Mental health fair focuses on essential dimensions of wellness

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer

During a recent trip to Calhoun County, Kevin Warren saw young people living without some everyday essentials that their peers in better-off communities take for granted.

The picture that Warren, CEO of LIFE Center, which works with at-risk youth, painted was of kids having to make a 14-mile round trip to find a convenience store. Some lived in conditions without utilities and having to use an outdoor bathroom.

The scenario was one of a few that Warren used to emphasize the importance of how the environment could affect an individual’s mental health. He was one of the speakers who each discussed eight dimensions of wellness featured on a wheel during the Mental Health and Wellness Fair last Tuesday evening at Walker/Ford Center.

As depressing as the situation that Warren spoke about was, he said most of the young people were students with a 3.0 GPA. For many, it’s the quality of life that they live without knowing how it impacts their mental health, he said.

“There is nothing they can do to change their situation,” Warren said. “They are going to endure all of their adverse childhood experiences without any choices of their own.”

But Warren said his non-profit organization is providing resources to help the young people in Calhoun County cope, taking an approach that he refers to as a pair of aces.

“Any solutions that we are involved in have to attack the pair of aces.” Warren said. “So we are not just looking at supporting the kids if we can’t support the family and the environment in which they must live in.”

The Fair was the brainchild of the Mental Health Council of the Big Bend. The dimensions of focus were – mental, physical, vocational, financial, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental. Each was featured on a wellness wheel and was the focal point of speakers who discussed them.

The concept kept the audience of about 150 people engaged, as they were encouraged to rate themselves after each speaker. Moderator Nicole Everett followed up by asking attendees to rate themselves from 1 to 10 after each speaker.

Fran Close, a FAMU professor and member of the Mental Health Council of the Big Bend, said the areas focused on the wheel were intentional.

“They all go together,” she said. “You cannot have one balanced and not the other. It really is the whole concept. All those things have to be in balance.”

Having the event on the Southside in the Bond neighborhood also helped to reach people who are most likely to suffer mental health issues.

Black adults are more likely than Whites to report symptoms of mental illness, according to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. It also said that Black adults who live in poverty are likely to report serious psychological distress than those who are more financial secured.

However, only one in three Black adults who need mental health care receives it, according to the report.

As President, Chief Executive Officer at Apalachee Center, Jay Reeve, PhD., is very aware of who are affected most by mental health issues. If nothing else, Reeve said, the discussion around the wellness wheel helped to create awareness.

“The real issue we are focusing on is to get people to think about (and) talk about what’s going on with mental health,” Reeve said. “The issue that we all face is that people don’t want to talk about this.

“They don’t want to talk about it or think about some of the issues having to do with mental illness. So for the community to come together and talk about this voluntarily and get some guidance on how to think about this it’s amazing. The community would start to get healthier.”

To create, a better community one can start cultivating healthier food habits. For instance, caffeine consumption might be replaced by food supplements that can fight against anxiety and helps in managing a mental illness. Alternative sources are available online, one can check here to know more about the options to make a better life with mental peace.

One of the more interesting takeaways from the event was an impactful presentation by Asha Fields Brewer, Ph.D. As part of her discussion on spiritual wellness, she used a 25-cent piece to make her point about self value.

She drove home her message by throwing the quarter on the ground and stumping on it.

“At the end of the day, no matter what I did to this quarter the value remained 25 cents,” said Fields Brewer, founder of Temple Fit Health. “If you value your value, no one can take that away from you. Value protects your mind, your mental wellness.”