MosaicMH Holiday Newsletter

The Importance of Mental Health

People, more specifically teenagers, who suffer with mental illness need supporting systems and people to talk to in order to avoid the feeling of loneliness and also invoke a feeling of understanding by creating a community/network where mental illness victims’ voices are heard.

Mental illness can affect the way people think, feel, and act. Losing control over the way you think, feel, or act can cause people with mental illnesses to feel a sense of helplessness at times since their emotions, mental state, and behavioral patterns are impaired. There are many types of mental illness that can range in severity, meaning there is a range of how dramatically altered your thoughts, feelings, and actions are. Even if a mental illness is less severe or has less of a physical impact on a person, that does not mean that one person’s struggles or adversaries are any less valid than a person who suffers from a more dramatic mental illness. 1 in 5 people in the United States suffer from some form of mental illness. On a global scale, 1 in 4 people have a mental illness (currently around 450 million people in the world are affected by a mental disorder); the most common ones are: anxiety disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, bipolar disorder, clinic depression, dementia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia.

Currently in the United States, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in America, causing close to the amount of deaths caused by fatal diseases like cancer or heart disease. In America, about 440 thousand are lost to suicide each year. The majority of those who commit suicide suffer from a type of mental illness, 30-70% suicide victims are reported as having either depression or bipolar disorder. Clearly this means that suicide and mental illness is not something to be taken lightly! A mental disease can be just as deadly as a cancerous disease.

Coming from the voices of people who have suffered from mental illness themselves, the leading struggles people face are typically their social interactions, fully understanding themselves and their disorder, or maintaining good life routines including dealing with challenges that come their way. Specifically dealing with these issues and deliberating solutions or providing help surrounding those specific challenges can help mental illness victims to have a better control over their thoughts, feelings, and actions, as well as create a comfortable and more content version of themselves.

Some helpful solutions for those who struggle with their mental state are reading, listening to music, going on walks, doing yoga and meditating, or doing anything to calm the soul and mind.

Activities, Tips, and Resources for Staying Connected!

Setup Regular Times to Talk

Setting up a regular time to call or video call family or friends is easy and makes staying connected much simpler. Instead of needing to remember to call regularly, having a scheduled time assures that it is convenient for both parties and happens at consistent intervals instead of getting too spread out.

Play Games!

Playing games online whether it be on a video call where each person or group has their own boards, a website, or an app can be a really nice way to spend time together. For many, playing games with close friends and family is something that has been dislodged from the typical schedule by lockdowns and quarantines. Although a lot is lost by not being able to sit down around a board or table to play, there are a lot of games that can be played with virtual tools and still be thoroughly enjoyed. There are even some group games made specifically for virtual platforms. Many games have been ported to the internet so if you're looking for something in particular then with a little research you might find a way to play! With that said here are a few recommendations:

• Chess

Playing on Chess.com or the Chess app for phones and tablets is super enjoyable and simple to set up. Download the app or go to the website, make an account, then add friends to play with.

• Words With Friends

Words With Friends is an app where you can challenge friends to play a game similar to scrabble. This game is super convenient because you don’t have to play it all at once, players can make moves whenever they want making it an easy thing to do without setting a time to sit down and do it.

• Among Us

Among us is a group game akin to mafia. The rules are a little more complex but after getting used to it it is super enjoyable and group friendly.

Read a Book or a Watch Movies/TV Series together

Books or TV can be a great activity to connect over. Making a reading or watch list with family and friends gives everyone a shared experience to talk about and during video calls.

Write letters

Sometimes doing things the old fashioned way is the best method for a given task. Writing letters allows for some of the human touch in a world of virtual communication. While seeing faces over facetime or zoom is definitely important, writing to someone can be just as, if not more powerful in a different way. As is usually the case striking a balance is important since each is valuable in their own right.

Solving Tech Problems to get yourself up and Running

The limiting factor for many with staying connected during the pandemic is access and use of technology. Luckily there are plenty of resources to help out! In many cases simply searching your problem or question in a browser will yield an article or video tutorial with the necessary information. In cases where finding this information is not possible or hard to manage, asking a more tech savvy friend or family member is a great easy way to solve the issues you can’t get around.

MosaicMH Teen Board Accomplishments

2019 and 2020 were hectic, scary, disorienting years for everyone, but that didn’t stop the Mosaic Teen Board from getting some great things done. We’ve organized events from virtual performances by musicians, created backpack drives for kids in the Bronx, and everything in between. In collaboration with the rest of MosaicMH, we’ve organized holiday decorations, and a virtual workout for donors.

The teen board's first big project started at the end of 2019. We were tasked with organizing and executing a gift wrapping of toys, games, and books for the younger clients of Mosaic. We began by creating a list of gifts we needed to order, and with the amazing help of donations from friends, family, and kind strangers, we were able to acquire the gifts we needed. Next, it was time to unbox and wrap dozens of gifts, and give the Mosaic office some holiday decorations. When all was done, the gift drive was a success, and it was time to move towards our next projects.

When COVID-19 hit, we needed to adapt the teen board’s events to accommodate all projects being remote. Every May, Mosaic runs a 5k walk/run fundraiser, and we had to find a way to take an event that has always been people running together on one day, to an event where people could still participate from wherever they were safely. We decided that instead of one day, people could donate and run any day they chose in the month of May. To show their participation and support, they could send a photo or video that we put into a slideshow for the final day of the run, a virtual workout and music performance. Yavuz from AARMY held a virtual bootcamp workout, followed by a performance by Grammy winner H.E.R.

After the virtual 5K, the teen board’s next task was making backpacks with schools supplies for Mosaic clients who needed them. First, we compiled an amazon wishlist of the items we needed to create the backpacks, from binders and paper, to emoji erasers. Then, using some of the donations we received from the 5K, we were able to order them. Once we had all the supplies needed, we had a social distanced gathering where we filled all the bags. After finishing the bags, we handed them out at Mosaic’s headquarters, and continued onwards to our next project.

After our hard work, the mosaic teen board was thanked in the annual Mosaic meeting. The teen board is currently helping with the adapted holiday gift drive which has also gone virtual this year as an electronic gift-card drive. Looking forward, we hope to continue organizing more events focusing on the children served by Mosaic Mental Health.

To print boards or play online click here:

https://www.bonus.com/bingo/?bingo_game_id=34922

How to play online bingo:

1. send this link to your friends!

2. click "new board" to randomize the order

3. choose a person to call out each box

4. as that person calls out a box, click on that box to cover it with a tile piece

5. the person calling it out must click on that box as well so they do not call the same box twice

6. when you get 5 boxes in a row whether that be vertically, horizontally or diagonally call out BINGO!

7. Click "clear board" to play again!