With the attention of the world firmly affixed upon dealing with the global pandemic of COVID-19, it’s another more secretive malady that our society has been forced to deal with head on.
Issues of mental health are certainly not new. For many people having the distractions of our normal everyday lives taken away from us alongside the pandemic has forced some introspective management to take place. We’re not as busy, we’re at home more often, our worlds are a little quieter. The thoughts that might have always been setting up camp in our brains become a little bit louder without the hustle and bustle that had previously shrouded them in cover.
In this current state of our world, more people than ever have reached the point where they are ready to prioritize their mental health. For some that means cutting back on certain activities. For others, it’s cutting certain relationships out of their lives. Still others have mustered up the courage to tangibly ask for help. And these are all good things.
With that though, comes an area of concern that I would suggest we all take to heart.
As human’s we have a tendency to want to get involved and to offer unsolicited advice. With social media directly connecting strangers, the boldness to chime in has reached the point of no return. And while most of the time I choose to believe that the intentions remain pure, the outcome of these actions is often varied.
Today specifically, mental health is once again in the headlines amidst the concerning, scary and ongoing situation with Minnesota Vikings DE Everson Griffen. Before we take to Twitter to chime in, before we share the tidbit of information that might have worked for us, I would suggest one thing for us all as our only course of action…
Offer. Only. Compassion.
This rings very true for me personally as I am “a fixer” by nature. I’m very quick to offer up a suggestion, a diagnosis and a solution to aid the problem at hand. I have learned that’s not always super helpful.
While it’s unlikely that most of us reading this article will run into Everson in person, it’s even more less likely that if we did cross paths, he’d be interested in seeking advice from us. What is much more likely though, is that there is someone else in your life, much closer to you that is struggling with some facet of their mental health right now.
Show them only compassion. Practice empathy and show compassion for the unique nature of the situation they are confronting with no pre-conceived notions.
Sometimes we don’t need to chime in, we need to listen. Sometimes we don’t need to be a doctor, we need to be a friend. Sometimes we don’t need to diagnose, we just need to hug. Sometimes we don’t need to swarm, we need to give space. Sometimes don’t need to have a solution, we just need to help lighten the load. And yes, sometimes we do need to get experts and authorities involved.
Be present. Be in touch. Be compassionate.
Every situation is unique to the person experiencing it, but compassion is universal.
Aj Mansour is a member of The Power Trip Morning Show on KFAN and works for iHeartMedia and the Vikings Radio Network. He’s also a senior writer for VikingsTerritory.com. Be sure to follow him on social media for the latest Vikings news and big opinions – @AjKFAN