According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 4 in 10 adults have reported having anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This is more than the 1 in 10 adults who reported these symptoms from the months of January to June in 2019. Adults have also reported having difficulties sleeping or eating, as well as an increase in the use of alcohol or other substances, due to the pandemic.
Nuk Kongkaw, the director of the Mosaic Center, values mental health and sees how it “simultaneously impacts individuals and the relationships around us.” She also feels that “mental health is something people are realizing they can’t ignore as we’ve spent months in isolation or limited contact with others.” The Mosaic Center, along with Residence Life, Chapel and the Center for Student Success thus held Mental Health Awareness Weeks at Houghton College from March 15th to 25th.
Several different events were held, including a talk-back on BIPOC mental health with Nuk Kongkaw, Nerissa Jones and Pierre Durant, a discussion with the Center for Student Success on how to support friends who are in crisis, a chapel talk with Dr. Mike Lastoria entitled “Leaving Home: Right of Passage in a Virtual World,” and an introduction to the Enneagram and some other tools to help grow your self-awareness and spiritual disciplines.
Earlier in this event, a stand-up for your brother and sister event was held, along with a roundtable discussion with Rebecca Rowley, Ann Vazquez and JL Miller entitled “Am I a Bad Christian if I Struggle with Mental Health?,” a chapel talk with Pierre Durant entitled “And He Will be Called Wonderful Counselor: A Conversation on Faith, and Race” and a “Be Kind to Your Mind” workshop.
There were also a number of opportunities to win prizes throughout the event. Several students have won a free yearlong subscription to the meditation app Headspace, and a weighted blanket has also been given away. There is also a grand prize to be won later in the event of a mental health basket.
One of the hopes Kongkaw mentions she has for this event is that “in helping others care for themselves well, they would then be able to look around them, connect with others, and engage with caring for others”, further adding that “People are best equipped to help others when they have grown in their own self-awareness, know their triggers, and are willing to see their own areas of growth.” ★