going to cover different topics such as, what does identity mean, what makes up identity, how do you view yourself? Identity is something that can be physically or it can be something that isn't viewable from the outside like a persons ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. As we prepped for the lesson we were reminded that at this particular school we would not disclose any information about sexual health to which my coworker and I agreed too. However, we proceeded to continue with this workshop seeing as it was focused around identity we did not see anything wrong with us talking about gender identity or sexual orientation— we were wrong. For reasons unknown to us, the head counselor of the school sat down during our lesson but we really didn’t think much about it. As the lesson continued we started to define identity and I asked the students the typical, “Who are you?” I was curious to know how they identified themselves at such a young age. Following up on that we gave them the definition that was in our slide and we proceeded to say that, “Identity is dynamic. It changes over time.” What I was trying to explain was that the way you identify yourself with or as changes based on your experiences and what you are exposed to over a period of time. Trauma can be a big factor to someone’s identity that can spur a drastic change as well as any peers they may encounter or lose on the way. In some cases, like transgenders, their physical identity may change as well. She didn’t like that. She said that she didn’t agree with what we were saying and that is perfectly fine because that is her truth, not ours. From there she tried to strengthen her claim by talking about a chair and its identity. She said a chair will always be a chair. The only problem with that is that a chair is an object and humans are complex organisms. That being said, there are many confounding variables that play a role in our identity. Instead of arguing with her any further, in front of a classroom of thirty students, we continued the lesson and agreed to talk later when she began to question our sources from the definition of identity. Everything seemed fine until we started talking about gender identity and that’s when everything quickly went downhill. She told us that we were going to put a pause on the lesson and quickly told us to gather our things and leave the classroom with her close behind. The host teacher quickly took over and as we were leaving one student said that he had a question, but the counselor quickly turned him down and said that if there’s any questions they can ask her in her office at a later time. At that moment my heart ached because I wanted to answer this student's question. That is why I took this position, to break the stigma and educate students by answering any questions they may have. In the counselor's office we were told that this is not something that we could teach the students because the school is very conservative. That the school respects people “like that” (I.e. gays, lesbians, transgenders) BUT that is not something they teach. As these things were said it was clear that the counselor was trying to use the school as a cushion for their own beliefs on the topic. It was clear that they wanted the program to end. Furthermore, the counselor went on to imply that by my coworker and I going to the school and saying what we had to say about identity is that we are making them question who they are. In fact, that is not what we are there to do. We are there to teach them about identity, what it entails so if they were to one day question their identity or encounter someone who does then they will have the knowledge and resources to handle it. Our intention is not to make them insecure in who they are now and we never implied that. Needless to say I was angered by the whole situation and a part of me still is, but more than anything I am upset. I am upset because I grew to care for these kids and they showed their interest and desire to learn about such sensitive topics. They asked questions even if they didn’t know how to phrase them properly. They interacted in discussions and provided examples when they could. Many of these kids were interested in being psychologists and doctors and if it is something they end up pursuing then the topics we were going to expose them to are topics that they will be around constantly. I am upset that we will never be able to expose them back to these topics so long as the head counselor is in charge. I am upset that we opened the door for them but are no longer there to guide them. I am upset that at their school they have someone imposing their own beliefs and barriers that’s preventing them from learning about real world problems that will affect them as they grow older. I am upset that we had to be humiliated in the process, in front of a group of students, in order for the counselor's point of view to be validated. We say “speak your own truth” because not everyone has had the same pathway paved for them. Certain situations make us who we are and that shapes our schemas in life. That was her truth, but it’s not ours and now those students will never be able to find out their own truth. I am writing about this because as a mental health advocate this was a major obstacle in my path, but it will not stop me. I write about it because my coworker and I are not the first to experience this, nor will we be the last. The counselor may have gotten