Being connected to others is so vitally important to our health and well-being and yet we are surrounded by so many messages - from social media, media, signs, campaigns - that suggest the chasms between us are too vast to cross. But doesn’t connection begin when we look up, look around, smile, say hello, ask how are you with genuine interest? It is at these moments that the supposed chasms become much less vast. Each time we recognize our common human desires for happiness, peace and well-being, we take a step and then another. Soon we find that each of these stepping stones create a bridge across divides of difference.
In the Spring of 2021, a time when so many of us were eager, perhaps even more so than usual, for connection beyond our own four walls, I was introduced to We the People Warwick’s Dialogue Series. This very meaningful experience of facilitated dialogues with other members of our community was the launch point for my continued involvement with this grassroots, fully-volunteer organization and my current role on its steering committee. I invite all of my fellow Warwick Township community members to consider experiencing one of these meaningful four-session, facilitated dialogue series offered in the spring (beginning, May 1) and the fall.
Such meaningful conversations and connections can become the foundation on which we lean for our mental health and well-being. During WTPW’s mental health forum that took place in late November, something that seemed to resonate with so many attendees was the concept shared by LCSW, Jerry Sander, of a three-tier approach to mental health. The first tier is about living in a healthy, relational way - about being here for each other. Well before involving available resources or professional help, we can be the support for each other that each of us needs.
Part 2 of WTPW’s “You Are Not Alone” mental health series will take place on April 29, again at Mountain Lake Park in Warwick. This is when community members will take a collective step toward being that first tier of mental health care for each other. Here neighbors will roll up sleeves and begin to do the work toward meeting the needs of the Warwick community in five areas of mental health: mental health education, suicide prevention and intervention, the intersection of mental health and substance use, mental health care and the youth mental health crisis. We invite you to be part of this community-wide event.
More information and links to register to participate in the Dialogue Series and the Mental Health Forum can be found on our website wethepeoplewarwick.org.
Let’s encourage each other to take steps toward connection and becoming active participants in each other’s well-being. The chasm isn’t nearly as wide as it seems. Thank you for listening.
Barb Hyde
Warwick, NY