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1 (855) 894-5658
May 2023
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ERICSHOUSE
May Newsletter
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Dear EricsHouse Community,
Welcome to May 2023! The statements above serve as our sincerest well wishes to each of you. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. EricsHouse acknowledges the importance of breaking stigmas and ensuring access to essential community resources. Mental health matters every single month. Please be kind to your minds! Reach out to us if you need anything. We are here to help.
-EricsHouse
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A Letter from our Founder
Marianne Gouveia
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Mental Health Awareness Month
During the month of May, we honor the many people - past, present, and future -who have been impacted by mental health challenges that can often be stressful and overwhelming. When we are sick, we see our care providers knowing that they will make our bodies feel better. We should do the same for our minds. When we feel emotional pain, stress, isolation, loss, or social inequities, it is not only harmful to our communities,
it hurts our loved ones making it difficult for us to understand the challenges. Improving emotional well-being, social connectedness, and resiliency leads to building coping skills is critical to our health.
In doing some research, I learned that Mental Health Awareness Month was first celebrated in 1949. It was commemorated by the Mental Health America organization, known formerly as the National Committee for Mental Hygiene. It then became the National Mental Health Association before it got its current name. It was founded by Clifford Whittingham Beers. Beers, who was born in 1876 in Connecticut, was one of five children in his family who all suffered from mental illness and psychological distress. All of them spent time in in-patient facilities, and it was from his hospitalization that he discovered that the mental health field had a notorious reputation for malpractice, maltreatment, and immense bias. Clifford Beers turned a difficult situation into advocacy and support for others. I am glad that while stigma surrounding mental health still exists, we are getting better every day with new protocols and technologies that bring these challenges to the surface.
May is a month for self-care which is necessary to find those good feelings of peace and well-being. More and more, we see our clients prioritizing mental self-care just as they do physical self-care. By raising awareness and acceptance of mental health, we not only empower ourselves, but we also help remove stigma, enforce the message that it is okay to not be okay and encourage people to seek help when they need it.
Enjoy the awesomeness of nature (MY FAVORITE): Research indicates that being immersed in nature can help with mild depression and anxiety symptoms. For example, just going for a walk or a hike in a natural setting can help you manage these depression and anxiety symptoms. Consider setting a reminder for yourself to get up and get out! This will help you stick to your plan to get some fresh air and will also help you maintain positive mental health throughout your day.
Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness techniques, such as breathing exercises or guided meditation, can help manage stress and anxiety. Making time for mindful techniques, even just a few minutes at the end, or beginning, of your day can make a big difference.
Extracurriculars: Join a book club, take a hobby related class, or enjoy live music with others.
Spend time with your pets: Owning a pet can help to reduce stress and boost endorphins. Pet owners may socialize and connect with other pet owners or be outside more often – both great ways to improve or maintain positive mental health.
Volunteer: Helping others and participating in community organizations can also be a positive boost. Many community organizations welcome volunteers.
Sleep: Another critical piece to maintaining positive mental health is getting enough sleep. Set your sights on trying to sleep for however long you need to feel rested and recharged during the day.
Join a support group: Reach out and connect with others who can share strategies for getting through challenging times.
Eat right: Food can affect our mood. Avoid processed and sugary foods.
Exercise: Spend time each day to walk, run, bike, or whatever you can do to move your body.
Reduce or eliminate alcohol and other substance use: Limiting the use of substances will improve your health and mental health.
Practice self-gratitude: Being grateful for yourself, what you have, and the life around you, can promote positive thinking.
Remember, taking care of yourself is not selfish; it is necessary for you to be able to take care of others and lead a fulfilling life. By encouraging others to seek help, helping others access help or simply by being there for someone when they need us, we instill hope in ourselves and those around us.
So, make self-care a priority this May and beyond.
Much Love
Marianne Gouveia, Founder and Chairman
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Our Love is Alive by Jackie Cole
Featuring Margaret and Josh
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As I reflect upon my life prior to my son’s death, I sometimes find myself wistfully thinking, “Happiness used to come so easily.”
Finding happiness and gratitude takes much more effort now….which is why I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by encouraging, inspirational people who are on a similar journey.
I met Margaret about a year ago when we both attended an EricsHouse Mothers’ support group. Several of us moms from that original group have continued to meet regularly.
I know that I’m not the only one of the group who has been inspired by Margaret’s spirit of generosity and hope.
She has worked hard to build a life that honors her son Josh as she warmly shares her own gifts with others in need of a lift.
Josh was born and raised in Florida where the two of them built a life filled with the unique joy that the ocean brings to those who become intimately familiar with it. Margaret remembers that Josh learned to swim before he could walk. Their love of the ocean would continue to be a major theme in their life together.
She has found solace and bonding with Josh when she has been able to swim at some of their favorite beaches in Florida as well as other waterfronts they visited together. Margaret has connected with Josh while swimming with his ashes on the occasions when she scatters them across water.
