(CNN) — The connection that comes from friends, family and partners isn’t just nice to have — it’s crucial.

Nearly 1 in 4 adults across the world have reported feeling very or fairly lonely, a 2023 Meta-Gallup survey has found.

“For too long, loneliness has existed behind the shadows, unseen and underappreciated, driving mental and physical illness,” US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said in November.

Loneliness is a problem when it comes to getting help, and strong relationships are a solution.

Positive social experiences affect not only a person’s stress level and ability to cope but also are markers of physical health, according to a March 2023 study.

It may seem daunting to expand your connections, but here are five meaningful steps you can take to do so in 2024.

1. Start small

Whether making new friends, bringing existing ones closer or embarking on the dating scene, it’s OK to keep from getting overwhelmed and start small, said Adam Smiley Poswolsky, author of “Friendship in the Age of Loneliness,” in a previous CNN article.

Doing so can mean sending a text to check in with someone once a week, meeting one new person a month or planning a regular social outing.

“If you do just one thing, make a list of five people in your life that you care about, and give one of them a phone call,” added Poswolsky, a workplace belonging expert. “The most remarkable friendships often begin with tiniest moments of connection.”

Research shows that it takes 90 hours of time together to consider someone a friend and more than 200 hours to consider them a close friend with whom you have an emotional connection, he said.

“In our busy world, we need to put our friendship on the calendar, and commit to recurring activities,” Poswolsky said.

2. Set boundaries

Believe it or not, better connection with others may require you to set strong boundaries.

“It’s not just about conflict and keeping bad people out. It’s also about keeping the relationships you value in,” said Kami Orange, a boundary coach based in southern Utah, in a previous CNN article.

Boundaries are communications of your needs, wants and expectations, and you may need to set boundaries with your partner about your needs when it comes to personal space or preserve your relationship with parents by setting boundaries on what you expect from them around your children.

“A good boundary is clear and concise,” said Nedra Glover Tawwab, a therapist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I think very often we say a lot of words, but we’re still not very clear about what we want.”

Instead of stating a problem such as, “You always pick on me about my kids,” it is important to say what you need, Tawwab said in an earlier article. An invitation to do something in the future would help, she added.

3. Learn about yourself

Do you know how you attach to others? Or how your loved ones are attached to you? The answer to those questions can help strengthen your relationships.

First developed by psychoanalyst John Bowlby in the 1950s, attachment styles describe how people function in relationships when it comes to closeness, intimacy and potential threats.

There are four styles: avoidant, anxious, disorganized and secure. You can learn more about them in a 2023 CNN article.

Knowing about these styles can help in your relationships with friends, family, colleagues and romantic partners, according to research.

4. Learn how to have conflict

Not only does fighting happen, but it can be healthy, according to a previous CNN article.

The key is to fight with those you love in a productive way — meaning one that solves problems and brings you closer together.

Social psychologist David W. Johnson studied conflict and labeled five archetypes of how people tend to handle it: turtles, sharks, teddy bears, foxes and owls.

Turtles, for example, tend to withdraw, while sharks forcefully protect their own goals, and owls view conflict as a problem that needs solving. Foxes tend to compromise, and teddy bears sacrifice to keep the peace.

Knowing your attachment and conflict style can help to understand how you approach a fight with your loved ones, and research suggests that approach can be modified.

5. Express your gratitude

A simple “thank you” can go a long way.

Research from 2023 showed that couples who express gratitude to one another when they feel it increased their time together by more than an hour a day.

The key is to identify gratitude and express it authentically, not sit down and recount nice things your friend, family member or partner did that you could remember.

Your relationship doesn’t need to get stuck in a rut, even as it evolves out of the butterfly stage, said Sara Algoe, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in a previous CNN article. Algoe is founder and director of The Love Consortium, a group of researchers studying data around social connection.

“It may be impossible to recapture the giddy joy of falling in love,” Algoe said, “but it doesn’t take much to rediscover the things we love about our partner and strengthen our relationship in the process.”

The post 5 steps to a less lonely 2024 appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

The Arthur M. Blank Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in Atlanta and around the country, has reached the $8 million mark in grant-giving under its mental health and well-being portfolio this year.

That amount is $3 million more than what was committed to mental health and well-being-focussed organizations last year, according to a release from the foundation. The announcement comes at a time when Americans are dealing with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during the holidays, according to data provided by the Office of the Surgeon General.

Last year the Arthur M. Blank Foundation gave grants to organizations, both big and small, according to Brown. The Carter Center received a half-million-dollar program grant to support its public education around mental health parity. Hopelab, a San Francisco-based social innovation lab focused on designing science-based technologies to improve the health and well-being of teens and young adults, received a $300,000 grant.

Up to 95% of youth ages 13-17 use a social media platform, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. A recent survey showed that teenagers spend an average of 3.5 hours a day on social media and when asked about the impact of social media on their body image, nearly 50% of adolescents aged 13-17 said social media makes them feel worse, according to the survey.

Another organization that the foundation has given funding to, Kate’s Club, is geared towards supporting young people. Kate’s Club, an Atlanta-based organization that assists kids with grieving the loss of a loved one, received a $250,000 general operating support grant.

The Atlanta Voice spoke to an Atlanta-area pediatrician about the need for funding mental health education and training for youth/teens. “Mental healthcare often has poor reimbursement, especially for patients with Medicaid, so access is an issue,” he said. “Nonprofits can help subsidize care.”

Black Girls Smile, an Atlanta and New York City-based organization that works to encourage positive mental health education for Black women and girls, has been granted funding from the foundation.