their way this time, but times are changing and we live in a conservative state as it is. Change will not be easy, but I can guarantee that it will be worth it. This situation is one that will shape me and my identity and it is also one that I will cherish. The whole time she was trying to invalidate us, and belittle us, I was thinking about the students and how this conversation should’ve been a private one. This proves that age doesn’t mean maturity. So to all the people who have a closed off mind about sensitive topics about a person's identity, about mental illness, about substance abuse and addictions, let this be a lesson that you’re not hurting us advocates. So long as we have the passion and the drive we will continue and we will push through. I do not write about the people because all that matters is the situation and changing. So yes, we were victims of violence in the sense of us being felt humiliated, unworthy, and making us walk the “walk of shame” with all of our classroom materials in tow. This is part of my story, and best believe that it’s one I will share as I continue to advocate for health and for those minority’s that many people choose to look down upon. I have power in the knowledge I have and no one will diminish this power in me. Tuesday September 10th 2019
The month of September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Today, September 10th, is National Suicide Prevention Day and from September 9th until September 13th is National Suicide Prevention Week. So what does this mean? This means that it is a time to spread self-awareness across social media, college campuses, work areas and more. It is important that we all know where to get help when we need it or whenever we encounter someone who might. Suicides happen everyday and while it is National Suicide Prevention Month we should not focus on suicide prevention only in the month of September but rather all year round. When it comes to statistics I will focus mainly on the state of Texas since that is where I live and on National facts, but the websites will be down below if you would like to research your state, or any other states, and see how the statistics vary drastically. Throughout the rest of the month be sure to listen to suicide survivors and their stories, maybe even share your story on a suicide prevention platform, maybe become an advocate and be as empathetic as possible. "Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, and the 11th leading cause of death in Texas" (American). Based on the statistics from 2017 Texas ranks as the 40th state, with Montana being the state being the highest, based on suicides in the year alone. With that being said Texas ranks just below the National Average rate of suicides each year but with each passing year suicide rates are still increasing. In Texas suicide in people ages 15-34 is the second leading cause of death (American). With that being said most of our peers are the ones who are suffering from suicidal thoughts, or perhaps a mental illness that can lead to them attempting suicide. There are many reasons as to why a person may commit suicide and those can vary from whether they have a mental illness that was never properly diagnosed, to how they are treated in different parts of their social life (i.e. Are they bullied? Do they experience unconditional love?). Some people who do have suicidal thoughts may express those thoughts and which may lead them to show a change in behavior. The National Alliance of Mental Illnesses, or NAMI, has a link dedicated to the kinds of warning signs a person may show such as, "Aggressive behavior, dramatic mood swings, withdrawal from friends, family or the community and tying up loose ends" to name a few. "Research has found that 46% of people who die by suicide had a known mental health condition" (NAMI). Sometimes all a person needs is a helping hand or someone to continue giving them encouraging words. Other times they might need more professional help, but there is always a way to get help. There are many ways to help spread awareness and there are a billion more websites on suicide prevention and mental illnesses than the two websites I have mentioned. Technology has become a major role in our lives so use it to spread awareness and make an impact on someone's life. Ask people if they are doing okay or how their day is going because a simple act of kindness might change someone's decision on suicide. Follow prevention groups online and look for ways in which you can volunteer and give back to the community. "There is always hope and suicide is not the answer." (NAMI) CRISIS HOTLINES National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1 (800) 273-TALK (8255) Emergency Number 911 NAMI Helpline 1 (800) 950-NAMI Text NAMI to 741741 Work Cited “American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.” AFSP, 16 Aug. 2019, https://afsp.org/ “Promote National Suicide Prevention Month.” Lifeline, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/promote-national-suicide-prevention-month/ “Risk of Suicide.” NAMI, https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Related-Conditions/Risk-of-Suicide “Suicide Awareness Protection Month.” NAMI, https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/suicide-prevention-awareness-month “Suicide Statistics.” AFSP, 16 Apr. 2019, https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/ |
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