Maintaining mental health

Maintaining good mental health

Clinical social worker gives students strategies and resources for overcoming mental health challenges despite living in paradise

BY ALEXANDRA CLENDENNING

Sister Karen Bludorn, a full-time missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a clinical social worker from Ohio, discussed the stigmas surrounding mental health and how to overcome them. When it comes to mental wellbeing, Bludorn said students should focus on nutrition, sleep, exercise, relationships and gratitude. She explained, “Keeping track of what’s going right helps people to see the bright side of their lives.”

About Sister Bludorn

Bludorn said she first began her career in social work more than 15 years ago. She transitioned to social work from her previous job as a training capacity manager where she used to help her employees become better versions of themselves, she shared. One day, Bludorn said her boss told her, “We don’t want them to be that much better. We want them to come to work on time and be good employees. We don’t want them going back to finish college and getting married and leaving us. You’re doing too much for them.” After hearing these words, with the support of her family, Bludorn said she decided to leave her job and went back to school to get a master’s degree and became a clinical social worker. Bludorn has been serving and working at BYUH Counseling & Disability Services for the past 15 months and will complete her mission with her husband in May of this year. Throughout her time at BYUH, Bludorn said she has been helping students and couples become better people, overcome their challenges and change for the better. She expressed, “Figuring out and changing behaviors works a lot better than judging or blaming others or ourselves. If we want to create change in the tenor of our lives, we have to change the chain of events that cause our behaviors and the events.”

The challenges with stigma

Bludorn said bringing awareness to the struggles of mental health is a good way to start helping people feel less afraid to share their problems and get help. She explained at any given time, 20 percent of any given population is going to have a diagnosis of some sort of mental illness. She added most of them will not be in treatment.

People have times throughout their lives where they need to make adjustments or have challenges that would be helped by talking things over with a therapist, Bludorn added.

Often, Bludorn said her clients say, “Hawaii is such a blessing. We are surrounded by all we need. Why am I not happier?” Bludorn explained people blame themselves for not being happy and don’t know why they aren’t happy, despite living in a so-called paradise. Stigma is all around people no matter where they live, even on this paradise island, Bludorn said. “If you’re just unhappy today, we can do things that make us happy. If you’re always unhappy and clinically depressed, you need to go to a counselor and have an evaluation. Counselors address if there’s any genetic issues that should be investigated by a psychiatrist.” Bludorn said her time at BYUH has exposed her to stigmas students face based due to their cultural backgrounds. She said, “All cultures have stigmas against receiving help for mental-health issues.” At Counseling & Disability Services, Bludorn said the counselors there are open and willing to ask questions about their client’s cultures in order to understand what is appropriate. “Then, we give them some of the benefits of our education,” she said.

Strategies for good mental health

Bludorn said mental health comes down to the fundamentals of nutrition, sleep, exercise and relationships.

“When people struggle with their health, fatigue or hunger they are more challenged by their moods. If they keep that baseline up, they

Left and Right: Sister Karen Bludorn said some challenges can be helped by talking with a therapist. Above, the door to to the Counseling Center on campus. Photos by Ulziibayar Badamdorj. Illustrations by Hannah

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can do a little better in managing their moods,” she said. Bludorn recommended students go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep. “Make sure that you have good nutrition, exercise four times a week and get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes a day,” she suggested. She also said students should focus on gratitude. She explained keeping track of what’s going right helps people to see the bright side of their lives.

Where and when to seek help

Bludorn advised students to seek help if they’re trying hard and are still unhappy. “If you’re unhappy with your roommates, family and teachers, you need to find out why you’re unhappy in several situations where you’re the common factor in all those situations.” She said students can seek help from the Counseling Center if they are experiencing stress or other issues that impact their mental health. Students can make their first appointments on the center’s website where they fill out a few forms. After that, a member of the center’s staff will give them a call to schedule an appointment. Bludorn explained upon a person’s first appointment, counselors will ask a lot of questions that matter in the therapy process. Counselors ask about client’s circumstances, relationships and family origins in order to get an idea of what treatment will work for them. Counselors also test for deeper issues like anxiety and depression to better understand their clients, she said.

Additional resources

Bludorn said students can also seek support through their bishop, friends, or through social activities to lift their spirits and foster a healthy mental state.

“There are plenty of activities from the BYUH departments and the Church. Also, there are resources found on YouTube and apps, like the Calm app.” On the BYUH website, there are several articles and screenings for mental health. One article that could be useful to students is, “Managing stress in college.” The article says, “Be aware of your support system, such as friends, family members, professors and counselors, etc. and be open to asking them for help.” Another article on the school’s website is, “Five ways exercise can improve your mental health.” The article says, “Exercise sparks dopamine production in your brain, which improves mood, motivation and feelings of wellness and attention. It rebuilds toxic damage to the brain while also reducing anxiety and depression, and enhancing self-esteem.” •