Ensuring Support for Life’s Tough Seasons
What do we do when life begins to feel like too much? What resources are available when we feel like we’ve reached the end of our rope? Is it normal to experience tough times that feel more difficult than others?
These questions and many more like them are thankfully less taboo than they were a decade ago much to the thanks of Mental Health Awareness Month beginning this week each year in the month of May.
One of the core beliefs of LaRue County Schools is that academic, social, and emotional learning are all critical. To help put feet to that belief, Marsha Duncan LaRue County Schools Emotional Support Specialist, fields questions like those listed above on a regular basis from students and staff alike.
Over the course of her career, she has witnessed a much-needed increase in the amount of supports for mental health, “Mental health supports are more easily accessible today than ten years ago. With that being said, there is still a major storage of mental health professionals in America. We’ve made many strides in improving mental health supports, but still have a lot of work to do.”
Although the amount of supports have increased in recent years, especially in response to the effects of the pandemic worldwide, there are those still unaware of the help that exists, “One of the best ways we can help increase the awareness of mental health/wellness is to simply talk about it” Duncan explains. “It’s important to acknowledge we all struggle from time to time and that we need to have a support system/network in place. We all need to realize the need for us to be there for each other.”
Today May 3, 2023, is the third day of Mental Health Awareness Month. If you or someone you know are interested in mental health support, Duncan has resources and encouragements at the ready to help you get started, “My top 2 website recommendations would be SAMSHA and NAMI. I always recommend any music apps with relaxation/calming music playlists. They are very helpful in helping with stress and anxiety.”
