5 types of love we don’t talk about enough

MHA Admin

Tue, 02/06/2024 – 15:44

“Love” is one of the most difficult words to define. Human beings often think about this essential experience by narrowing their focus to love’s attributes. 

Is “love” a simple feeling or a complex discipline? 
Does “love” show up as grand gestures or subtle, intimate moments? 
Is “love” felt most when given or received? 

Our experiences of love play a major role in our mental health and wellness. Thinking about love is natural because we all crave and need love and belonging to survive. But love has proven it transcends our imaginations’ attempts to define it over and over again. Our personal experiences are an excellent starting point to begin to imagine the full scope of love, however, due to societal narratives and pressures, people frequently understand the beautiful melody of love as just a single note – that of romantic relationships. 

In honor of this season of love, allow me to uplift some of the other harmonious elements of love’s melody.

Self-love

Self-love, when done right, is the metronome of your dynamic love melody. It balances and syncs your ability to love others based on your capacity, needs, and goals. Loving yourself is the foundation of all other expressions of love.

Find some strategies to get started with your self-love practice.

Community love

Universal forms of love for our family, friends, and environments are not often the center of Valentine’s Day activities or celebrated in movies, but these are undeniably a critical part of our sense of well-being and belonging. You can create harmony in your life by fostering your relationship with your community through spontaneous check-ins, volunteering, or simply being present with loved ones or in nature to show your appreciation for them.

Consider spreading the love in your community this year by participating in MHA’s Spread the Love campaign.

Pet love

Furry, scaly, or feathered, pets bring a sense of comfort, humor, and affection to the lives of their human caretakers. Pets teach us patience and the importance of routines. Bonds created with pets are filled with compassion and care that overflow into our treatment of others and our environment.

Show some love to your pet with some new bling from the MHA store.
Learn more about animal companionship.

Passions

Hobbies, traditions, and goals can be a tremendous source of fulfillment in our daily lives. These practices inspire individuals to strive toward being their best selves and contribute meaningfully to their world. You may love to cook, read, garden, sing, or create and these passions deserve recognition as an expression of love as well.

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The beautiful melody of love is constantly being composed and has a unique tune for every individual. Above are a few examples of unexpected displays of love, but you are the composer of your own piece of “love” music. You can identify one of your personal loves that is special and unique to your own life and fill in the blank here.

Trouble getting started? Read more about finding joy and satisfaction.

Mental Health America is here to provide resources to help you take care of your mental health, practice self-care, and foster healthy relationships. Visit our Spread the Love campaign page to read, listen, or engage with our other resources to boost your sense of belonging this love season.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Capital City Emergency “Level II” Trauma & Wellness Center will house a “state of the art” Outreach Community Resource Center, that will provide case management, mental health community advocacy, and oversight from the M.I. Mother’s Keeper mental health advocates. 
 
The Capital City Emergency “Level II” Trauma & Wellness Center will offer patrons access to immediate coverage by general surgeons as well as coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care.
 
Our goal is to help people in the best way possible in an effort to preserve and to save more lives in the Nation’s Capital and beyond.

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Emergency

Code Red
Gunshot Victim
Life Threatening Wounds
Physical Assault Victim
Severely Injured Auto Accident Victim
Burn Victim
Epilepsy/Seizures
Cardiovascular
Choking & Breathing Obstructions
and more…

trauma

Child Sex Assault Victim
Domestic Violence Victim
Drug Overdose
Rape/Sex Crime Victim
Suicide Watch
Trafficking Victim
Nervous Breakdown
and more…

Mental Health

At Capital City Emergency Trauma & Wellness Center patrons with mental health emergencies that include life threatening situations in which an individual is imminently threatening harm to self or others, severely disoriented or out of touch with reality, has a severe inability to function or is otherwise distraught and out of control, will have access to quality and psychiatric emergency services and referrals.

Physical Health

Whether your life threatening medical emergency involves excessive or uncontrollable bleeding, head injury. difficulty with breathing, severe pain, heart attack, vision impairments, stroke, physically collapsing, or seizure related, rest assured that our professionals will properly assess and evaluate the level of response that will be most needed to help provide stabilized care solutions and minimize complications as well as reduce early mortality.

Holistic Healthcare

We offer healthcare solutions that will support the whole person which includes their physical, psychological, emotional, social, & spiritual wellbeing. Research supports that because your mental state can affect your overall health we support and offer the inclusion of complimentary and alternative medicine(CAM) practitioners and naturopathic doctor recommendations and referrals as a part of our Outreach Community Resource Center’s care regimen and support.

Rehabilitative

Emergency care can typically result in traumatic injuries for which rehabilitation becomes an essential component of care in trying to achieve the best long-term outcomes for the patient. In addition to speeding up recovery times and helping to prevent further complications, rehabilitative care also helps to support a patient’s self-managed recovery once discharged from our facility. Our Outreach Community Resource Center works closely with our trauma center’s discharge department to assure that patrons requiring these services are linked with qualified professionals who will be accountable to the standard of care required to help the patron be successful in their recovery.

Social Services

Our “state of the art” Outreach Community Resource Center intends to promote “expansive” beneficial community enriching services, programs, case management, & linkage to “approved” partner resources and supports in all of the following intended areas and more:

Social Services

  • Clothing
  • Food Pantry
  • Housing/Shelter
  • I.D. Credentials
  • Senior Wellness Check
  • Toiletries
  • Transportation
  • Etc.

Extended Family Services

  • Child Care
  • Credit Counseling
  • Family Court Services
  • Legal Aide

Career Training

  • Apprenticeship programs
  • Computer/Graphics Training
  • Culinary Program  
  • GED Courses
  • Hospitality Training
  • Job Etiquette & Grooming
  • Resume’ Prep
  • Sales Training
  • Software/Technology workshops
  • Small Business Training

Return Citizen
Program Partner
(Bridging the Gap)

  • Case Management
  • Temporary Boarding/Housing
  • Transitional Program Registration

Prevention/Intervention Outreach,
Workshops, & Programs

  • After-school Behavioral Health Program
  • Civic Engagement / Volunteer Sign-up
  • Fatherhood Rites of Passage
  • Gun Violence Town Hall Forum
  • Life Coaching & Coping Strategies
  • Marriage Counseling Workshops
  • Medicare Informational Workshops
  • Mentorship Training
  • Parental Classes
  • Support Groups
  • Town Hall Discussions
  • Violence De-Escalation Training
  • Voter Registration

Nutritional Outreach

  • Cooking Demonstrations
  • Dietary Programs
  • Exercise Classes
  • Recipe Sharing Workshops
  • Meal Prep

Community Outreach

The Healthy DC & Me Leadership Coalition is partnering with the M.I. Mother’s Keeper Mental Health advocacy organization to provide outreach services on the community level as an aid in reducing the existent health inequities that many District citizens are facing as a direct result of the presence of debilitating social determinants and the lack of culturally appropriate care choices and realities for community members residing in marginalized and lower-income communities.

It is the vision and intentions of the M.I. Mother’s Keeper Mental Health Advocates organization to help improve the quality of living for citizens living in our Nation’s Capital and beyond by overseeing the delicate linkage to services and by maintaining higher standards of care accountability for deserving citizens of the Nation’s Capital.

For more information or to enroll as one of our service providers, please email us at:
info@healthydcandme.org