How We Can Create Better Days In Our Daily Lives

By Deidre Montague, Northend Agent’s

In thinking about what to write for this issue, I had a really difficult time, as our world is chaotic right now.

With Black voices being silenced, deportations at the highest level since 2014, nearly 300,000 Black women have been pushed out of the workforce due to federal layoffs, DEI rollbacks, and structural inequities, major wars happening and many citizens becoming the casualties, and countless other distressing world events – coupled with trying to just make it through the day, it can have you questioning if things are going to get better.

As someone who battles with clinical depression and anxiety, I have certainly had those moments where I feel lonely, down, and am gripping tightly to my faith in God and hope for a better tomorrow.

However, after putting these four things into daily practice, I’m slowly coming out of my most recent mental health slump – one day at a time. I’m hoping by sharing these tips, that one of them may resonate with you to help you hold on to faith and hope that better days are coming.

1. Prayer/Meditation:

• According to The NY Mental Health Center, research suggests “that integrating prayer with meditation can enhance their individual benefits.” I could not agree more. Prayer allows me to release my anxieties, fears, and worries about what’s going on in the world and my world to God. It reminds me that I do not have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders and helps me to refocus on the things I can control or change in my life – with His help.
• For meditation, I personally breathe in and out when I feel really stressed and close my eyes when things get overwhelming in my mind or practice “grounding,” where I connect to my physical surroundings to help me stay focused on the present when I’m caught up with negative thoughts in my mind. I remind myself of where I am, what task I’m supposed to be focused on, and what the truth of my situation is at the time.

2. Unplug/ Limit Television and/or Social Media

• Many of us live on social media. It’s where we get our entertainment and learn what is going on in the world. However, it can also be overwhelming to see so many things back to back. It’s very jarring to go from seeing an influencer do a Tik Tok dance to a report about a mass shooting at a school, to a local traffic accident, then back to someone talking about the latest celebrity gossip or giving their opinion/commentary about a recent world event (for better or worse). For me, there can be way too many voices and opinions coming at me and I have made the decision to deactivate my social media accounts when needed, along with taking the apps off of my phone.
• With television, there are a lot of heartbreaking, devastating things happening in the world today. While it’s important to know what is going on around us, it is okay for us to put limits on how much we need to consume. For me, if I am having a mental health moment, I tend to watch positive programs (Mary Tyler Moore is my go-to!). I also may watch old-school 90s and 2000s sitcoms too (The Parkers, Moesha, etc.) When it comes to news, I choose platforms that I know are trustworthy (local news outlets, Roland Martin Unfiltered, The Joy Ann Reid Show, Native Land Podcast, etc.) or choose bite size articles that are easier to consume for my mind.

3. Talk to a Trusted Friend/Family Member/Licensed Therapist

• Life can really be life-ing. Many of us are just trying to stay above water (pay bills, student loans, tuition, find affordable housing or pay the rent/mortage, find or maintain jobs/careers, raise children, etc.) Life pressures and responsibilities can build up over time, and often, when we do not deal with them, we can potentially take out our frustrations on the people we love the most or engage in bad habits (overeating, isolating from others, neglecting yourself and/or your hygiene, yelling or snapping at our loved ones, etc.)
• Talking to my therapist, my mother, and my best friend about the recent mental health slump helped me to slowly start the process of getting out of it. It was a reminder that I was not alone – even though my mind was telling me that I was.
• While therapy can be expensive, there are mental health resources from the state that are available. Here is a list below of some of the organizations from the State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services:

DMHAS-Funded Mental Health Programs:

Advocacy Unlimited, Inc.
114 West Main St.
New Britain, CT 06051
Ph: 800-573-6929 or 860-667-0460
FAX: 860-667-2240

Amplify, Inc.
151 New Park Ave., Suite 14A
Hartford, CT 06106
PH:  (860) 667-6388

Chrysalis Center
255 Homestead Avenue
P.O. Box 320613
Hartford, CT 06132-0613
PH: 860-263-4400   FAX: 860-761-3103

Community Renewal Team (CRT), Inc.
555 Windsor Street
Hartford, CT  061205
PH:  860-560-5600

Easter Seals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut
100 Deerfield Road
Windsor, CT  06095-4207
PH:  860-552-2002  FAX:  860-552-2003

Hands On Hartford
330 Main Street, Third Floor
Hartford, CT  06106
PH:  860-728-3201  FAX:  860-549-8550

Hartford Behavioral Health, Inc.
Cole Treatment Center
2550 Main Street
Hartford, CT  06120
PH:  860-548-0101  FAX:  860-524-7781

Affirmation Center
One Main Street
Hartford, CT 06106
PH: (860) 727-8703  FAX: (860) 548-2045

Hispanic Health
175 Main Street
Hartford, CT 06106
PH: 860-527-0856

ImmaCare, Inc.
560 Park Street, PO Box 260669
Hartford, CT  06106
PH:  860-724-4823  FAX:  860-724-5156

Khmer Health Advocates
1125 New Britain Ave.
West Hartford, CT 06117
PH: 860-561-3345

Mercy Housing & Shelter Corp.
211 Wethersfield Ave.
Hartford, CT  06114
PH:  860-808-2040 FAX:  860-548-0692

My People Clinical Services, LLC
915 Asylum Ave.
Hartford, CT  06105
PH:  860-656-0450  Fax:  860-656-0491

My Sister’s Place, Inc.
237 Hamilton Street, Suite 203
Hartford, CT  06106
PH:  860-895-6629  Fax:  860-493-1330

Toivo
1477 Park Street, Suite 102
Hartford CT, 06106
PH: 860-296-2338

Vinfen
860 Prospect Hill Road Suite 110
Windsor, CT 06095
PH: 860-688-3165

YWCA of Hartford
135 Broad Street
Hartford, CT  06105
PH:  860-525-1163  FAX:  860-543-8919

4. Lastly, surround yourself with a positive community. I cannot tell you how important this is when it comes to holding on to faith and hope for better days. Recently, I got together with some of my praise team friends last week that I hadn’t seen for a while. To reunite with them, share laughs, and sing really lifted my spirit. It was another reminder for me that there are still pockets of joy and love in this world to be experienced. Having moments with positive people helps to get your mind off of the big picture of the entire world’s issues for a moment and enjoy the community and company of those you choose to be friends with and do life with.

I truly hope these tips are helpful for you as we navigate these difficult times.

I leave with you the song lyrics from Grammy and Stellar Award winning-songstress, Le’Andria Johnson for her song, “Better Days” as encouragement as we continue to travel on the road of life.

It can be rough in this world / I know it ain’t easy, but hang on in there / I know better days are coming.