John Mental Health post-Holiday : Reflection theories/models-(Blog Entry 1 Jose Pereira -Group 4)

Blog Entry 1: Reflection theories/models

Jose Pereira (Group 4)

Title: John Mental Health post-Holiday

The Reflective Cycle by Gibbs offers a systematic method of reflecting on the experience of helping my friend John once he comes back to the country after a European vacation, and he is showing the symptoms of a mental health problem.

The cycle will be used to take a comprehensive look at the situation, culminating in a description of an action plan (Gibbs, 1988).

Introduction 

My friend John came back last Monday after a two-week holiday in a foreign country. He has been withdrawn, nervous since he has come back and has had trouble sleeping. He has postponed appointments and hardly answered text messages. In your conversation with him, he said he felt an extreme case of post-holiday crash, as well as being completely stressed by the prospect of all the time you have lost at the workplace, but the amount of distress is out of proportion.

This was supposed to be a relaxing holiday, but John also had to deal with a delayed flight and lost luggage, which made it a stressful stay.

 

Feelings 

My Emotions: 

·      I was worried and helpless.

·      I was so puzzled by the fact that he suddenly changed his mood because he is a strong person. 

·      I had a feeling of responsibility being his friend to help yet .

·      I also felt anxious about saying or doing something wrong.

Feelings of John: He seems to be very much overwhelmed, depressed, and aggravated. He claimed feeling dread of the future and having a sense of loss of control on his routine and emotions.

Good Aspects: 

·      I remained a nonjudgmental listener who eventually opened my ears.

·      When he finally opened up, I was a good listener and I did not judge him.

·      I concurred with his emotions (it is true that the crash is happening).

·      I provided viable assistance (e.g. offering to bring food).

Bad Aspects:

·      In the first place, I did not want to contact him, thinking that he simply needed some space.

·      I was not ready to handle the intensity of his depressed mood.

·      I was overly focused on correcting the issue rather than simply being there.

Analysis 

The experience must have been the culmination of a number of elements:

·      Post-Holiday Letdown/Adjustment: A normal psychological phenomenon in which the exaltation of a trip is followed by a drastic contrast of the normal world, which then causes the mood to fall.

·      Stressors in the foreign land: The lost luggage and delay at the airport did not allow him to totally relax during the vacation and this made him susceptible.

·      Mental Health Vulnerability: The fact that he overreacted is an indication that this is not a normal crash. The symptoms (withdrawal, sleep problems, anxiety) show the possibility of underlying or exacerbating mental health problems (depression or anxiety) aggravated by the routine shock.

·      Friendship Dynamics: I was probably hesitant in the beginning because I did not have the confidence that I could manage a mental health crisis, which shows that I have a weakness in the domain of support skills.

Conclusion 

In general, I was very careful with the situation, but I was reactive instead of proactive.

What I did well: Encouraging a safe environment and feasible assistance.

What I could improve

·      Be more proactive: Be more active in checking in, even when the response is minimal.

·      Concentrate on professional assistance: Subtly but sternly persuade him of the need to discuss it with a GP or a mental health professional, which needs to be a mandatory part of the recovery process, as opposed to attempting to solve the issue single-handedly.

·      Educate myself: Educate myself about the typical symptoms of mental distress and how to respond to them (e.g. active listening techniques, signposting resources).

Action Plan 

According to this reflection, I am going to take the following steps:

·      Short-term Intervention to John: I am going to send him a text today, only asking whether I can assist him with the search for local mental health services or make a GP appointment.

·      Future Support: In case a friend exhibits the same behaviour of distress, I will immediately preoccupy myself with listening and not providing solutions to the friend, but encouraging him/her to seek professional assistance.

·      Personal Development: I will seek online courses or resources (e.g., Mental Health First Aid) to develop my confidence and skills in helping my friends with mental health challenges.

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