Many people are now aware that due to media coverage, we are in a mental health crisis in the United States, and I can postulate that it is likely around the world. Although mental wellness and mental illness have made the headlines in recent years due to the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic, I know that mental health concerns have been a challenge for many unspoken souls for millenia. They are in the stories of many poets, novelists, artists and countless more who suffered in institutions without knowing that change was coming. Because of the tireless efforts of those challenged by mental illness and their loved ones, awareness has come, and change, although very slow to surface, is growing from that awareness. The greatest impact of that awareness and change, in my life with bipolar disorder, is peer support.
In the stark isolation of the COVID pandemic, being a single person living alone, I felt an unrelenting sense of hopelessness consume me. It led to a severe depressive episode that I just started to climb out of during the past year. Peer support via Zoom, in the form of peer-led groups from national and local organizations, became a lifeline for me. The key for so many to surviving this time was seeking and finding that support. I found that we were not truly alone in this; we just had to figure out how to support each other while apart for each other’s safety. It was such a strange time; but I found new ways to connect, as well as learn vocational skills I never thought I would come to know and use.
Staying connected with my UUCG family was also key to my wellness and staying safe during the pandemic. It made me appreciate even more when we were able to return to the building, and received hugs from the folks I had been chatting with and getting to know better online and by phone. As painful as it was, I grew in gratitude because of it. I understand now that we are all equal in our feelings and experiences. I am never truly alone in my pain and my joy.
~Jen Garrison
Jen, you are such a beloved member of our UUCG community. Your voice is an important one in helping us understand the trials and tribulations of people with mental health issues. I am happy to hear that you feel our congregation is providing you with peer support. We love you.
Oh, Jen, this reflection is particularly important for me, as this aspect of systemic “othering”–which has been “going on for millenia,” as you say so beautifully–has cost individuals, families, communities, society at large so much loss in terms of human contribution and connection. Thanks for this poignant and powerful reflection!
NAMI, the national alliance for mental illness has a wealth of support for families and individuals. Check their website at nami.org. You can be linked to your state’s NAMI organization and their numerous programs. NAMI was a lifeline for our family.
Over the years I have known you, Jen, You have stood up and faced your physical and emotional ordeals with courage and intellectual effort to understand your condition. I respect you for this. You take on the everyday, come what may, and face it with resolve. This is a major gift. It balances out your positive skill set and intelligence with all those curve balls you didn’t expect. And you have had plenty! So glad our lives have crossed paths at UUCG. You are an exceptional person.