Five to 10 years ago funding was going to healthcare organizations, with hopes that mental health education and training would be a part of the work being done. Now it’s being earmarked for mental health specifically, Brown explained.

Future endeavors for the foundation’s philanthropy include children and infant mental health, maternal mental health, climate anxiety, digital mental health, and loneliness.

“In the next year we are still learning quite broadly in this space,” Beth Brown, Arthur M. Blank Foundation managing director of mental health and well-being told The Atlanta Voice. “We will have a more found strategy and a very specific role for the foundation.”

The Arthur M. Blank Foundation recently reached the $1 billion mark in overall giving during the life of the organization.

A full list of grants from the 2023 Mental Health and Well-Being portfolio is available on the Arthur M. Blank Foundation website.

The post Blank Foundation grants $8M-plus to mental health awareness, education appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Black boys are twice as likely to die by suicide than white youth. In 2014, 80% of suicide deaths in the Black community were men. Black men in the US have the highest attempt rate for the African American community, according to a study by Dr. Patrice Nicole.

The suicide rate, according to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, among Black youth has “risen faster than in any other racial/ethnic group in the past two decades, with suicide rates in Black males 10 to19 years old increasing by 60%. Early adolescent Black youth are twice as likely to die by suicide as compared to their white counterparts.”

September is national suicide prevention and awareness month, and Chris James, Director for Creative Connections, partnered with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health to create a new program for Black boys in the Atlanta metro area called Black Boys Better. 

The focus of the program is teaching Black male students in a round table intimate set-up how to identify and respond to mental health issues in a healthy manner. This week was the launch of the program, which includes sessions designed students to become emotionally literate so they can affectively express themselves: 

• Day 1: Properly identifying emotions
• Day 2: Learning positive coping mechanisms
• Day 3: Exploring ethical Dilemmas
• Day 4: Conflict resolution
• Day 5: Healthy communication

After the initial sessions, the next step is to work with the schools to evaluate impact and to implement a year-long program. 

“We are also exploring training the Black males at each school to continue to the program as well,” he said. 

Furthermore, Black Boys Better strives to help Black boys become more emotionally literate so they can most affectively express themselves and manage interpersonal conflict through methods such as discussion, poetry exercises, and more. 

The program is led by Black men and Black males make up only two percent of America’s educators so this program places positive Black males in a school setting in ways most Black boys have never experienced. 

James said the motivation behind the brand-new program was when he started a program about two years ago called The Fellas Mixer where he worked with Black men around Atlanta to help them improve their mental health. 

“I was thinking to myself, we need to do something like this for Black boys because those Black boys become Black men,” he said. “As we know, men and boys represent 80% of suicides in America. We’re four times more likely to die by suicide. The motivation behind this program was because I’m a Black man and it makes sense for me to talk to young men I can relate to and I’m passionate about mental health.”

Additionally, James said he wants to help Black young boys learn how to understand their emotions so they can more effectively manage their emotions. 

“As we talked about today, a lot of these young boys have said to us, they have experienced anger and sadness more than they have experienced happiness and I want to help them understand why that is,” he said. 

James said he thought of the name, “Black Boys Better” because he wanted Black boys to have the ability and skills to show up better. 

“It’s very straight to the point and when the organization [Georgia Department of Behavioral Health] decided to give us funding for the program, I thought they would be turned off by the name because we were specifically targeting Black boys, but everybody that we have offered this program to (because we are offering to six schools across Georgia now) everyone agrees and wants to do it,” he said.

Also, James said funding for the program came about after a talk with State Opioid Response Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Taylor Peyton.

“She was interested right away to provide us funding and she has now funded us for three different counties across Georgia: Chatham, Fulton, and Hancock County. This is our pilot year of the program, so ideally, next year we will be able to staff more schools and Black male professionals to talk to these boys about mental health,” he said. 

For Black men and Black boys who may be struggling with mental health or expressing themselves, James said the first thing he would do is write it down. 

“I think that’s both the easiest and safest way to take all those jumbled thoughts and brainstorm your expression on paper,” he said. “From there, you can organize those thoughts so you can more effectively articulate how you feel.”

Also, he said to practice it. 

“What I mean by that is, I always ask people, ‘how do you become more physically strong’, you become more physically strong by exercising repetitively, so how do you become more mentally healthy or better at expressing yourself or better at anything, practice,” he said. “So, what I would give to any man who is struggling, because he’s struggling because he’s weak in that area, I would encourage you to say how you feel often as possible and the more you do it, the stronger you get in that area.”

Additionally, according to James, the Department of Behavioral Health is willing to fund any school that wants this program. 

To find more information on how your school can have this program, contact Chris at CreativeConnectionsLR@gmail.com or visit ourcreativeconnections.com.

The post Mental health program Black Boys Better is now in Atlanta  appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

(CNN) — If you’re lonely or socially isolated, you might have a higher risk of early death, according to a large new study.

There have been many studies on the associations between social isolation, loneliness and the risk of dying early, but some results have been controversial or mixed, according to the paper published Monday in the journal Nature Human Behaviour. Those conflicting results could be due to research only focusing on a specific group or region, said Turhan Canli, a professor of integrative neuroscience in the department of psychology at New York’s Stony Brook University. Canli wasn’t involved in the study.

The new paper, however, is a meta-analysis of 90 studies that had examined the links between loneliness, social isolation and early death among more than 2 million adults. Study participants were followed for anywhere from six months to 25 years.

People who experienced social isolation had a 32% higher risk of dying early from any cause compared with those who weren’t socially isolated. Participants who reported feeling lonely were 14% more likely to die early than those who did not.

