November News + Chance For Change!

Dear friends,

We were heartbroken and dismayed at the loss of Walter Wallace Jr.'s life at the hands of police. We must do better. There are no simple answers, but as mental health professionals, we feel deeply the need for a better option for crisis mental health support in Philadelphia. The absence of a behavioral health unit to respond to mental health emergencies in Philadelphia puts vulnerable people, their families, our communities and first responders at risk. We realize that law enforcement has a dangerous and difficult job that is exacerbated by the lack of mental health supports available to them. We grieve what could have been if there had been adequate resources available for his family, for the community, and for the police who responded to his mental distress.

So many are grieving the loss of life while also aching with worry for their safety, their family’s safety, the community’s safety. There’s a nearly palpable thrum of tension and pain in the air in Philadelphia and surrounding areas right now. We can feel it humming through our conversations, and we can see it on your faces. It’s spread out over daily stresses and busy lives—there’s worries about the future mingled with a fatigue that comes from carrying these same concerns for so long. It feels like a string stretched to breaking.

We learned a new word to describe one way that this prolonged stress can manifest in our lives--acedia. Defined as anxious or apathetic restlessness, acedia is a reaction to a future that is overwhelming and the work to change it is never-ending. We experience this on a daily basis with the stress of maintaining our households, the endless decisions about balancing pandemic risks, the strain of the upcoming Presidential election, and with the impacts of racial injustice which can feel too big to tackle. All these can lead us to want to stop trying to move forward while lamenting the problems in front of us. We can feel that push and pull between acceding to the status quo and needing to continue to push.

In response to this feeling, the words of Martin Luther Kind in his speech "The Other America" have been echoing this week, "So however difficult it is during this period, however difficult it is to continue to live with the agony and the continued existence of racism, however difficult it is to live amidst the constant hurt, the constant insult and the constant disrespect, I can still sing we shall overcome. We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice."

And who bends it? We, collectively, inch by inch pull ourselves closer. Even as we individually pause for self care or to lift up one another, our community keeps pushing closer until we can return our strength to the effort. This Tuesday we all get the chance to use our voices and bring about the change that we want to see, please don't miss the opportunity to do that!

We can also draw into the circles that give us meaning, support and connection. Melanin Mamas support group will be holding space in a virtual meeting on Friday November 6th, for all who want to come together as parents of black and brown children during this time (please register here). We have other virtual and in-person spaces to find hope, friendship, and healing - come and see.

Warmly,
Kellie Wicklund, LPC, PMH-C
Owner + Director
www.maternalwellness.org