World Caring Day – How Can You Show People that You Truly Care?

World Caring Day – How Can You Show People that You Truly Care?

World Caring Day was first celebrated in 2022 to commemorate the anniversary of the CaringBridge website. The website, launched in 1997 to share information about a baby born prematurely, now allows people around the world to share health updates and coordinate necessary help and support for others. On June 7, World Caring Day seeks to highlight ways we can connect and care for each other. It’s a mission that the Healthy365 Connection Center takes personally as we work to connect Hancock County residents with available caring resources.

A culture of caring lays the foundation for a strong community. Caring doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking, either. There are many ways you can exercise a caring spirit with your loved ones, friends, neighbors, or strangers. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Focus on connecting

It’s a bit of a mystery. In a world where we can connect instantly through electronics or social media, people still feel alone. Online relationships have a place and purpose. But, they they also may lack those verbal cues and physical presence that lead to stronger relationships. Old school connections, like in-person conversations, phone calls or even a letter, can tell someone that they’re worth more than a thumbs up button under their latest social media post.

Share your meals

No, we’re not telling you that you must let your friend eat off your plate. Instead, think about your widowed neighbor down the street or the family that’s dealing with a sick child. If you’re one of those families who always seems to throw away leftovers, consider making a to-go box. Send a text to your neighbor that says “Hey, I made a lot of meatloaf. Can I bring you some for your fridge?” Or, spend a day baking with your favorite family members and plan to share the goods afterwards. There’s something special about sweet treats.

Listen

Too often, we spend conversations thinking about what we’re going to say next. That’s perfectly natural – everyone wants to be able to contribute. But caring starts with being an active listener. If you’re at lunch with a coworker and you ask how her day is going, make sure you’re also listening to her response. If you have a family member who likes to go on and on (and on and on) about the old days, give him the gift of your attention.

Let them go first

Boundaries are healthy, and we encourage people to communicate their needs and advocate for themselves in their relationships. When it feels appropriate, though, consider waving the other person ahead in line for the family dinner or giving them the covered parking spot at home. You can practice this with strangers as well – let the other guy have the good parking space. In other words, focus on giving rather than winning.

Raise money for causes you believe in

The world is full of foundations and charities designed to support people who are struggling. Most of these groups rely on donations to grow and continue their work. Go ahead and enter that 5K – you’ll also enjoy increased fitness. Remember, it’s not too late to purchase your passport for the Passport to Hancock County 5K Series, which supports various local fund-raising events. Or, nurture a passion for philanthropy among your children by encouraging them to raise money through lemonade stands or dog walking duties.

Help them get the care they need

This may be one of the most challenging – and most important – ways to show you care. If you notice someone near you struggling with mental health or substance misuse issues, consider helping them find the care they need.  The Healthy365 Connection Center is designed to connect Hancock County residents with local supportive services. Our support navigators are ready with a non-judgmental, listening ear. Our services include substance misuse treatment connections, mental wellness support, suicide prevention training and personal support navigators who can remove barriers to service.

World Caring Day is June 7, but caring is timeless. How can you help?

14 Ways Healthy365 Loves Our Community

14 Ways Healthy365 Loves Our Community

This Valentine’s Day, our Healthy365 staff is reflecting on all the ways that we love our Hancock County community! We love working with clients one-on-one to provide them with connections to local resources, and offering mental health and wellness support to anyone in need. Check out these 14 ways that Healthy365 loves our community!

1. Our Support Navigators truly care about you

The real heart of Healthy365 is our staff of Support Navigators. Each one is a caring community partner who can provide a non-judgmental confidential listening ear, as well as helpful local connections and resources for healing, to alleviate suffering, and improve overall wellness.

2. We provide a space to connect at Connection Center

Our team is housed at the Connection Center, located at 120 W. McKenzie Rd. in Greenfield. We love offering a comfortable place for clients to visit our staff for individual meetings or for support groups and classes. 

3. We love speaking to families and children

Our Support Navigator services go beyond just meeting with individuals. We’d also love to meet with your entire family in order to find the best resources for all of your wellness needs. Explained by one client, “The services at Healthy365 helped me to be more mindful of my children’s health and well-being. It was a great experience.”

4. Healthy365 supports families with the CRAFT Support Group

Speaking of families, did you know that Healthy365 offers a 12-week workshop for families with loved ones affected by addiction? The CRAFT Support Group stands for Community Reinforcement and Family Training and is a free resource that empowers you both to take care of your own well-being and to help your loved one in their journey to recovery.

5. We can help identify substance misuse issues

We know from our Hancock County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) that substance misuse is one of the most pressing health issues of our community. With the help of our Support Navigators, we love on residents and help them identify the signs of substance use in themselves or loved ones and connect them with options for treatment and support. 

6. We love striving to be a Tobacco Free Hancock County

Addiction to substances like alcohol, prescription or illegal drugs can be detrimental to your immediate health, and smoking can be harmful to your long-term health. Hancock County has had a strong smoke-free air law with comprehensive language in place since 2009 and the Tobacco Free Hancock County Coalition has aided in creating a healthier community to live, work, and play.

7. Healthy365 loves our community school partners

Hancock County programming extends not just to adults in the community, but students as well. Building a healthier community through the prevention and cessation of tobacco use is at the core of the Tobacco Free Hancock County Coalition’s efforts, along with increasing tobacco-free youth activism and increasing the proportion of Hoosiers not exposed to secondhand smoke.

8. We host regular student programming

Substance use and smoking isn’t the only educational topic we address with students. Our regular Rise Above It events are hosted in local schools and bring up new topics each quarter, primarily related to mental health awareness. 

9. We show you how to love others with QPR

Knowing how to help someone with depression or suicidal thoughts can be difficult. We are passionate about educating our community in supporting loved ones going through hard times with our QPR suicide prevention classes, which stands for Question, Persuade and Refer. 

10. We love partnering with Hancock Wellness Centers

Mental wellness is a large focus for Healthy365, but your physical health has a big impact on mental health. That’s why we love partnering with our local Hancock Wellness Centers, conveniently located in Greenfield, New Palestine and McCordsville, to refer clients and host educational programming. 

11. We offer financial guidance in tangible ways

We know that it’s hard to focus on mental wellness when you’re worried your lights might get shut off. We offer financial guidance and support for clients struggling with paying bills, food insecurity and more. For example, during the early days of the COVID pandemic and mandated quarantine, our Healthy365 team worked together to support community members in need by making healthy food deliveries. 

12. Healthy365 loves our community through the pandemic

The pandemic threw a major wrench into everyone’s lives, but Healthy365 is continuing to offer our COVID hotline to answer your questions about vaccine eligibility and navigating how to sign up for appointments. At our peak, we were fielding upwards of 200 COVID hotline calls per day. 

13. We offer more than just a list of resources

Although we do list mental health and wellness resources on our website that you can access at any time, we also love to walk through challenging situations with you, in order to best identify the resources that will fulfill the needs of you and your loved ones. 

14. We love writing about tips for your overall wellness

And last but not least, we love to offer resources like the blog post you’re reading right now. We post articles regularly about self-care, mental health support for each season, upcoming educational programs and much more. We recommend following us on social media to be notified of our latest blog posts!