As May ends and June starts to usher in summer, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight Mental Awareness Month. This is by no means the most in depth history about the recognized month. In fact, I will be honest that most of the information I got is from Wikipedia.
Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to raise awareness around individual’s suffering from conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and suicide. Every year there is a theme to help boost awareness. This year’s theme is “More Good Days, Together.” Mental Health America, the organization who established the awareness then known as National Association for Mental Health, chose this year’s theme to encourage everybody to reflect on what a “good” day means to them and their communities. The way I interpret that is we know what a good day looks like for us individually, but what does a good day look like to everybody else and how can we help others achieve their good day.
This year’s theme really made me think: what does a good day look like to everyone else here. I know what a good day here looks like to me. To me a good day is everybody shifts without hesitation, they eat all of their meals, there were no fights, the cattle took their own meds and I didn’t have to fight someone off of someone else’s, and Bruce allowed me to love him. There are some other small minor things, but those are the big ones. Now admittedly, I really don’t know what a good day to the other caregivers looks like. 😬 I think I just assumed theirs looked identical to mine. But in the spirit of theme, it’s really making me think about that.
Mental health is such an important topic in the caregiver world. Burnout is one cause of the low attrition rate in this career field, and burnout hits fast and hard. Most of what I say next is just based on my own observations and personal experience. If I had to guess why the burnout rate is high is just due to the multitude of things we are responsible for. I know for me, this job is always on the top of my mind. Whether I’m on site, at home, on vacation, it doesn’t matter. Every worry, whether it be a fight, some social tension, upcoming procedure, etc., all those things follow me everywhere I go. No matter what I’m doing or where I am, I have chimps on the brain.
Though George’s situation has “cooled down” from what it was for me, now Negra occupies most of my thoughts. So as you can see, this job is a one thing right after another kind of job.
This job is one that keeps you on your toes… 24/7! For me, even though this is pretty much a 24/7 type of job, I get great gratification seeing the chimps playful and happy. That, regardless of how long it lasts, is what gets me out of bed in the morning. There are the hard times, but going through the storm to feel levitated like that is 1000% worth it.
For years, Mental Health America has tried to rip down the curtain of stigma that surrounds mental health for some reason. I tend to be as open and honest with mine in case it can be of any help to anybody else going through it. And it thrills me that stigma seems to be waning for now, which is why I think they chose the theme that they did for this year: to help others in need.
Be sure to check Mental Health America’s resource page of a lot of different resources out there to help you or someone you know in a crisis. The world is a better place with you in it because you help better the world.
Fabulous post. The words and the photos of the chimps that were chosen… perfect!!!
I really appreciated your honest and thoughtful post about mental health stigma and awareness. It takes courage to speak openly, and I found your perspective meaningful and refreshing. Thank you for sharing it. Loved love love the pictures, especially the hugs.
Thank you for this post. And thank you for the website; it’s full of great info.
Thanks, Chad, for reminding us that as well as keeping ourselves well physically and mentally, it is important that we help others along their diffifult paths. Indeed, the CSNW daily blog helps me each day put aside the sometimes ugly news of our world nowadays and focus on the relentkess resilience of these chimps who have overcome the sadness of their previous lives to lift their faces to the sun and carry on helping one another.
truly wonderful Poast for all the reasons listed in the comments above! Thank you!
The Chinps NW daily blog has been an important part of my mental health since I first was introduced to the sanctuary last summer. I no longer end my day reading about politics. I end my day, reading the blog and watching the videos.
Even when the blog addresses conflict or health concerns, it is very grounding. The blog makes a big difference in my daily life. Thank you!
Thank you, Chad for a great, insightful blog and the photos! Particularily love the hugs of friends…the CSNW blog often feels like a hug after a challenging day!
Dear Chad, I appreciate your openness on what is sometimes a difficult subject. Today, you let the light shine in on mental health, and emotional health, making it very relatable. I believe we all arrived here at this sanctuary because we were, in one way or another, moved by the individual experiences each chimpanzee lived through and we felt compelled to ensure each one heal—not just physically but mentally and emotionally. No matter how long it might take. The chimpanzees have proven to me that healing is all about “More Good Days, Together.” Your carefully curated photos and captions prove your point.
I have been involved in animal welfare for a long time. I understand burn out and Compassion Fatigue. These are topics that need more awareness outside the field. It is impossible to care for another living creature and not feel like you carry their lives in your hands. You do. It takes a very special person to be a caregiver of any kind, but especially so when it comes to animals—who can’t speak for themselves, who live in captivity. This is why all of us have the greatest admiration and respect for what you do. It’s a job that needs strong hearts because mentally and emotionally you will take a beating but, in the end, your love for those in your care wins out every time. You have best hearts, the truest hearts of all. You make good days happen. The proof is in your photos.
A good day for me ends with reading this blog. Making the caregiver staff caregivers to all of us. Ripples of good.
Thank you, Chad.
I’ve said before that this blog and what it communicates to me about my favorite chimpy people is often a/the bright spot in my day.
Take comfort in the fact that, as someone who has worked with younger people for years, I definitely see embracing discussions of our mental health as being on the upswing.
I concur with what Suzanne wrote. Reading about the residents of the CSNW is a source of sanity for me. I am reminded of the appropriate application of Science used with compassion in the care of the cattle, chimpanzees, canines, and cats. Someone who Burrito rejoices in seeing each day is doing something to make a “good day together.”