Saving Grace

A few months ago, I went to an urgent-care clinic to get tested for an ear or throat infection before some planned travel. And while I was fine, something happened while I was sitting in the waiting room that has stayed in my thoughts. During about 40 minutes of wait time, two separate young women came into the clinic with the exact same issue—they were both in a state of panic, concerned they were having heart problems.

In both cases, the young women asked for any kind of treatment that could help them assess the severity of the issue and to calm down. And in both cases, the nurse took their vitals, told them they were fine, and let them know they would have to go to the ER for further support. This was of course in scope with the procedure the clinic has on hand. They deal with presentations of illness in the physical body.

But my heart broke for these two young women. As someone who was diagnosed with panic disorder as a teenager, I am very familiar with what they were experiencing.  Before I started treatment, I too found myself in an ER thinking I was having a heart attack when it was something entirely different—a triggered panic attack. Often all I needed was a calm voice, a space to escape for a moment, and someone offering me some grace. Wouldn’t it be something if our healthcare system included an urgent care clinic for mental wellness? Unfortunately, especially when it comes to our young people, wait times for mental health therapy are often months long—well past a moment of crisis. And, in the U.S. at least, cost is another major consideration when it comes to seeking mental health care.

It can start with the seemingly small acts of grace that can come up hour by hour. While the term “grace” has often been used in the context of religion, it has common application. And because I’m a word nerd, in my research for this post I discovered that the Greek word for grace is charis—funny enough, where we get the term “charisma”—which is the  idea of “non meritorious or unearned favor, an unearned gift, a favor or blessing given as a gift, freely and not in return for work performed” (thank you, Vocabulary.com). Or, in the eternal words of U2, “Grace carries the world on her hips…and Grace finds beauty in everything.”

If someone needs to talk and you’re simply willing to listen, that is a moment of grace. If someone needs to cancel a meeting on short notice, agreeing without complaint can be a moment of grace. If we ourselves flub something up, it’s an opportunity to give ourselves the same grace. Maybe grace is taking a breath from time to time throughout the day, for no reason at all but to protect our mental wellbeing.           

The other thing about grace is that it’s a readily available and unlimited resource. It helps us create space for others and ourselves, especially during difficult or challenging times. And like laughter, it can be contagious. The more we demonstrate grace, perhaps the more it becomes the proverbial ripple across the pond, changing all that it comes into contact with. 

May, also Mental Health Awareness Month, is coming up soon. It’s a good reminder for all of us to practice good mental health for ourselves and to support our colleagues in the same pursuit. This is an area where we all can be doing better together. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or emotional distress, you can call, text or chat with a counselor at 988 Lifeline.