The research “gives us even greater confidence” about the importance of social isolation and loneliness as independent risk factors for premature death, said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University in Utah, who wasn’t involved in the study. Holt-Lunstad was the lead scientist on the US Surgeon General’s recent advisory report on social isolation and loneliness.

Social isolation, as defined by the new study, occurs when someone has an objective lack of contact with other people and can involve having a limited network or living alone.

Loneliness, on the other hand, refers to the subjective distress people feel if there’s a discrepancy between the quality of social relationships they actually have and what they want, according to the meta-analysis. Someone in this situation may feel their relationships are unsatisfying if they don’t fulfill their needs for connection or intimacy, said Anthony Ong, a professor of psychology and director of the Center for Integrative Developmental Science and Human Health Labs at Cornell University in New York state. Ong wasn’t involved in the research.

“Americans are spending more and more time in isolation and yet we don’t see it as a danger — particularly if it is by choice. People assume that it’s okay and may even be good for us to be isolated if we don’t feel lonely,” Holt-Lunstad said via email. “Yet this data confirms and expands on previous data that documents the risk associated with social isolation regardless of and independent of loneliness.”

Loneliness and isolation in the body

Being socially isolated or lonely can be considered a form of stress, Canli said.

“We all may feel lonely from time to time, but when that feeling is permanent, it may act as a form of chronic stress, which is unhealthy,” Canli said via email. “One way in which that may occur is through stress hormones that adversely affect the body.”

The study authors also looked into the links between loneliness, social isolation and death among people with cardiovascular disease or breast or colorectal cancer — since previous studies have shown that the relationship between social support and health can be a chicken-and-egg matter, “which could lead to a vicious cycle where poor health causes patients to lose social support … over time, but patients tend to need social support more than the general population,” according to the study.

Participants who were socially isolated and had cardiovascular disease were more likely to die early than those without the disease. And socially isolated people with breast cancer had a higher risk of dying from the disease than those who weren’t socially isolated.

Dying early from any cause or cardiovascular disease might also be related to people’s lifestyle behaviors, Canli said: “People who feel socially isolated or lonely tend to have unhealthy habits, such as smoking, alcohol use, poor diet (or) little exercise.”

There are several factors that could contribute to social isolation having a stronger effect on early death risk than loneliness, experts say.

“People who are lonely but not socially isolated have mental health stress but might be resilient to it because of their social networks” — even if those networks aren’t entirely what someone wants them to be, said the study’s first author Fan Wang, a professor of epidemiology at Harbin Medical University in China.

Having a small social network or little to no contact with the outside world can also make someone less likely to receive medical care if they don’t have anyone checking on them, Canli said.

“While this meta-analysis is important in providing corroborating evidence of the detrimental effects of social isolation and loneliness, there is a pressing need to move beyond questions concerning the independent effects to a consideration of their joint interplay,” said Ong, who was also among the scientists involved in the Surgeon General’s report, via email.

This further study would pave “the way for a deeper understanding and effective interventions,” he added.

Broadening social connections

People experiencing social isolation and loneliness should actively seek social support, Wang said.

“Think of maintaining a social network like any other health-promoting activity: exercising regularly, eating well, looking after yourself,” Canli said. Make cultivating your social connections a priority by not limiting when you say “hey” to someone to just holidays, or by thinking of ways to engage in activities that may expose you to new circles of like-minded people, he added.

Public health strategies to address loneliness and social isolation, including raising awareness, are also needed, Wang said.

Developing interventions with the help of family members and community networks is critical, Wang said. The health care system should also develop methods for identifying social isolation and loneliness in patients so health professionals can provide the appropriate help, he added.

The post Loneliness or social isolation linked to serious health outcomes, study finds appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Xceleader announced a new partnership with BetterHelp, the world’s largest online therapy platform, providing 200 students enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities with three months of access to free counseling services.

This partnership offers much-needed mental health support to students and promotes a proactive approach to mental health and wellness.

In 2018, Xceleader was created by three HBCU alumni: Aarian Forman (Tennessee State University), Jade Agudosi (Howard University), and Tevon Blair (Dillard University).

Recently, there has been a significant rise in the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Black students. A study from the National Institutes of Health found that approximately 34% of Black students reported feeling “so depressed in the last year it was difficult to function.”

Xceleader’s primary focus is on providing students with access to resources, mentorship, and opportunities to enable them to thrive academically and professionally. By partnering with BetterHelp, Xceleader aims to further their mission by addressing the pressing need for mental health support among students, especially those actively engaged in leadership roles on campus.

BetterHelp offers a wide range of mental health services, including therapy, counseling, and self-help resources. Now, HBCU students have access to additional resources to take charge of their mental health while being leaders on campus and in their communities.

This partnership represents a significant step forward in addressing the mental health challenges faced by students at HBCUs. By working together, Xceleader and BetterHelp hope to promote a proactive approach to mental health and wellness, creating a brighter future for students in the HBCU community. Students can access the voucher code by joining Xceleader’s email list.

The three founders spoke to the Atlanta Voice about their new partnership with BetterHelp and furthering their organization.

The Atlanta Voice: How did the partnership with BetterHelp come to be?

Aarian Forman: Working closely with students, we started to hear more stories about the challenges they were facing, relative to their mental wellness, and the impact it was having on their academic and personal lives. Most recently, the tragic loss of a student’s life has brought to light the critical importance of mental health support and services for students, especially within the HBCU community. We believed that BetterHelp, with its robust platform of virtual counseling services, was uniquely positioned to help address this pressing need.

AV: Is there a mentor in your life that inspires you as a business owner?

