You only have 5 items or fewer as a result but each item on the list is something that people struggle with every day. The COVID pandemic was scary and a struggle for everyone, so having even one item on the list comes from a valid source.

While you may not need to process a deep trauma or explore childhood experiences, sessions with a professional can proactively create change, growth, and positivity in your life. Minor adjustments to thoughts or behaviors can create long-standing change. It doesn’t have to be profound things, but having an outside perspective can help you find ways that fit who you are personally. Professionals can help you add the right tools to your toolbox that allow you to approach life differently and feel better equipped to face your daily challenges.

Mental health is more important than ever. We are still seeing so many side effects and long-term changes in people as a result of living through the first airborne pandemic in many of our lifetimes. What’s important right now is advocating for the mental well-being of you and your community. We can’t start creating change and large-scale support without starting in our own homes.

Since the pandemic began to sink in during the spring of 2020, many people started to report increases in anxiety, trouble sleeping, substance use, and poor ability to cope. It makes sense that these numbers have not been able to restabilize. While some of the stigmas that come with mental health were lifted because everyone needed support, there is still a strong stigma that people believe every day.

As mental health professionals right here in Northeast Louisiana, we still see the need for mental health support like never before. The mental health community and partners within Finding Solace Counseling are coming together in order to advocate for each of you to know how to advocate for your own mental health.