The Power of Safe Spaces
In our modern society, where the pace of life is ever-increasing and pressure comes from all sides, I've come to recognize chronic stress as a silent but pervasive epidemic.
My own journey with understanding and coping with an hyper demanding life and chronic stress is not just a personal story; it reflects the broader realities of our societal and healthcare systems. I hope to shed light on the impact of this condition, and the crucial role of healthy support systems, especially the importance of safe spaces, a concept integral to services like KOKOXKALI.Co.
Chronic Stress
I grew up in a developing country where resilience and working hard are the normal, the realization that chronic stress was a serious and a debilitating condition that can turn into burnout came as a shock. Burnout is a state of complete physical, emotional, and mental depletion, a consequence of prolonged stress.
The chronic stress impact in human lives is now being acknowledged globally not just as an employee temporal issue, but as a multi-trillion-dollar crisis impacting business and health long term. Scientists and international health organizations are increasingly advocating for burnout to be classified as a genuine illness due to its severe health consequences, including fatalities.
The cost of chronic stress extends far beyond monetary losses. It's paid for with individuals' health, family bonds, relationships, and broken dreams. The current system doesn’t make it better, it proves to be fragmented and uncoordinated, not optimal at all, neither for diagnosis nor for recovery.
Navigating the healthcare system in search of treatment for chronic stress and its derivatives, present its own set of challenges. People are shuffled from one health professional to another, each step marred by inefficiency. From general practitioners to specialists, I encountered a disconnected approach, corrupted with misdiagnoses and delayed treatments, some due to personnel shortages, cancelled appointments because the condition is not seen as a priority, but also the lack of understanding that chronic stress is not cured with just yoga or sleeping pills. I found a general sense of apathy, from health care providers to employers, mainly due to their limited resources, lack of spaces for recovery, and a deficit of knowledge about integral human well-being. This dysfunctional system might deteriorate people’s healths even more over time.
This triggered in me a new mission: how can we find or create the safe spaces and optimal systems needed for chronic stress recovery.
Safe Spaces
Safe spaces are environments where one feels secure, valued, and understood. They provide a haven where vulnerability is not only accepted but embraced. Group therapies, creative outlets like drama and art, and the healing power of nature provided me with the support I needed. Also when I go back to my home in Mexico, I always find my true safe space. The organised chaos, the warmth of my family, and the embrace of nature play a pivotal role in my recovery. It was a poignant reminder that sometimes, the best medicine is a return to our origins, to spaces that inherently understand and accept us.
These experiences taught me the importance of a supportive community, personalized care, connection with nature and protective boundaries. This concept, central to KOKOXKALI.Co's mission, underscores the need for such nurturing environments for individuals dealing with health challenges like chronic stress, burnout, life crisis or mental health issues.
Why our society invests in technological advancements and infrastructural developments but hesitates to invest in comprehensive recovery of our nervous system and mental health care? The need for safe, holistic spaces and innovative therapeutic approaches is more than evident.
This is a plea for change - a call to prioritize mental health care and proper recovery from stress, to foster environments that truly heal, and to recognize the value of human connection in the healing process.