AF: Both of my role models in business are Black women. Dr. Glover, President of Tennessee State University, continues to inspire me to aim high, use my platform, and resources to support HBCUs and champion them in every space I’m in. Since my time serving as SGA President at TSU until now, she has continued to be an example of brilliance and leadership. Elicia Azali, Enterprise Chief Marketing Officer at American Family Insurance Group, gave me an opportunity of a lifetime, a seat at the table as a green professional. I was working directly with senior leaders early in my career and watching her has taught me so much and continues to inspire me. These women are two leaders that prove to me that it’s possible for me one day.

AV: Was there a moment that inspired you to start Xceleader?

Jade Agudosi: As an alumna of Howard University, I understand the importance of giving back to my alma mater and driving change among the broader HBCU community. When we started Xceleader, we saw a need to create an organization to share our gained knowledge and experiences in leadership with new and aspiring leaders as an opportunity to give back through service, time, and resources.

AV: What are your business goals for 2023 with Xceleader?

JA: In previous years, our programming and engagement were mostly conducted in virtual settings. However, we are excited to share that Atlanta will now serve as the home for Xceleader. Moving forward, we will focus on programming specifically designed for HBCU students and alumni in the Atlanta area, while also establishing connections with university and non-profit leaders.

AV: Any advice to future business owners about taking the plunge?

Tevon Blair: For aspiring nonprofit leaders seeking to support Black students, my advice is to lead with purpose and the ability to be adaptable to change. In our experience, the pandemic shifted how our programs and how we provided support to students. By listening to the challenges, they encountered, we were able to continue serving as a valuable resource to students as the outside environments constantly changed.

AV: How do you plan on building off this partnership with BetterHelp?

TB: At Xceleader, our work focuses on developing students as leaders whether it is on campus, in the classroom or within communities. However, mental health is often left out of the conversation when students are actively involved and we hope to address this issue through our partnership with BetterHelp by promoting a proactive approach to mental health and wellness, creating a brighter future for students in the HBCU community.  

The post Xceleader & BetterHelp provides free mental health support to 200 students at HBCUs appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

The U.S. surgeon general on Tuesday declared widespread loneliness in the United States the latest public health pandemic, comparing its effects on people’s health to those of smoking a pack of cigarettes every day.

In his 81-page research, Dr. Vivek Murthy found more than half of U.S. residents have felt lonely at some point.

According to Murthy, healthcare experts have concrete proof that loneliness impacts a significant part of the U.S. population, causing sensations akin to hunger and thirst.

“The feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing,” Murthy explained.

He stated that he wants to raise awareness of issues that impact most people and encourage them to speak out instead of enduring silence.

The Surgeon General’s declaration seeks to increase conversations surrounding loneliness, though Murthy doesn’t foresee any legislation or formal federal action ahead.

The declaration noted that, in recent decades, Americans reported feeling lonelier because of their declining involvement in religion, civic groups, and families.

Single-person homes had doubled over the past 60 years but worsened when COVID-19 struck, forcing most Americans to abandon school, workplaces, and social visits.

According to the advisory issued by Murthy, individual health and the lack of social connection pose a significant risk to one’s longevity.

Among the symptoms, excessive cigarette smoking and death.

The advisory noted that a poor or insufficient social connection has ties to a high disease prevalence, a 29% increase in the risk of heart disease, and a 32% increase in the risk of having a stroke.

The potential for anxiety, depression, and dementia is increased when an individual is lonely, the advisory cautioned.

Murthy said the lack of social connection may increase susceptibility to viruses and respiratory illnesses.

In older adults, it’s estimated that social isolation leads to more than $6.7 billion in additional Medicaid spending because of extra hospital and nursing facility costs.

The Surgeon General also warned that isolation and loneliness lower academic achievement and worsen performance at work.

Additionally, employers lose about $154 billion each year because of stress-related absences by employees.

“Given the profound consequences of loneliness and isolation, we have an opportunity, and an obligation, to make the same investments in addressing social connection that we have made in addressing tobacco use, obesity, and the addiction crisis,” Murthy asserted.

“This Surgeon General’s Advisory shows us how to build more connected lives and societies. If we fail to do so, we will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our individual and collective health and well-being.

“And we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country. Instead of coming together to take on the great challenges, we will retreat to our corners—angry, sick, and alone.”

The post Loneliness is high-cost public health crisis warns U.S. Surgeon General appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Black workers prioritize their mental well-being more than any other racial group, according to a survey by the employment platform Oyster.

The platform surveyed more than 2,500 desk-based – or so-called knowledge employees — and found that more than 58 % of Black workers globally chose their mental well-being as their top priority.

Asian respondents came in second at 37.7 %.

“Bearing the brunt of systemic racism, prejudice, and societal injustice, perhaps Black knowledge workers must put more energy into protecting their mental health and can less afford to spend it elsewhere,” the report stated.

Study authors found the ability of Black knowledge workers to focus has suffered because of external factors like the rising cost of living and health concerns, particularly in America, Western Europe, and Canada.

For instance, 60.1 % of Black workers struggle with the cost of living, the survey found.

About 9.5% of respondents were Black knowledge workers, and the authors called it disheartening to see that they’re disproportionately affected by the ever-rising costs of living.

“In fact, Black workers are more affected by pretty much every category than other racial groups, notably by global health concerns – 41.6% of Black workers (compared to 14.8% of white workers) were very concerned about this, compared office in many cases, against their will,” the authors wrote.

But nothing came close to spiraling living costs and personal concerns when factoring in the top external stressors, which the authors said was true across genders and geographies.

White workers reported being least affected in nearly every category – an example of privilege in practice, the authors concluded.

