Fostering Mental Wellness in Ourselves and Our Communities

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Group Therapy Session

Being human, we all experience ongoing shifts in our mental and emotional equilibrium. Often, getting the support and skills needed to manage distress can be challenging. Economic and cultural factors, stigmas and other barriers can decrease access or inclination to seek help. Education, awareness and compassion can demystify the process of dealing with whatever challenges we face. Understanding symptoms and impacts of stress, grief, trauma, and isolation helps us to foster healthy environments and outcomes.   

Here are some ways to move toward inner wellness and community resilience: 

Assess ever-changing needs. Paying attention to what’s happening within ourselves, and with those in our circles, can help us notice when action might be warranted. There are many reasons to develop new perspectives. For example, we may not understand the physical and emotional changes that are common with aging or with grieving a loss. Even positive changes, such as the birth of a child or a new job, call for expanding our knowledge and coping strategies.  

Learn about available resources. Help can be as close as a phone call. The 211 social services hotline is available for all Milwaukee-area residents 24 hours a day. Operators provide callers with information on a wide variety of non-emergency family, financial, health and social service issues, including counseling options. On a land line, dial 211. On a cell phone, dial 414-773-0211. More information is available at impactinc.org/impact-211/ . The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Milwaukee County (414-289-6874) also provides information and referrals. The Grand Avenue Club in downtown Milwaukee is a volunteer-based, non-clinical community that serves individuals who are experiencing mental-illness. Programming, training, placement and recreational opportunities are among the services offered.  

Take action in a crisis. If you believe you or a loved one is experiencing a crisis, you can call Milwaukee County’s Department of Health & Human Services’ 24-Hour Crisis Line at 414-257-7222. The national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7/365 by dialing 988. Conversations are free and confidential. 

Cultivate connection. A 2023 advisory by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy states that while “loneliness and isolation is widespread and has profound consequences for our individual and collective health and well-being, there is a medicine hiding in plain sight: social connection.” Specific strategies in the advisory include strengthening “social infrastructure” and enacting pro-connections public policies within communities. 

Seek out peer relationships. Support groups create safe spaces for open dialogs. They often are available at no cost. For example, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers ongoing support groups in greater Milwaukee. The nation's largest grassroots mental health organization, NAMI is dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness, through its 700 local organizations (https://namisoutheastwi.org/support-and-education/support/). Some religious organizations, hospitals and other institutions host support groups for individuals facing specific challenges. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and related groups provide peer support for people coping with substance-use disorders. Others serve caregivers and those facing other issues. Wide-ranging grief-recovery groups offer support specifically for those who have lost a spouse, or a child, or for those experiencing suicide loss.  

Get moving. Physical exercise interrupts depressive or anxious thoughts and other behavioral challenges. One adage is that the best form of exercise is the one that you will actually do. If possible, combine movement with connection, whether by finding a walking buddy or two, taking a class, or exercising around other people. Feelings of isolation can be countered simply through the “weak ties” of regularly encountering others in gathering places such as community centers, coffee shops and gyms.  

Consider online resources. Some podcasts and other online programs offer education about mindfulness techniques and how to cope with anxiety and other challenges. Many such tools are available for free. They can augment direct forms of human contact in addressing effects of isolation. 

Frequent places where everyone belongs. Welcoming, safe public spaces, with no barriers to access, promote belonging and community health. Libraries, parks and playgrounds are crucial spaces of inclusion for all. Outdoor seating open to everyone encourages sociability and counters isolation. Public benches are needed and appreciated everywhere, not just in neighborhoods with enough affluence to enlist donors to fund them. 

Advocate. People who have become familiar with ways that mental health is misunderstood or unsupported can be effective ambassadors within their circles and the wider community. Speaking up to share personal stories and insights can help to decrease stigma and increase understanding. Creating health-promoting cultures and environments requires sustained collective effort.  

Go low tech. Within family and other social circles, simply putting aside devices and engaging in attentive listening can make a big impact on everyone’s mental well-being. Intentionally doing activities without screens, such as taking walks together, playing cards or board games, and sharing a meal around a table (with phones off and stashed) can ease isolation and loneliness. Time and attention support the sharing of our truest stories. And simply turning off devices allows us to periodically de-stress. 

Be present and be kind. Whenever we are unsure of what to do or say when someone is grieving or otherwise in crisis, simply showing up matters most. We can check in on someone, whether in person or through a text or phone call, send a card, give food, or offer to help with a task. Inviting someone to walk in nature or visit a place they enjoy can yield multiple benefits.   

Think small. Noticing and appreciating beauty and finding joy in simple things are proven ways to counter anxiety and depression. Taking incremental steps toward attainable goals builds confidence.  

Remember that we are all related. A community thrives when many people look out for what serves humanity and everyone’s well-being. Chances are that we encounter people on a daily basis who may be struggling. Appreciating our interdependence can lead us to actions that make us all healthier, happier and more vibrantly connected.