Taking Care of Your Mental Health This Holiday Season

By Mike Costigan
IBEW Local 11 Safety Director

So, here we are again. Another Holiday season. For some, it’s a time to spend with friends and family making more memorable moments. And then for others, it’s the most trying time of the year.

This is the time of year when people struggling with poor mental health and addiction really have a hard time. In fact, this topic has been dominating our safety and IBEW conferences. I’m not going to bore you with statistics, but almost everyone is aware of the crisis we are facing in today’s world. During my career, I worked with two local 11 brothers that were fighting their own demons that they succumbed to and took their own lives.

For me personally, my family has had its fair share of mental health issues and drug and alcohol addiction. I don’t tell you this for your sympathy, I tell you this to start a conversation. Being in the construction industry brings an inherent stigma regarding these issues. We are not supposed to have these feelings! We’re supposed to suck it up and push through it! Sound familiar? We need to squash this mindset. Stigma is the biggest barrier we face and we need to overcome it.

I’m certain most everyone reading this knows someone, maybe even themselves, that suffers from one or more of these afflictions. This is the time we need to reach out to each other. Check in with anyone you know that might be struggling. You have the power to make a difference.

For those of us in IBEW local 11, we have resources that can help. We have the Members Assistance Program, [MAP]. You can find these pamphlets in any of our halls or call 877-225-2267. The MAP program is free to members and can help with a multitude of issues. Family counseling, legal advice, financial advice and more. For those more serious conditions, always remember 988. That’s the federal suicide and crisis phone number you can call or text when things seem too overwhelming.

At local 11, we are also looking into a program called “Vital Cog”. This training will give us the tools on how to start the conversation with people who might be considering suicide.

If this article leaves you with more questions than answers, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I can be reached at safety@ibew11.org. It’s going to take all of us if we want to move the needle towards recovery.