“What privilege does do is protect certain populations from being as negatively affected when taken as a group,” the authors noted.

They said the racial wage disparity present at many companies (and in society in general) means it’s logical that Black workers are more affected by rising costs of living.

Systemic racism in healthcare and legislative environments means it’s logical that Black workers are more affected by health concerns and political instability.

Additional findings of the report:

• 55% of Black workers see a safe, inclusive work environment as very important, almost 14 percentage points higher than their white colleagues.
• 63 % of Black employees indicated that regular raises affect their well-being at work, compared to 48.3% of white workers.
• Black employees value access to mental health support (64%) more than their white colleagues (22%).

Across all genders and geographies, the rising cost of living (75%) and personal worries or concerns (74%) are the top stressors impacting employees’ ability to focus on work, followed by:

• Global health concerns (61%)
• Economic downturn (55%)
• War and conflict (35%)
• Political instability (34%)
• Climate change (23%)

Black knowledge workers’ ability to focus on work is disproportionately affected by these external factors, more than any other racial group. Most critically:

• 60% of Black employees report struggling with the rising costs of living, compared to their Hispanic (46%), Asian (39%), and white (30%) colleagues.
• Global health concerns impact 42% of Black workers, compared to 15% of white workers.
• Younger generations are almost twice as affected by rising living costs and personal concerns than their Gen X colleagues.

“Our data broken down by race was also very revealing. Black employees valued a safe working environment almost 14 percentage points more than their white colleagues and were 20 percentage points more in favor of check-ins with their manager,” the study revealed.

“These employees also placed far more emphasis on regular raises (63.0% compared to 48.3% of white workers), which tracks given that our data also found Black workers were the most concerned with rising costs of living.”

The authors concluded:

“What we’re seeing is a greater need to support, include, and create equitable work environments so all employees can thrive. At the very least, managers should be aware that Black employees on their team may appreciate more face time and encouragement and be ready to provide this support as needed.”

The post SURVEY: Black Professionals’ ability to focus disproportionately affected by rising cost of living, health concerns appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

(CNN) — As we mark Stress Awareness Month in April, I know there’s so much to be stressed out—mass shootings, wars around the world, the pandemic’s long-term effects and the daily stresses of living and working in the 21st century. I’m sure you’ve got your list.

Everyone experiences stress at different points in their life. But when is stress a problem that requires our attention? What symptoms should people be on the lookout for? What are the health impacts of long-term stress? What are healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms? And what techniques can help in addressing—and preventing—stress?

Fresh from dropping off my kid at school late (sorry, kid, my fault), I was looking forward to this advice from CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen. Wen is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She previously served as Baltimore’s Health Commissioner and as Chair of Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore.

CNN: Let’s start with the basics. What exactly is stress?

Dr. Leana Wen: There is no single definition of stress. The World Health Organization’s definition refers to a state of worry or tension caused by a difficult situation. Many people experience stress as mental or emotional strain. Others also have physical manifestations of stress.

Stress is a natural reaction. It’s a human response that prompts us to respond to challenges and perceived threats. Some stress can be healthy and can prompt us to fulfill obligations. Perceived stress can spur us to study for a test or complete a project by a certain deadline. Virtually everyone experiences that kind of stress to some extent.

CNN: Why can stress be a problem?

Wen: The same human response that motivates us to work hard and finish a project can also lead to other emotions, like not being able to relax and becoming irritable and anxious. Some people develop physical reactions, like headaches, upset stomach and trouble sleeping. Longer-term stress can lead to anxiety and depression, and it can worsen symptoms for people with pre-existing behavioral health conditions, including substance use.

CNN: What are symptoms of stress that people should be on the lookout for?

Wen: In addition to feeling irritable and anxious, people experiencing stress can also feel nervous, uncertain and angry. They often express other symptoms, including feeling a lack of motivation; having trouble concentrating; and being tired, overwhelmed and burnt out. Many times, people in stressful situations will report being sad or depressed.

It’s important to note that depression and anxiety are separate medical diagnoses. Someone with depression and/or anxiety could have their symptoms exacerbated when they are undergoing times in their life with added stress. Long-term stress can also lead to depression and anxiety.

One way to think about the difference between stress versus anxiety and depression is that stress is generally a response to an external issue. The external cause could be good and motivating, like the need to finish a project. It could also be a negative emotional stress, like an argument with a romantic partner, concerns about financial stability or a challenging situation at work. Stress should go away when the situation is resolved.

Anxiety and depression, on the other hand, are generally persistent. Even after a stressful external event has passed, these internal feelings of apprehension, unworthiness and sadness are still there and interfere with your ability to live and enjoy your life.

CNN: What are the health impacts of long-term stress?

Wen: Chronic stress can have long-term consequences. Studies have shown that it can raise the risk of heart disease and stroke. It’s associated with worse immune response and decreased cognitive function.

Individuals experiencing stress are also more likely to endorse unhealthy behaviors, like smoking, excessive drinking, substance use, lack of sleep and physical inactivity. These lifestyle factors in turn can lead to worse health outcomes.

CNN: What techniques can help in addressing stress?

Wen: First, awareness is important. Know your own body and your reaction to stress. Sometimes, anticipating that a situation may be stressful and being prepared to deal with it can reduce stress and anxiety.

Second, identifying symptoms can help. For example, if you know that your stress reaction includes feeling your heart rate increase and getting agitated, then you can detect the symptoms as they occur and become aware of the stressful situation as it’s occurring.

Third, know what stress relief techniques work for you. Some people are big fans of mindfulness meditation. Those, and deep breathing exercises, are good for everyone to try.

