May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Photo By Capt. Dylan Hollums | Senior Airman Richard Waggoner is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at Fresh Roots Counseling of Fort Smith, Arkansas.  

FORT SMITH, AR, UNITED STATES

05.22.2020

Story by Capt. Dylan Hollums 

188th Wing

Senior Airman Richard Waggoner is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at Fresh Roots Counseling of Fort Smith, Arkansas. When he's not assisting 188th Wing members with their career development as a personnel specialist, he can be found practicing individual and relationship therapy in the local community.

He became a LPC in 2013 to help families communicate and prevent separations. With the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines, mental health and marriage stability are more important now than ever.

The guidelines mean families are spending more time together. It also means that people are feeling more and more isolated as their social circles shrink. Effectively communicating your stress with your partner or about stress with your children is essential in maintaining strong mental health.

"We should focus more on the quality of our relationships rather than the quantity," states Waggoner. “Take this time to devote more depth to these relationships during this time of limited access.”

Waggoner shares some coping and decompression strategies to practice year-round.

Simple techniques like taking a walk, breathing, or journaling can help

“It’s important to note that once suffering hits, it’s almost too late to
prepare mentally for it,” said Waggoner. “It’s like taking your PT test
[Physical Fitness Assessment] cold turkey and thinking, “I wish I would
have run a little before.”

Spiritual, Relational, Emotional, and Physical are areas of your life that
can be charged up and ready for when suffering hits. It is the best
preventative medicine there is.

Find people in your life who support you and are willing to have tough
conversations with you. They are people that drive toward inviting you into
a vulnerable real relationship and challenge you even when it’s an
uncomfortable conversation. If you want to go fast go alone, if you want
to go far go together.

It is ok to reach out to a professional if you are uncomfortable talking to
a friend, pastor, or family member.

Give a loved one a hug and tell them how stressed you are. I hope they
give you a hug back and say man that sounds tough and I’m so glad you
told me. If you do not have that, then we need to get you that.

It is normal to feel anxious, venerable, and overwhelmed but, remember some of your neighbors and friends are feeling this as well. You are not in this alone.


“The pandemic makes you evaluate what are you really investing in that’s worth your time, energy, and emotion,” said Waggoner “I enjoy helping people. It’s very gratifying.”


For more information on Mental Health Awareness Month visit:
https://www.cdc.gov/…/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/index.html

Or call the Arkansas Air National Guard's Department of Psychological Health
501-987-8752

• Date Taken: 05.22.2020
• Date Posted: 05.22.2020 10:56
• Story ID: 370645
• Location: FORT SMITH, AR, US