Perspectives

SCG Staff Articles

National Depression & Mental Health Screening Month
Elizabeth Hirata Elizabeth Hirata

National Depression & Mental Health Screening Month

As mental illness further establishes itself within the public consciousness, more and more people have begun feeling comfortable sharing their stories. One of the most common mental health challenges that people face is depression. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in 2020, about 21 million adults in the US or 8.4% of the population experienced a depressive episode. Surely many of us resonate with difficulties coping with challenges that have arisen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Reflections On Wellness
Elizabeth Hirata Elizabeth Hirata

Reflections On Wellness

After two years of pandemic life, it feels easy to focus on what is going wrong in the world. “I’ve got a runny nose this morning: is it allergies or the plague?” is a thought I’ve had many times of late. That pervasive sense of needing to question our safety is exhausting. Maybe we’re feeling like nothing is going “right” and all the places where we seek solace are crumbling. Sometimes there is a discernible cause such as the death of a loved one or rejection from a school we applied to, but other times the cause of our “unwellness” seems less clear. Difficult seasons are part of life and that’s okay, but they sure get exhausting after a while.

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Death and Taxes
Elizabeth Hirata Elizabeth Hirata

Death and Taxes

Nobody wants to die, but everyone will. It is a fact. Eventually, one day your heart will stop pumping, oxygen will no longer reach your brain and you will perceive nothing ever again. But, people will remember you. Your spouse, your friends, your children, others whose lives you touched. And in a way, they will carry you on into the future, for who knows how long. But, eventually, given enough time, your name, the impact that you had on the world will fade and return to the dust from whence it came. And on Good Friday, if you follow the Christian tradition, we take a moment to remember this fact.

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Being Human
Elizabeth Hirata Elizabeth Hirata

Being Human

One of the core truths of being human is the presence of weakness. We want to hide it, even from our own awareness, but despite our best efforts, there is no way to deny the reality that you cannot do everything.

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How Do We Wait When Things Aren’t Great?
Elizabeth Hirata Elizabeth Hirata

How Do We Wait When Things Aren’t Great?

Waiting is hard. Does anybody actually enjoy the process of standing in line? Sometimes it feels like we’re searching for ways to distract ourselves before the inevitable conclusion. Waiting can be exceedingly lonely if we’re experiencing it in isolation. And yet, anticipation can be fun. That sense of longing for something you’ve put your hope in. Maybe it’s excitement about getting married. Perhaps you’re really looking forward to the new Spider-Man movie. Or you could just be waiting on your cake to finish baking. Currently, we are in the season of advent, an often reflective season in which we are challenged to look back on what all has happened the previous year, recognizing the impact those events have left on us and casting our gaze toward the upcoming year. It can be both sobering and joyful.

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Beat Them With Thankfulness
Elizabeth Hirata Elizabeth Hirata

Beat Them With Thankfulness

I propose that gratitude is the recognition that more things have to be going ‘right’ than ‘wrong’ for you to be alive. Despite the chaos, we can take notice that kindness, gentleness, beauty and compassion are usually easy to find.

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The Most Obnoxious Roommate: You
Elizabeth Hirata Elizabeth Hirata

The Most Obnoxious Roommate: You

Yourself. Can’t live with you, can’t live without you. And that can be exhausting from time to time. Maybe it’s that pervasive sense of constantly questioning everything that you do.

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