Walke: Oklahoma teens need supportive community to turn to instead of substance abuse
As a pastor, I often find myself discussing mental health with young people who are coping with heightened stress and other challenges, often feeling pressured to meet high standards and have their futures confidently mapped out.
There’s a lot of silence around the conditions that lead to mental health struggles for our youths, but one thing is certain — we have to start doing something differently.
The number of youths turning to unhealthy choices like vaping and substance use is on the rise. We often characterize these risky behaviors as “acting out,” but in reality, teens are trying to escape from mental health challenges they face on a daily basis.
Some of these behaviors, like vaping, can actually cause increased stress, anxiety or depression — worsening the feelings that teens are trying to self-medicate for.
Many people are still feeling lasting impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and are reckoning with the experiences of quarantine, missed social connections, and what it means to live in an pandemic/endemic.
There’s an enduring belief that people should keep a stiff upper lip in circumstances like these, even in the church. But we don’t learn this from scripture — the psalms are filled with the experiences of daily living and unexpected crises, poured out to God by individuals and as a community.
There is no feeling too big or small, too high or low to speak aloud, according to our ancestors of faith. Indeed, it is the way we let God and others know where to send help. Telling one another when we hurt, or when we need support, is critical to our overall mental health and wellbeing.
In providing pastoral care to teens, I speak often about the importance of community support and healthy coping mechanisms. The church can provide a much-needed community to walk with young people in times of need.
The reality is that if we don’t tend to our mental health, everything else suffers. For teens, that means providing them with healthy coping mechanisms and a strong, supportive community — so that they don’t turn to risky behaviors in times of emotional need.
Parents and trusted adults, I urge you to talk to the teens in your life. Start a conversation and listen without judgment. Sharing our stories and our struggles is one of the most powerful things we can do for one another.
We can provide the support teens need and help them find healthy solutions so they don’t have to turn to risky behaviors, substance use or other unhealthy habits to cope. Exercise, spending time with friends, spiritual practices, forming intergenerational bonds, developing a hobby, creative expression, and other forms of self-care can all benefit teens’ mental health.
And to my fellow faith leaders — we have a responsibility to teach that mental health is part of the human condition, and faith can help us journey through the ups and downs so that we are never overwhelmed. May our faith communities be those in which young people know they will hear the tender words of a certain rabbi who said, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened,” where they will be received with open hearts and minds, and where they will find support for their whole selves.
The Rev. Lori Walke is senior minister at Mayflower Congregational Church of Christ in Oklahoma City.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Supportive community key to fighting teen substance use in Oklahoma
