Be Calm...to Be Kind

What do you do when you suddenly realize that someone is experiencing an urgent mental health challenge? If they start having a panic attack? Or shows signs of experiencing trauma? Disclose feeling suicidal? Suddenly have a crying spell from grief? Or begin to lose touch with reality and saying things that don't make sense?

Many of us have no idea what to do or say in a situation like this. Usually we respond with our own sense of panic, become awkward and avoidant or feel this urgent pressure to try be "the hero" and take control of the situation. We respond in all these different ways, often because we just don't know what to say or do. We worry that we may accidentally make things worse, or that if we do nothing at all, we would also fail the person in a time of need. But we're here to remind you to stay calm.

Mental Health First Aid, is a concept for communal mental healthcare support that was founded and first grew popular in Australia, 2000. The thinking behind it was that we could all share the load of supporting each other through our mental health challenges as they happen in our everyday lives and spaces, if the wider community could learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of emergent mental health crises (like panic attacks, etc.). Being better informed and learning skills to respond with care, makes for a more compassionate and responsive society overall. This calls for all of us to learn more about the signs and symptoms of common mental illness, but is also a greater call for social-infrastructure (community centres, etc.) that supports this kind of collective learning.

Acronyms like C.A.L.M come from these kinds of efforts to help grow responsive-awareness to mental health challenges, in way that overall begins to create a sense of collective kindness, care and compassion. To be mindful to make your approach a little more (c)are-full; to be (a)lert to signs of frustration and think of ways to respond with compassion instead of your own frustration; to be aware of your body language and consciously try to create an environment of calm by (l)owering your voice and (m)oving slowly.