BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — May is Mental Health Awareness Month and local services like Child and Family Services here in Western New York are encouraging people who are struggling to seek help.
"If we want our future to be well we have to be well," teacher of 13 years Albert Schaffer said.
His passion for touching people's lives, he stated, started way before those years.
"It's something I've thought about since I was 6 years old," Schaffer shared.
Nothing, he said, is like the feeling of passing out papers and being in the front of the classroom. But just recently he's shared that he is stepping away from teaching for mental health reasons.
"It breaks my heart - coming from a person that's wanted to be a teacher their who life," he said. "But I truly believe if we want our kids to succeed we have to be mentally healthy."
Nicole Halloway is the Director of Clinical Services at Buffalo's Child and Family Services. She said the Queen City has been through some rough times over the past year. Including the mass shooting at Tops and the deadly blizzard on Christmas weekend. Halloway said it's time to hone in on bettering the communities mental health.
"Because a lot of times if we aren't listening to ourselves, to our bodies things can begin to get worse," she stated.
She said self-care is a necessity but doesn't have to be anything extreme. It can be as simple as breathwork or getting a favorite snack.
"Self-care is something we need to do every day all day long," she said.
According to the CDC, more than 1 in 5 adults live with a mental illness.
"I think making it a topic of conversation all the time. it needs to become a regular part of what we do," Halloway shared.
Schaffer stated to always put yourself first.
"Please just please take care of yourself," he said.