For me, nothing beats stress relief like exercise. For me, what helps is exercising, in particular swimming. Aerobic exercise is associated with stress relief, and mixing it up with high-intensity regimens can help, too.

A lot of people have other specific techniques that help them. Some people clean their house, organize their closets or work in their gardens. Others spend time walking in nature, writing in a journal, knitting, playing with their pets or cycling.

I’d advise that you experiment with what works, take stock of existing techniques that help you and incorporate some of those practices into your regular routine. Then, in times of stress, they are good tools to turn to that you know will help you.

CNN: What unhealthy copings strategies should people avoid?

Wen: Definitely. There are things people turn to in an effort to make themselves feel better in the short-term that can actually make things worse. Excessive alcohol intake, using drugs and smoking aren’t healthy coping strategies. It’s the same with staying up all night, binge-eating and taking out your frustration on loved ones. These have wide-ranging consequences, and you should reconsider them if they have been your go-to coping mechanisms in the past.

CNN: When is it time to seek help?

Wen: If the stress you are feeling is consistently interfering with your work, social or personal life or if you are experiencing signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders, it’s time to seek help.

Consider speaking with your primary care physician to get a referral to a therapist. Your workplace may have an Employee Assistance Program that you can turn to, too. And the federal mental health crisis hotline number, 988, is another resource.

This April, for Stress Awareness Month, I hope we can all assess our own stress levels as well as our reaction to stress. We should recognize what helps us to reduce and alleviate stress as we aim to improve our physical and emotional well-being.

The post How to tell when stress is a problem appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

For many in the Black community, it can be incredibly daunting to discuss the topic of mental health due to this concern about how they may be perceived by others.

This fear, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), could prevent people from seeking mental health care when they really need it. While various communities face mental health challenges, Black communities often deal with more stigma and discrimination, and can receive compromised care.

63% of Black people believe that a mental health condition is a sign of personal weakness, according to NAMI. As a result, people may experience shame about having a mental illness and worry that they may be discriminated against due to their condition.

Professional barber Lorenzo Lewis created The Confess Project, a national mental health awareness movement that trains barbers to be mental health advocates and fight the stigma within the Black community.

The Confess Project

The Confess Project, according to Lewis, was inspired by his own personal journey.

“I was born in jail to an incarcerated mother, who was also impacted by mental health and in my early youth at 10, I was checked into a mental health psychiatric facility,” he said. “I had just lost my father and was going through anxiety and undiagnosed depression.”

Unfortunately, this led to Lewis being incarcerated at the age of 17.

“I was at the place I had been born in and I recognized those challenges I faced persisted,” he said.

Three years later, Lewis was released and was given the opportunity to work in a juvenile justice facility. Lewis said while working in the facility, he recognized the needs and opportunities that were needed in the Black community regarding mental health.

“I saw a veil of myself at a much younger age, as I not only had been disconnected from that system three years prior to that point of working there,” he said. “So, it was very fresh, I could relate because I was 21 and working with people who were 16-17 who committed violent crimes and so I had a very strong connection between that.”

After working at the juvenile facility as case manager and working in direct care services, Lewis also said he recognized there was a lack of cultural competency and diversity in the hospitals and independent living facilities.

Both of his personal and professional journeys married each other to begin the Confess Project, according to Lewis.

Locally Impacted

With the project’s headquarters located locally in Atlanta, the impact within the Black community through barbershops and salons speaks through data and testimonies, according to Lewis.

Additionally, he said they are not only training barbers and stylists to be mental health and suicide prevention gatekeepers for domestic violence, but also recognizing through the data that those “barbers and stylists can be gatekeepers for domestic violence and community interpersonal violence.”

“50% of those individuals were better impacted by our training than they were before understanding mental health which means that the information and training we provide was a significant benefit to their understanding and knowledge,” he said. “90% of those individuals that we’ve served stated that they would rather receive therapy and care in a barbershop setting rather than go to a counseling center. So, that has allowed us to be optimistic about extending our community care work to now serve young people through this cohort.”

The Impact of Barbershop/Salon Environment

Furthermore, Lewis said barbershops were one of the first places where social change took place during the Civil Rights era.

“Outside of the churches in the Black community, barbershops were another location that was just as impactful as our faith-based communities that took part in making social change when it came to voting and community action,” he said. “When we think about the Malden Brothers in Alabama and Dr. Martin Luther King in the NAACP when segregation was a big challenge in our community then, it’s really thinking about how mental health can play the same and/or similar role as what the Civil Rights had in our communities back in the early 60s.”

Also, he said recognizing historically for Black men and for women, barbering/styling is one of the most liberating careers that they can actually go into without any formal prior education and make a meaningful wage, creating generational wealth and economic opportunity.

“Also, through ownership as a lot of our barbershops and stylists can own their properties. So, it’s not only impacting them emotionally and civically, but impacts their economic circumstances and families and in the long term, their communities,” he said.

Additionally, Lewis said he believes the close connections between a barber/stylist and their clients, young or adult, are important.

“Whether it’s holding a razor, a comb, or a hot iron, it’s very impactful to someone’s daily life and the relationship that’s present there, getting their grooming and self-care services,” he said.

The Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health’s Innovation Awards

As The Confess Project continues its work in the Atlanta community [and around the country] to support youth mental health, the organization has been selected as one of the winners of the Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health’s Innovation Awards.

Out of 600 applications, The Confess Project is one of five winners who will be working alongside the Alliance to further their pilot program which aims to address youth mental health.

“We train over 2,200 barbers and stylists, particularly barbers,” Lewis said. “Being a part of the Morgan Stanley Children’s Innovation Awards allows us to expand our capacity more with training stylists and reaching young people, preferably children through our barbershops.”

