LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) – Do you have a toolkit to help maintain good mental health? That was the topic of discussion Wednesday night at the Center for Peace and Reconciliation, where experts in the mental health field emphasized the importance of positive responses when people get angry and stressed.
The forum focused on strategies for managing emotional triggers in a healthy way. Those tools can include relationships, spiritual practices, or even biological responses such as deep breathing. The goal is to help individuals respond constructively rather than react negatively to challenging situations.
The forum focused on strategies for managing emotional triggers in a healthy way.
“To determine that I'm not going to get involved with reacting to every little thing that people are saying and doing around me, but I'm going to find an inner core, a spiritual direction that I can take with me wherever I go, and determine to be a different person in this world which is constantly at each other's throat,” said Dr. Thomas Holmes, retired counselor and pastor at Cairo United Methodist Church.
The Center hosts monthly forums, and organizers felt this topic was particularly timely in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Ever since the pandemic, mental illness or mental situations have increased. Anxiety has gone up. 23% feelings of depression have escalated 28% over what it was to begin with. So, we want to try and establish a ground roots approach to understanding what is good mental health and how we might change our attitudes somewhat to try and achieve that,” said John Foster of the Center for Peace and Reconciliation.
Foster hopes the monthly events will promote unity among area residents. For more information on upcoming forums, follow the Center for Peace and Reconciliation on Facebook.
