The World Is Looking More Colorful

This month marks the 70th anniversary of Mental Health Awareness in the United States. Each day across the globe individuals grapple publically and privately with their own mental health disorders.

Mental health has always been a very sensitive topic to discuss, and Zone 126 from it’s inception has taken a holistic approach to supporting the mind, body and soul of all of our students and families. Implementation partner organizations such as the Child Center of NY (CCNY), enACT, and Little Flower Yoga (LFY) have all been a part of our continuum of care solutions. At the onset of our community schools’ efforts at Long Island
Image Credit: weheartit.com

City High School, we worked closely with CCNY to set up a school-based mental health clinic that supports both students and their families needs for clinical support services. With the understanding that some students might not be aware of or ready to seek out services, Zone 126 has worked closely with enACT to implement drama therapy residencies. These push-in support services that take place within the classroom allows students to act out scenarios that they are encountering in their everyday life, and learn tactics to reinforce positive behaviors. For the past four years across our three Neighborhood Community Schools LFY has brought their yoga and mindfulness programming into classrooms to teach students how to connect, breath, move, focus and relax. Students who potentially have anger issues have learned techniques to re-channel their thoughts and reframe their thinking by having a mindful moment to focus on their breath.

All of these strategies are meant to ease the weight that students might feel when they experience mental health disorders. Zone 126 works to create environments that are safe and stable so that students feel comfortable to speak their own truth. Asking for help is one of the toughest decisions an individual can make, by creating safe and stable spaces at all three of our schools, Zone 126 makes it so that students and families know they are not alone in this own journey around mental health.

While May is designated as Mental Health Awareness month it is critical for all of us to be kind, and supportive each day of the year as we are unaware of the battles that someone else might be fighting privately.

We all can prevent suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating harming themselves or someone please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Help is just one phone call away.

“At the end of the day, remind yourself that you did the best you could today, and that is good enough.” ~ Loni Deschene