Lewis also says their approach is a “preventive and peer support advocacy model”, and they aren’t training the barbers and stylists to be experts, but peer support.

“They are more of a preventive/support model that will help steer young people into the right direction,” he said. “It’s supposed to help the whole family. Children, mothers, fathers, and grandmothers, it’s very more impactful. It’s impactful when you think about decreasing the stigma of mental health and increasing access to services. They’re not many places in our community where you may have that type of institution that filters people from those different walks of life within the hours of each other.”

His work, Lewis said, is rooted in a framework which focuses on four core areas such as active listening, validation, positive communication, and stigma reduction.

“This in real time looks like a 30–45-minute interval where our barbers and stylists will be able to utilize these assets as an opportunity through a conversation and to make a referral to a provider, a counselor, or a hospital crisis line, if it’s needed,” he said. “If not, it’s seen as a trust and capacity building opportunity with the Morgan Stanley Innovation Awards, and to now being a winner, it’s really exciting.”

Joan Steinberg, Morgan Stanley’s global head of philanthropy and president of the Morgan Stanley Foundation, said the idea of using the barber shops and beauty salons as a centerpiece of black cultural life and using it in a way that helps kids is what drew them to this project.

Steinberg also said with Lewis’ team, they actively try to address an “upstream problem” when it comes to mental health issues ignored or someone who’s struggling doesn’t get any care.

“It’s unfortunately too often, particularly in communities of color and then you’re dealing with chronic illness, so by catching the kids earlier because they’re regularly seeing these barbers and stylists, they’re feeding into the system of how to get them to address these issues before it becomes chronic. The negative outcomes of mental healthcare are coming from untreated and uncared for kids,” Steinberg said.

Barbershops and LGBTQ+ mental health

The impression of the Black barbershop is a safe space for Black people to talk about their lives judgment free; however it can also be a stressful reality for Black-queer people just looking for a haircut.

Over the last three years, Lewis said they have implemented change in their diversity within the team and leadership.

“We have done tremendous changes to ensure that there are more Black women and individuals that are a part of our wider LGBTQ+ community as well. That’s something we’ve been very attentive to over the last few years,” he said.

Also, Lewis said his team and the project supports individuals who may be apprehensive about going into barbershops or how they connect to them.

“I do understand there could be sometimes a burden, fright, or fear in those spaces because there has been public humiliation and shame brought against the LGBTQ+ community in the Black community,” he said.

Another factor Lewis said they are doing is encouraging the language of mental health across their communities and people they work with.

“We are also intentional about who our ambassadors and credible messengers are. Starting off, we had particularly men who are heterosexual, but now we have women who are a part of the project,” he said. “We have improved areas of being more rounded and diverse across the board.”

Lewis also said the project got support from Borealis Philanthropy to ensure individuals who have disabilities and/or not seen are included.

“We want to improve and ensure everyone has a voice at the table,” he said.

“From what we have seen in the LGBTQ+ community, a lot of times kids who are struggling are not comfortable talking to their parents about what’s happening with them,” Steinberg said. “They may not have accepting parents or ready to address that, so the idea of having another caring adult who’s willing to have those conversations and creates an outlet is incredibly valuable to their pathway.”

Long Term

Lewis said his teams long term impact by being a part of the Morgan Stanley Innovation Awards as a winner is to explore more opportunities of helping young children and ending the epidemic of individuals dying by suicide.

“As I talked about my story as a 10-year-old kid feeling hopeless, a lack of security, being lost, dealing with grief and depression, my goal is for young people to not face the deprivation and unnoticed mental health challenges that I faced,” he said. “My goal is to impact thousands of young children throughout the barbershops and also families; making sure families have the adequate resources.”

One of the challenges, Lewis said, is the lack of information and mental health literacy, so they’re looking to improve this whether by instilling encyclopedias insides of barbershops, information, printing materials, or digital, but also to make sure the barbers/stylists are trained adequately to be credible messengers.

“Our goal is to be a convening power with providers and hospitals and local community partners, which is something we plan to do now that we haven’t been able to,” he said.

For more information, visit https://www.theconfessprojectofamerica.org/. For more information on the Morgan Stanley Alliance, visit https://www.morganstanley.com/.

The post The Confess Project tackles Mental health awareness within the Black community through a safe space: The barber chair appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

(CNN) — When CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta was growing up in a small rural town in Michigan, he wanted to change his name to Steve — hoping that would put an end to the anti-Asian taunts he faced at school from the time he was 6 or 7 years old, he said in a summer episode of his podcast, “Chasing Life.”

“There was nobody that looked like me, that had a name that was like mine, that ate the foods we ate,” Gupta said. “If I changed my name to Steve, it was going to solve all my problems. … I would be just totally assimilated.”

Psychology professor Monnica Williams said she also weighed a big change when she experienced racism as an adult in a past academic position, through a colleague who would block Williams’ students from opportunities and discourage them from working with Williams.

“It was very frustrating to not be able to get anyone to do anything about it,” said Williams, who is now Canada research chair in mental health disparities at the University of Ottawa’s school of psychology. Williams is African American. “Part of what contributes to the problem is because you’re just kind of constantly gaslit, you’re not listened to, and the problems are getting worse.”

Williams ultimately had to leave her job “because I was unsuccessful in getting the help or resources that I needed to get this person to stop harassing my students and making my work environment inhospitable,” she said.

What Gupta and Williams went through could be described as racial trauma, the “emotional and possibly mental injury that comes from folks encountering racial bias and discrimination and, ultimately, forms of racism, which can include hate crimes,” said Nevin Heard, director of intercultural relations at Lake Forest College in Illinois.

