Suicide Prevention Awareness Month – Tell Your Heart Story Activities
Connecting with protective factors makes us resilient during challenging times. Protective factors are strengths and supports that promote health and well-being. Throughout September, ANTHC will host weekly activities to promote connections to our strengths and supports.
Join us in our activities and Tell Your Heart Story in our survey below for a chance to win $100 in Amazon gift cards! Participation is open to all Alaska residents. Winners will be selected at random, must be a resident of Alaska to be entered to win.
Activity 4: September 23-30
Culture, Community, Purpose
Social and cultural connections are protective factors that strengthen our overall health and well-being to face challenges. Strong social connections and a sense of community can improve mental and emotional health, reduce stress, and increase longevity. Our connection to our culture, our people (family, friends, community), and ourselves keeps us strong and gives us the opportunity to care for others, which is important for our well-being.
Activity
Take a picture/tell a story of one of the following:
- How does your culture make you strong?
- How does honoring someone from your community give you strength?
- What passion gives you purpose and contributes to your community?
Reflection
Connecting with culture and community fosters a sense of purpose that enhances our overall health and well-being. This strengthens our minds, bodies, and spirits.
Take the survey!
Create your own user feedback surveyActivity 3: September 16-22
Spiritual Strength
Engaging in spiritual practices can enhance our understanding of our emotions and may increase our overall resilience during challenging situations. Spiritual practices, like traditional ceremonies, can go beyond religious beliefs. Spirituality can include our symbols that represent something sacred, the belief in the Creator, and anything that is larger than ourselves. Indigenous people’s spirituality may also include origin stories, like the story of Raven. Our ancestors handed down these stories in the oral tradition, and today we channel their wisdom for the future generations.
Activity
Take a picture/tell a story of something you consider to be spiritually important in your life and share one of the following.
- How does spiritual practice or belief strengthen your spirit?
- What helps you access your spirituality?
- How does your spiritual well-being impact your overall health?
Reflection
Our spiritual practices support our health, strengthen our well-being, and empower us to deepen our connections to ourselves and others.
Take the activity 3 survey!
Activity 2: September 9-15
Land, Air and Sea
Caring for the land, air, and sea strengthens our appreciation for the natural world. Engaging in these types of activities often will increase our overall well-being and ability to face challenges. Our ancestors prioritized caring for the earth and showed us that this connection provides us strength. Traditional activities, like harvesting berries and hunting conservatively, show that we care for our natural world.
Activity
Take a picture/tell a story of one of the following:
- How do you care for the earth?
- What activities do you do to care for our natural world?
Sharing how we care for the land, air, and sea helps us connect with the natural world.
Reflection
Sharing how we care for the land, air, and sea helps us connect with the natural world.
Take the activity 2 survey!
Activity 1: September 1-8
Mental, Emotional, Physical Strength
Connecting with protective factors in our lives make us mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy. Protective factors increase our overall health and well-being and are different for everyone. Connecting to these factors makes us stronger during stressful times and helps us “bounce back.”
Protective factors may include:
- Supportive family and friends
- Listening to understand
- Journaling your experiences
- Helping others
- Respecting our Elders
- Cultural and subsistence activities
- Taking care of the land
Activity
Sharing our story with others allows us to connect with the protective factors or strengths and supports in our lives that promote health and well-being. Take a picture or tell a story of one of the following:
- What makes you mentally strong?
- What makes you emotionally strong?
- What makes you physically strong?
Reflection
Sharing the strengths in our lives helps us to connect with ourselves, others, and the land.
Take the activity 1 survey!
Resources:
Need support now? Help is available
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress. That could be:
- Thoughts of suicide
- Mental health or substance use crisis, or
- Any other kind of emotional distress
Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org, you can call for yourself or if you are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.
The ANTHC Behavioral Health Wellness Clinic offers telehealth counseling, group counseling, assessments and referral support to adult Tribal beneficiaries anywhere in Alaska. You can access our care from your personal cell phone or computer. To learn more or become a client, visit anthc.org/bhwc or call (907) 729-2492 Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
StrongHearts Native Helpline is a free, 24/7 confidential domestic, dating, and sexual violence helpline offering culturally appropriate support for Alaska Native and American Indian people. Call 1-844-762-8483 or chat online here.
The Trevor Project offers free, confidential, 24/7 crisis support for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in suicidal or emotional crisis. Call 1-866-488-7386, text “START” to 678-678, or chat online here.