Please find below contact information if you are in need of help, physical or emotional. This Pandemic is rippling out into people’s lives in too many ways and that can lead to overwhelming feelings, but also general physical needs too, like food and shelter. Please stay safe and reach out if you need help. It is US based but if you are in another country please google for help in your local area.
General COVID-19 helpline is 211
- 211 provides a 24/7 hotline which is connected to a trained team that is able to provide up to date information. If you need assistance finding food, or basic essential needs, call 211 to speak to someone who can help. For more information please click: https://www.helplinecenter.org/when-disaster-strikes/
Mental Health Helplines
- Suicide helpline – 1-800-273-8255
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration distress helpline — 800-985-5990 or text “talk with us” to 66746
- Crisis Textline — Text Connect to 741741
- National Alliance of Mental Illness — 1-800-950-6264 (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET)
Violence and Abuse Helplines
- Domestic violence helpline – 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Their advocates are available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in more than 200 languages. All calls are free and confidential. But you can also chat at this link: https://www.thehotline.org/help/
- Child help National Child Abuse Hotline – 1800-4ACHILD
If you are a child or an adult who feels on the edge, please, please reach out for help. Please see further in formation at this link: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/why-child-welfare-experts-fear-a-spike-of-abuse-during-covid-19
An excerpt from the above link:
“To those who feel at risk of causing harm to their children, Sege suggests: -> Call a friend.
-> Call a pediatrician.
-> Send your child to a quiet corner.
-> Take a walk outside (while maintaining a safe social distance of at least six feet from anyone who doesn’t live in your household).
-> For infants, place them in a crib, step away and draw deep breaths to cool off.
-> Call or text a helpline.
There is no shame in asking for help during times of unprecedented stress, Coffman said, adding that community members need to watch out for their friends and step in if they think someone needs help.”
From my heart to yours, please stay safe, please stay inside if you’re able so that the essential workers are as safe as possible, and we can get through this as quickly as possible. If you’re new here, as a person with a chronic illness I had to find a way to pass the time with a daily challenge, so I doodle every day. Those doodles are below. Big hugs to you 💙
You are such an amazing soul! With all you deal with you are worried about others…….thank you so very much for posting all of these numbers, may the right people see these. Hope you and yours are safe.
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Unprecedented and extremely trying times right now. Especially for people that were having challenges before the pandemic. When I think of all the children who are living in fear at home, and all who are going hungry with no school breakfasts and lunches, it breaks my heart. Wishing I could gather them all up and help them feel safe and fed. So far we are doing alright, hoping just the same for you and yours 💙
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You are so right……..there is so much need it is overwhelming when you think about it.
so far, so good, thank you!
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This is such important information Mishka. Thanks for sharing it. As always, I love your artwork. I especially love that little Hershey’s Kiss. It’s just adorable! Stay safe and as well as possible sweet friend. Sending hugs your way!
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Hopefully just knowing help is out there might help someone in need. With the amount of suffering in the world right now it feels immoral to do nothing.
Thank you for the compliment, Terri 🌸 Doodles are my happy place these days. 😊 Hoping you and yours are staying safe and well too! 💙
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Such a great public service you have provided, Mishka! I am eternally grateful for my isolation details but realize not everyone is so lucky or blessed. Please, stay well, Mishka! 🥰
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You too, Carol 🌸 The news is understandably covering the crisis at hand but the underlying ripples of the toll this is taking needs to be addressed as well, in my opinion. Good to see you’re safe and well! 💙
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An important post Mishka. For those with anxiety it might not even be the disease itself, but the resulting economic and social fallout that is scary.
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Indeed. There’ve been 17 million unemployment claims in the US in the past three weeks (government payments for people who get let go, or hours cut do to no fault of their own). The economic pressure, also one of the leading causes of divorce, is overwhelming. My fear is that in a country where one in five were reportedly already on antidepressants this type of scenario will bring it to its knees. Hopefully I’m catastrophacizing. Considering most who lost their job also lost their health insurance, I don’t feel like I’m far off. …I’m going back to my happy doodles now. 😳😁 Hoping you and yours stay safe and well 🌸
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Yes, this is of great concern Mishka, there are messages going out here too…to be locked in with an abuser is not okay! Reach out!
Cafés are delivering free meals to those in greatest need here in Australia, it only takes a phone call for them to be notified whose in need & how many ready cooked meals to deliver… Such kindness in such crisis!
Blessings to you this Easter,
Jennifer
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Communities coming together – thank you for sharing that, it’s heart warming. 💖 Hoping people will carry their kindness after things settle. Blessings to you too 🌸
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We all need help at some point. Thanks for sharing
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We do indeed 💙
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