Lyle gave me the opportunity to host an event in TPP and I couldn’t think of anything better to do than an Awareness game for our TPP/Replay family. Awareness events are to bring awareness to where there may not be any, educate the public about disease and risk, and to provide resources of learning more, or to get help. Although this holds true of many awareness events, awareness games in the poker world have been a way to use and introduce real-life to online poker-life. To share, to understand, to empathize, to know and see the person behind the Replay screen name.
Current studies show that mental illnesses affect roughly 19% of the adult population, 46% of teenagers, and 13% of children each year. Anyone can be affected by mental illness. Your children, your siblings, your grandchildren, your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers, your doctor, your favorite DMV employee… anyone. It can affect anyone regardless of their socioeconomic status, background, appearance, fortune, or abilities. If you take anything from this awareness, please let it be the importance of kindness, reminding people you care, reminding others, including yourself, that your life and their life is precious and has purpose.
Studies also show that only about half the population in need of treatment, actually receive it. Often because of the stigma attached to mental health, as well as the scarcity of services and financial barriers currently in the mental healthcare system. Each year, the National Alliance of Mental Illness joins the national movement to raise awareness, fight stigma, provide support, and advocate for change and policies to support all those affected by mental illness in the United States. One of their campaigns is “More Than Enough”. No matter what your mental illness may tell you, you are more than enough. You are worthy of love, acceptance, fulfillment, respect, simply because you exist. If you are working on healing, whether it’s self-awareness, physically, mentally, emotionally, you hold inherent value each step, including back-steps, of the way. At every step, you are more than enough.
What can you do to help?
Showing individuals respect and acceptance - Seeing the individual and not just their illness, can make a difference for those struggling with their mental health
Advocating - Advocating within the circles of influence in your communities can help ensure individuals have the same rights to treatment regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Learn more about mental health - We can all learn. What better things to learn than information to provide helpful support to those affected in our lives, or even ourselves.
How to get help?
If you or someone you know are experiencing mental health concerns, be open and address concerns to your primary care provider. Your PCP can help provide resources, mental health screenings, as well as a referral to a mental health specialist.
Helpful and informational links to learn more about Mental Health Awareness:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ includes how to obtain help if you or someone you know are having mental health concerns. Also includes info from latest research regarding mental health, resources for Veterans suffering with PTSD or other mental illness, suicide prevention links and numbers, information regarding other health topics that affect mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, eating disorders, substance abuse, autism, adhd, borderline personality disorders, etc.
Find Help and Treatment | SAMHSA includes links to find resources near you, suicide and crisis lifeline, and Veterans crisis line.
https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month
Includes support and education, advocacy, awareness resources and events. Also includes warning signs, where to get help, receiving a diagnosis, and finding treatment.
In summation, you don’t know what someone is going through or has gone through, or what headspace they may be in regardless of how they interact with you or appear. So let’s maybe not assume and just be kind and open to one another. You never know what one text message could do; what one kind, genuine, authentic, or heartfelt gesture might do. It could save somebody else’s life.
Together, let’s raise awareness and reduce the stigma regarding mental health. In this event, we ask that you share an image as your “shirt” of something in your life that brings you, or has brought you sustainable joy exp: pets, a loved one, friends, hobbies, etc. Or an uplifting mental health awareness quote. Or something that makes you look forward to the next day. Is it that first cup of coffee, the deals on QVC, the spring flowers, rainbows, Cadbury eggs, Shamrock shakes, bread pudding, the smell of brussel sprouts (ew), anything that gives you the feeling of “life is good”. Or, can use a general mental health awareness logo. The choices are limitless and they are yours.
THE GAME:
Thursday, May 30th @5pm EST - MTT Holdem game, INDIVIDUAL play, we are separating team members so we can collaboratively come together to share and raise awareness. As this is a special event, we are encouraging you to invite friends, fellow league members, etc. to this event. This will also be posted on the Replay forum page as an invitation to our Replay community.
THE PRIZE:
The winner of the Mental Health Awareness game will be granted a chip prize of at least 1 million chips. The final table will of course be showed off in a complimentary recap completed by one of the recappers. If you are NOT a member of Team Play Poker, please respond here or send me a friend request and message me privately so that I can add you to the member list to be able to participate. The buy-in is only 5k.