Margaret pursues opportunities that invite connection with Josh. For example, last summer she traveled to Yachats, Oregon. While walking along the beach, she was collecting agates and other natural materials. She was remembering how much she and Josh had enjoyed visiting this coastal town and found herself wishing that she could find a heart-shaped rock. Almost immediately, her wish was granted when she found just such a rock.
Margaret creatively expresses her love for Josh through her art…he, too, was a creative soul, expressing himself through photography, sculpting and drawing. Margaret often incorporates natural elements into her window hangings and glass jar displays: she has lovingly filled jars with Josh’s ashes along with an assortment of shells, driftwood, rocks and other items that remind her of happy times with him.
Recently, Margaret has been creating brilliant jellyfish suncatchers from tinted, sparkling glass beads and shiny craft wire, which she has shared with our group. She finds joy in sharing her art and possessions with people who she intuitively understands need support or comfort.
A month ago, she encouraged those of us in the group to participate in a gratitude challenge. Everyday we share three things for which we are grateful…no repeats allowed!
Sometimes, we have had to dig deep for our gratitude. But this effort is part of the process of retraining our emotions, neural connections and thought processes as we work our way back to hope and joy.
It’s my wish for all of us that Margaret’s journey will serve as inspiration as we continue to forge connections and relationships with our loved ones.
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Notes on Grief
a Reflection by Greg Eckerman
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Over the years of our loss, I have often found insight, comfort, and inspiration in Richard Rohr’s ‘Daily Meditations’ . There I found this beautiful excerpt from Notes on Grief, by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – in which she reflects on her own grief journey:
Grief is a cruel kind of education.
You learn how ungentle mourning can be, how full of anger.
You learn how glib condolences can feel.
You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language and the grasping for language.
Why are my sides so sore and achy? It’s from crying, I’m told. I did not know that we cry with our muscles.
The pain is not surprising, but its physicality is: my tongue is unbearably bitter, as though I ate a loathed meal and forgot to clean my teeth; on my chest, a heavy, awful weight; and inside my body, a sensation of eternal dissolving.
My heart—my actual, physical heart, nothing figurative here—is running away from me, has become its own separate thing, beating too fast, its rhythms at odds with mine.
This is an affliction not merely of the spirit but of the body, of aches and lagging strength. [1]
[1] Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Notes on Grief (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2021), 6–7.
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If you’ve lost your loved one to suicide and you feel stuck without any meaning or purpose, then you should sign up for the From Suicide Loss To Purpose interview series.
My friend Caro Brookings handpicked 25+ top experts, authors and support providers from the suicide grief and loss space for this complimentary interview series on how to rewire your brain and discover your purpose after losing your loved one to suicide so you can finally find your inner peace.
From Suicide Loss To Purpose starts on May 8. Marianne's Interview also airs on May 8. You do not want to miss this!
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL madison@ericshouse.org |
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UPCOMING VIRTUAL
GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS:
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July 11: Support Group for Men All losses (all relationships) to all self-harm causes (suicide, alcohol, and overdose)
- July 12: Substance Use Loss Group for Mothers who lost a child
- July 17: Co-ed Group for Individuals who lost their Partner or Spouse to Suicide
- July 18: LGBTQIA+ Support Group for Individuals who lost a loved one to suicide, alcohol, or overdose
- July 18: Suicide Loss Group for Mothers who lost a child
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EMMAUS Ministry for Grieving Parents is a unique ministry that serves the spiritual needs of grieving parents.
We focus on the promise of eternal life and the rich teachings of our faith to help these terribly broken parents. We ask questions such as:
- Where is God in my pain?
- Where is my child right now?
- Why do I feel abandoned by God?
- How could God let this happen?
The retreat is offered by grieving parents who have lost children of their own. We provide an opportunity for parents to gather in a sacred, warm, and compassionate space with others who know their pain. Many parents find peace and comfort, at least for a time. All faiths are welcome.
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🌸Our SPRING SALE ends May 12!🌸
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- $988 for Single Occupancy
-$1540 for Double Occupancy
Join EricsHouse for a 3 night, 2-full day Transforming Your Grief Retreat full of revitalizing activities and connections. Poco Diablo Resort is surrounded by the beautiful red rocks of majestic Sedona, AZ!
Retreat is designed to support:
- Parents who lost a child to suicide or substance use
- Individuals who lost a partner/spouse to suicide or substance use
The fee covers lodging, lunches, snacks, beverages, two dinners, and activities. For more information, email madison@ericshouse.org.
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Donate your car, truck, motorcycle, RV, or boat to EricsHouse by simply clicking the button and completing the form. Car Easy will reach out to you to arrange the pick-up of your vehicle donation, at no cost to you. You may qualify for a tax deduction while supporting a cause that is near and dear to your heart! |
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EricsHouse Inc.
1 (855) 894-5658
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