To commemorate Mental Health Month, Alliance asked some of our licensed social workers to share their insights and tips for mental health care. Interviewed here is Angela Arias, Director of Care Management, LCSW.
This may sound very elementary, but what does mental health actually mean?
Mental health includes our mental, social, and psychological health, and all the events and choices in your life. Think of a triangle. The top of (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) effects everything above and beneath it.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
And how can you or I assess our mental health at a given time?
It’s an everyday thing. It involves checking in with ourselves, to see how we’re feeling about our work, our family, and most importantly, ourselves. Are you feeling like “yourself?”
We'll talk in greater depth about creating care plans for folks experiencing serious mental health challenges, but are there any basic "hacks" for helping one's mental health?
There are so many things you and I can do to “reset” and get back to feeling like ourselves. Exercising, being in nature, taking a hot bath. Maybe all of those things sound relaxing and feasible to you, or maybe none do. When my program participants don’t necessarily know what helps them, we brainstorm.
I was working with someone recently who was very depressed. He told me liked to play the card game spades, and I asked him if he thinks he’s happier when he’s playing with his friends. And of course we did a risk assessment, and felt that since he wasn’t playing for money, there was no risk for him to do more of that.
So that interaction with friends helped. How can someone build a strong support system?
Close friends or family can be a support system—obviously sometimes you can love someone but being around them can be triggering. So, it’s important to ask yourself: who—if you’re in crisis—who will answer, and listen. I always recommend having multiple people for different things in your support system. Not someone who asks “why would you do that?” but instead “how are you doing”? If friend A is really great at giving advice but not so good at just listening when you need that, can you turn to friend B, or your neighbor, or relative?
I’m amazed at how many people I work with at Alliance list me as an emergency contact, which I think speaks to how we make people feel. We’re not just someone helping them with applications for housing or food assistance, they trust us with their emotional well-being.
What are some helpful things a caring friend or relative can do to check in on or support another person’s mental health?
Just being present can go so far. We live in a busy city, in a busy world, in a busy time. Sending a random text. But be present. Don’t initiate a text message if you’re not willing to lend a listening ear. If they tell you they’re having a bad day, don’t go silent on them.
Make plans with someone, if it works for you.
And what are things to avoid doing regarding another person’s mental health?
Giving advice, haha. You may think you’re being helpful, but if it’s not asked for, you may not be helping. Sometimes people don’t really listen, they’re just thinking about what they’re going to say next. If you want to give advice, ask permission first, or let them tell you what works for them.
What mental health advice is important for people in recovery?
Living with people can be triggering. So getting in spaces that make you feel more in control or even supported can go a long way. As well as being around people who can relate to your situation. Most people find it helpful to be in support groups (that Alliance offers, or elsewhere). They can be inspired by stories from people who seem to have it “worse” off than themselves or just knowing that they are not alone in their journey and that there is indeed, true hope.
What mental health advice is important for people in shelters?
Knowing that they are making an attempt at bettering their situation, like motivating them to fill out housing applications. Feeling a sense of accomplishments can be great. And getting them out during the day, because typically being in shelters may not to be too great for one’s mental health.
In today’s age, everyone has a phone, even a lot of people living on the street or in shelters. Helpful podcasts and safe things to read or listen to can be key.
Is depression-free always the goal? Many people have chronic depression or mental health disorders, but still have strong mental health regimen. Can you explain how that is?
I feel like there’s never a perfect cure for depression, anxiety, etc. The end goal is management or maintenance. You can learn how to manage it on a daily basis, and some people are naturally good at it while others need a bit more assistance.
Self-care, having a support system in place, and management look different for everyone.
What role can burnout play in mental health?
Speaking professionally, burnout looks different for everyone. The important thing is how do you identify when someone’s burning out. In our environment you can see someone working all the time, through lunch. I try to make sure I tell folks that are working so much that they should stop what they’re doing, and go for a walk, get away from their desk. I’m proud of that, gently saying “I noticed you haven’t taken a day off in two months. Do you think you could use one?”
Those are some good ways we can identify stress and prevent burnout.
Someone can be overwhelmed but still “functioning” but when they’re burned out, they’re actually crashing, and you can see it.
What are some symptoms of burnout?
Irritability is a symptom of burnout. If you’re getting sick more, or going to the bar more after work, or maybe you’re just going through the motions.
How do you personally avoid burnout? Or what tips can you offer to someone else?
Making time for the things I enjoy. In my spare time, I manage my own self-care by making jewelry. I love making jewelry. I make things. Soldering, mixing, and combining metals.
Angela at a market with her jewelry (L), and in her protective smoldering mask (R)
But also, it’s important to not get wrapped up in all of my identities. At work, I know my role as supervisor, but I don’t want to present as a supervisor all the time. I want to be me. And when I’m off work, my friends don’t want a social worker as a friend, they want to laugh and be inappropriate with Angela and have fun.
Why did you want to work in this field?
I’m interested in why we behave in certain ways, and most of the time we’re unaware of it. So I’m curious about human behaviors, that’s why I went to social work school. That’s why I got into this, the fascination with the brain.
Being a social worker has made me more self-aware. That’s kind of a generic answer but we are all so “defined” by our identities: sister, partner, mother, colleague....in social work school I was so fixated on my specific identities, and I’d get wrapped up in it. Now I accept I am all of these things in one and I’m okay with that. I don’t have to go into a conversation as “Angela the social worker” or “Angela the sister,” I can be myself, Angela, and not worry about how I’m presenting.