The experience of racial trauma can be the result of specific people’s actions or a byproduct of a wider system. It can affect someone vicariously — perhaps by seeing videos of hate crimes — or intergenerationally, as with the lasting emotional scars of the Holocaust or the enslavement of African Americans, according to Mental Health America.

“People do not have to experience an incident of racial discrimination or harm directly to have adverse emotional consequences,” Heard said.

Racial trauma usually isn’t induced by “just one incident,” Williams said. “Usually, it’s a lot of incidents that have accumulated to the point where the person becomes traumatized.” Many ethnic and racial groups in the in the United States experience higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder than White Americans, and one explanation for this is the experience of racism, according to the American Psychological Association.

However, diagnosing and treating racial trauma, specifically, can be challenging, in part because of the way it’s understood in the health care community.

Why racial trauma isn’t an official diagnosis

Unlike post-traumatic stress disorder, racial trauma — also known as race-based traumatic stress — isn’t considered an official mental health disorder or diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the authoritative guide used by health care professionals to diagnose mental disorders.

“It’s not a separate category because, for one, it’s not clear if it’s just PTSD that’s caused by something else. And so we don’t necessarily have different types of PTSD based on what caused it,” Williams said. “Also, we don’t have enough research yet to really say exactly what the differences would be between PTSD and racial trauma.”

That the PTSD listing in the DSM-V doesn’t include racism as one of the causes is problematic, she said. “When clinicians see people with distress over racism, they’re not necessarily thinking, ‘Oh, this could be PTSD.’ So, it needs to be in there either listed as a potential cause of PTSD or as a different but related diagnosis.”

There’s “a lot of conversation” about this among experts, but the DSM is based on existing research, which there has been a lack of when it comes to racial trauma — though work on the subject “has been picking up very rapidly,” Williams said.

“The DSM revision process is open to proposals from interested parties for revisions to the DSM, so long as appropriate data can be provided in support of the proposal,” said Dr. Paul S. Appelbaum, chair of the DSM Steering Committee and Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine & Law at Columbia University, via email.

“To date, we have not received a proposal either to alter the criteria for PTSD to include racial trauma as a precipitant or to establish it as an independent diagnosis,” he added. “However, in the recent text revision of the DSM (DSM-5-TR), which appeared last year, a systematic effort was made to highlight in the text conditions for which there is evidence that racial discrimination, whether overt or structural, might contribute to the disorder.”

Regardless of its classification status, racial trauma affects the well-being of both individuals and communities, Williams said.

Symptoms of racial trauma

People affected by racial trauma might take on some of the physical symptoms of stress, which is called somatization, Heard said. “This could be stomach aches, faster heartbeats, feelings of hypervigilance and chronic stress. They might also experience avoidance, which happens with PTSD, but there’s also re-experiencing of distressing events.”

Other symptoms include difficulty sleeping, fatigue, depression, anxiety, impaired gut health, anger, recurring thoughts of the event, nightmares, sweating, shaking, distrust, self-blame, low self-esteem, headaches and chest pains, according to Heard, Williams and Mental Health America.

Racial trauma doesn’t just affect the individual. “Just like PTSD, racial trauma results in disability, temporary or long term, like lost days from work and lost productivity, increased medical expenses and more suffering in general,” Williams said. “The more people have these problems, the larger the cost is going to be to society and those communities and their families.”

Her experience with racism at a previous job affected Williams’ psyche as she sought new work opportunities. “It was hard because I had to move, and I didn’t want to relocate my family. And that’s difficult to explain to your kids why you’re moving again and starting all over again and having to say goodbye to my graduate students and not being able to finish their training,” she said.

“Of course, professionally, it could be a setback,” Williams added. “And then if you go someplace else and then you start to see some of those same things again, that can certainly be very alarming, because you feel like you’re having a flashback.”

Coping with racial trauma

To be diagnosed with PTSD, there has to be an identifiable traumatic event, Williams said — so, having directly or indirectly experienced racial violence would easily fit into PTSD criteria. But if someone’s dealing with trauma from being repeatedly invalidated at work because of their race, that wouldn’t meet the criteria. However, mental health professionals would still be able to diagnose and treat any effects of the racial trauma — such as depression or anxiety — even if they can’t diagnose race-based PTSD itself.

Finding out whether your symptoms are due to racial trauma, mental health disorders or general mood issues is good to do. That’s where it’s helpful to have an assessment by a psychologist or other clinician who understands racial trauma, Williams said. You can find out about an expert’s knowledge on the subject by researching them online before you meet, or asking them directly during an appointment, she added.

If your mental health professional doesn’t know much about racial trauma, getting help could be challenging since they wouldn’t know where to begin, Williams said.

To cope, getting out of the triggering situation is important but not always possible, Williams said. Try to build a good support system of people you can talk with about your struggles, and stay engaged in your everyday life, she said.

While taking a break to give your mind a chance to rest and recover is OK, the more you avoid, the smaller your world gets, Williams said.

“Ultimately, it also involves learning new ways to manage racism when it does come up,” such as how to respond to microaggressions, she added. “People will often deal with racism for a lot longer than they should, because they don’t know what else to do, or maybe they have low self-esteem and they think they deserve to be mistreated.

“It’s really important that people understand their own value and also believe their experiences and not be gaslit by when people say it’s not there — but to trust their instincts and what they’re seeing,” Williams said.

Learning new ways to cope with these experiences is a process, she added, but important for developing a sense of autonomy and empowerment.

The post Understanding racial trauma, the mental and emotional injury of racism appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.