November Message of the Month
Each generation, whether knowingly or not, inherits something from the one before it. It could be a treasured family recipe, an heirloom, or a name of someone special. Sometimes, what we inherit is less tangible, like preconceived notions about how to handle emotions, how we deal with difficult situations, and how we talk about mental health.
We may have learned not to talk about it. Or that difficult situations are simply a part of life and we just have to handle it ourselves.
Maybe we watched as everyone around us kept everything inside and suffered alone because they didn’t know how to ask for help.
The good news is that we can be the generation that changes the thread.
We can teach our kids that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. Be an example that it’s okay to show emotion when frustrated, sad, or grieving. Talk about our own mental wellness and what we do to maintain it. Attend therapy and tell people about it openly.
Either way, the thread between generations can be a point of connection to learn from each other. Teenagers, parents, and grandparents may not listen to the same music, enjoy the same hobbies, or even live in the same worlds sometimes, but underneath these generational differences, there is common ground.
We all want to feel like we matter. We all struggle and experience loss and grief. We all need purpose and to feel like we belong somewhere. We also all need people to check on us, to notice us struggling, to do something to help.
These threads don’t belong to one generation; they belong to everyone.
The future can look like children knowing their feelings matter and having the courage and the ability to ask for help. Adults sharing their own mental health journeys so others don’t feel so alone. Older generations feeling valued and heard and realizing it’s never too late to seek support.
Sometimes the most meaningful connections happen when we stop focusing on what makes us different and recognize what we have in common. We may not be able to change what we inherited but we can decide what we pass on.
