Opinion Piece: Frankly, Talking About Problems is Not Enough

Opinion by Sabriya Dobbins, Founder of Project Passport

How many times are we told to simply talk about our problems just to get them out? We do that but then what? The problems are on the table. What do we do with them? There has to be a destination. 

It is interesting because we are creating a higher awareness of mental health and wellness in our nation, yet we are missing a key piece of the puzzle. Where do people go from there to move forward from their pain? Now, there are no perfect solutions. There are no perfect answers. 

But I ask the serious question: Are group sessions, talk therapy, lectures, and panels enough?

Are these items alone or in combination enough to help people overcome the strongholds that keep them from living a life they love and cherish? While the value of talking it out and taking advice from people is helpful, people need to be a part of an interactive journey of change. They need to channel the pain of their problems into solutions and into a contented joy of life.

What I mean by this, is that people need to participate in interactive engagement on areas that they want to improve. Whether in a clinical setting or not, people should never be confined to a chair or round table of talking problems. They need to physically pick up notecards that have their values written on them. They need to place these notecards in relation to areas of their lives. They need to physically be able to scale their anxiety on a big dry erase board and come up with self care and recognition tips for each stressor. 

People need to participate in activities where they write their own obituaries on the life they could end up with if they don’t make change. They need to see what it is like to carry the weight of their fears with the use of physical rocks. People need to be a part of their our journey of change and self discovery. They should not be left on the table to sit with their problems. There needs to be a sorting process.

Talking isn’t enough. Experimentation and experience is memory. It is impact. People need environments to create and test out solutions to their problems. What are your thoughts?

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Project Passport is a proactive mental wellness company that aims to bring mental wellness retreats, workshops and other services to company teams. We also help women create joy in their lives every step of the way. To learn more about our company retreats and services, click here. To learn more about our tribe community for women, click here. Our travel retreats will resume in the future as the world reopens.