“The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change.”
Hey guys, it’s Christie Zizo again.
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Maya Angelou wrote these words for President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. Her poem, On the Pulse of Morning, was about the hope of Americans coming together and leaving their history behind to build a brighter, more unified future.
But there is something personal about this poem as well, especially when you struggle with mental illness like anxiety and depression, as I do.
In this same poem, Angelou writes:
“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”
On my journey with mental health, I have experienced pain. In some ways, I have experienced that pain again and again.
We all have a pain we cannot unlive. Maybe you too also have a pain you can’t escape? A pain that shapes you, that guides your decisions even when you don’t realize it. It lives in your memories. You go back to it, time and again. You can’t escape it. You may never escape it.
But you can lift your eyes to the horizon.
You can take a new step toward that line every day.
That is what your mental health is all about, right?
And sometimes you will veer off that path helplessly, impulsively. There will be false steps. You will try a therapist or a doctor you don’t like. A drug that feels wrong. A therapy that doesn’t work.
And you will step backward. You may skip your meds or your appointments. You may reach for that drug of choice, that self-soothing agent that brings you momentary respite.
And you will get frustrated. You will lose patience. You want to get to the horizon. Why is it always so far away? Is it even worth it?
As someone still struggling with my mental health, I may never reach the horizon. And you may never either.
But the horizon will never go away. The peace its existence brings to you is always there and all you have to do is keep reaching for it to feel peace, even when it seems so far away. You don’t have to touch it, just reach.
Never stop reaching for the horizon.
Keep planting new steps for change.
This newsletter was about sharing what we at News 6 learned about mental health and well-being so that we could share it with you and help you to every day to reach for the horizon, either for yourself or for someone you care about.
While this will no longer be a weekly newsletter, I hope we will continue to serve as a periodic resource for you, at clickorlando.com/mentalhealth. And if you ever need help, you can email me at czizo@wkmg.com, and I can try to connect you with someone who can help.
‘Show up and check in’
You never think your life will be impacted by mental illness. But it could, and you need to be aware of it.
That’s the message from News 6′s Erik Von Ancken.
As part of Erik’s “Getting Results Together” franchise, he’s found himself covering more and more stories involving mental health, from how law enforcement agencies in Central Florida respond to people with mental health problems to lately, what is being done to help children with mental health problems.
And all these stories have taught him an important lesson — the mental health crisis is real, and it could impact anyone in your life.
“I think when we first started out covering these stories on kids struggling with their mental health, I don’t think anyone believed it was real. I don’t think anyone believed it was a serious problem. I didn’t. Maybe it was an anomaly,” Von Ancken said.
But now that I’ve done so many of these days, it’s clear that so many kids are having a tough time.
Von Ancken’s stories showcased a program in Volusia County to help children showing symptoms of psychosis, a program in Seminole County to help children with mental health issues, and a program by the Mental Health Association of Central Florida to try and prevent suicide by getting people to become “lifeguards.”
Von Ancken says all these stories have changed the way he thinks not only about kids with mental illness, but his own children, as a father of two.
“My reaction was, ‘hey I don’t have to worry about this.’ But I find myself coming home and talking to my kids about this. It could be my kid, it could be anybody’s kid, anywhere. There are no prerequisites,” he said.
Von Ancken urges parents to get more involved and check in with their children, and look for the signs of mental health problems. We shared those signs last week on this newsletter. Find that story HERE.
“It starts with parents, it starts with present parents, the first line of defense, to know something is wrong. If you are counting on a school or a friend to pass that information, it may be too late,” Von Ancken said.
Mental health resources
We have a large list of mental health services in Central Florida, many of which offer discounts, a sliding scale or are free. You can find that full list HERE.
Heart of Florida United Way manages the 211 network for the Metro Orlando area. Representatives can help find mental health providers, and they can also help callers find other services that might be triggering mental health issues, such as housing and food help.
You can also call 211 in Brevard County.
The Mental Health Association of Central Florida: 407-898-0110.
The Mental Health Association of Central Florida has been around since 1946, and runs several programs to help people and families when dealing with mental health conditions. That includes a mental health clinic for the uninsured in Orlando, a mental health referral service for Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk, Brevard and Volusia counties, telehealth services and peer groups.
Zebra Coalition: 407-228-1446
A network of groups that provide services to LGBTQ youth ages 13 to 24, including counseling, mental health and substance abuse programs.