Dear friends,
11 youth were introduced to the concepts of self-regulation, triggers, trauma responses and coping mechanisms as they trekked the Southern Ridges last Friday. Agreeing to only use their phones for photographs, they endeavoured a mindful beginning where they practiced being aware of their breathing, the manner in which they were walking as well as the healing presence of nature around them. They had not imagined that a walk could be anything more than a physical activity to get around and most importantly, how it may surface an ableism they have not been aware off.
Ableism is a prejudice, bias, or discrimination toward those living with disabilities but in this case, those struggling with the physical demands of the trek. Hence, their mindful beginning also included a commitment to stick together throughout the entire walk so that no one was made to feel that they were ahead or left behind.
When they reached their first checkpoint, they rested by stretching and trying out techniques for relieving stress. To release tension, they tried shaking their hands and self-massaging their head and the technique of hugging oneself aptly led the group to discuss self-care. The discussion began by identifying what triggered strong emotions that affected one’s mental health. An ex-boyfriend, criticism at work and interestingly, sensing that another person was being bullied were some examples of triggers.
Many did not reveal what triggered them, but they were not short of examples when asked to list what they considered to be healthy and unhealthy ways of coping. It was concerning to hear about different examples of self-inflicted pain as a method of coping, but it was assuring that there was much awareness of healthy coping behaviours such as exercise, talking it out, listening to music and such. It appeared that the youth had a propensity for both healthy and unhealthy coping behaviours and the mutual support we are encouraging could steer them toward the healthy options.
There were 2 other checkpoints before the walk ended and participants were introduced to an overview of the trauma responses of fight, flight, freeze and fawn.  The youth identified their favoured response and reflected on how they have come to adopt them. Of course, no one can be certain about the root causes of their preferred response but being able to imagine habits as the result of certain conditions meant that one could also intentionally create the conditions to develop new coping habits. The thought that one could replace an unhelpful habit with a more helpful one was encouraging.
Inclusive of the learning at checkpoints, the entire walk took 6 hours and participants went home pondering on the notion of strength. Strength is not just physical fitness but the ability to be comfortable and welcoming of the sensations of discomfort that are constantly unfolding before us. Also, although our programme is called HeadStrong, mental health and wellness is not an exercise in “mind over body” but is achieved when the mind and body connect harmoniously for comfort and wellbeing.
For peace, community, and holistic health,
Sincerely,
Gerard
A walk-in nature, walks the soul back home. – Mary Davis
