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About Janine Monico

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So far Janine Monico has created 150 blog entries.

Mindfulness and Joy

Video Transcription: In the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, the main character played by Will Smith was often seen running - running from one station to the next in his pivotal pursuit of that which could make him happy. I personally thought the movie should have been called Running. I read quote somewhere that said, as a culture we have become so obsessed with the pursuit of happiness, yet in the process, we kind of overlook joy. While some may say that joy and happiness are the same. Some may differ. I kind of think that happiness is a measure of how good we feel over time, while joy is how we feel in the present moment. Like when you notice a multicolored rainbow in the sky, and you smile. Or when you notice a toddler who suddenly interrupts their play and starts dancing when they hear a beat, you laugh, or maybe join in with the joyous moment. Joy is a primary component in our emotional and physical well-being. Joy allows us to have moments of appreciation, contentment, gratitude, and a sense of self confidence. On a scientific level, we feel joy in our bodies, when something makes us feel joy our brain release neurotransmitters that are responsible for processes and feelings in almost every aspect of the body, [...]

2021-09-10T17:06:43-04:00September 10th, 2021|Mental Health, Self-Help|
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Connection Can Save Lives

Realizing a friend is struggling with suicide can feel scary and overwhelming. It can feel impossible to pull someone from those depths. Recently, I found myself in a similar situation with a close friend. Life seemed to be getting busier for both of us. What I didn’t realize was that my friend was actively withdrawing from those around him. He was still reeling from the death of his father and his romantic relationship ending all while starting a new job in a strenuous field. During this time, I extended my sympathies and tried to be empathetic, but he didn’t seem interested in anything deeper than surface level conversations.  I felt a distance growing between us. I was concerned about him, but it wasn’t until I received a frantic message from a family member who explained how pervasive his withdrawal has been. That is when I started to feel scared, overwhelmed, and worried that I missed my opportunity to “save him.” I reached out several times without luck. It wasn’t until I connected with him in person that we were able to talk about what has been going on. He was struggling with thoughts of suicide and most of what he expressed I already knew, but what I didn’t know is that the absence of connection also played into his slow [...]

2021-09-22T16:18:38-04:00September 3rd, 2021|Lived Experience, Suicide Prevention|
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Managing Teen Stressors and Anger

While adolescence can be an exciting time of growth, it can also be filled with social and mental health struggles. Teens face huge decisions about who they want to be and what they want to do in their lives, while also dealing with a storm of new emotions and experiences. They may rebel at the restrictions left over from childhood, while also feeling nervous about the new responsibilities they must take on. It’s a time filled with new freedoms but can also be a scary and uniquely stressful one. Given the complex developmental circumstances of adolescence, it should come as no surprise that many teens struggle with anger. Anger is an emotion we all feel, although we express it in different ways.  Anger can be a completely normal and understandable response to what teens are going through – but how do you know when it’s too much, or when it’s a sign of an underlying problem? And what can both teens and parents do when that anger rears its head? If you or your teen is struggling with constant irritability and anger, or anger that seems to come on with no apparent trigger, it could be a sign of mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression of a reaction of traumatic events.  If you have concerns about a teen, you [...]

2021-08-30T12:13:45-04:00August 4th, 2021|Family & Youth, Mental Health|
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Coping with COVID-19 Vaccine Anxiety

The City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) has partnered with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to address concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines.   In this webinar, the Health Department shares data and information about the development and safety of the vaccines; DBHIDS Chief Medical Officer Sosunmolu Shoyinka, M.D. provides tips to handle vaccine anxiety; and DBHIDS Certified Peer Specialist Nerrissa Mixon shares about her decision-making process to get the vaccine.  You are not alone if you’re feeling nervous about the new, urgently developed vaccines. Despite the data, safety precautions, and FDA regulations ensuring the safety of the vaccines, it is totally reasonable to have the “what-ifs” creep into our thoughts. What if they rushed the development? What if I have side effects that are extreme? These fears are rational and can contribute to COVID-related anxieties. It has been more than a year that we’ve all been living with the stress and anxiety of navigating through this global pandemic. Every decision we make requires an in-depth risk/benefit analysis and it is exhausting. Please join us to ease your concerns about the life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. And while you're thinking about the vaccine to protect your body, don't forget to think about how this past year of stress and anxiety has also affected your behavioral health with the new DBHIDS Boost [...]

2021-06-16T13:24:41-04:00June 16th, 2021|Pandemic|
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