Counselor’s Corner - April 25, 2023 Issue

Dear Teacher,

Growing up, my childhood rental home was equipped with an elaborate alarm system.  Controlled by the home owners who lived several states away, the alarm was overly-sensitive, alerting us to room freshener, burning candles, and the occasional puff of air.  Frequently erupting in loud beeps, our family would quickly punch the passcode, call the fire department, and report that all was well.

One evening, however, when my mom was at work, my newly-independent self decided I was hungry.  Rifling through the fridge, I determined a baked potato was in order and popped one in the microwave.  After 15 minutes of cooking the sole root vegetable, smoke wafted upwards, sounding the alarm.  However, having been so conditioned to disregard the cautionary from prior false alarms, I ignored the warning signs.  As I clumsily mashed buttons and flipped through the phone book to find the fire department's number, a crew in a laddered truck arrived and identified the true danger that was present.  Paying attention to the alarm should have been my number one job in staying safe.

John Delony, in describing mental health, addresses the fact that "anxiety isn't the problem, it's the alarm."  Anxiety is the smoke detector letting you know that you aren't safe in your physical body, in your personal autonomy, and for lack of a support system.  Yet, if you're like me, it's easy to disregard and ignore those alarms, continuing to push myself into further mental unhealthiness.  Just like my childhood experience, paying attention to the alarm should be the number one job in staying safe.

This week, in preparation for May's Mental Health Awareness, clue into your body's alarms that you're not safe.  Maybe it's your physical health for lack of exercise.  Could it be your mental health and what you things you think on [Phillipians 4:8]?  It may be the health of your family unit and overlooked time together.  Whatever it is, take time this week to plug in and alert to God's alarms for your life.

Alerting the Authorities for you,
Mindy Salyers
Christian School Counselor