I had time this week to watch the movie entitled Starling on Netflix. The film was about the journey of how Lily Maynard and Jack Maynard coped with the grief of the loss of their daughter (Melfi, 2021). The insight I obtained from this movie was the importance of social connectedness when an individual is going through tough times like depression, grief, etc. Isolation can be an adverse coping strategy when an individual is experiencing depression, grief, ambiguous loss, etc. Routines are essential, but it's okay to change your routine because life is unpredictable, and life can be scary to navigate alone. That's why it's okay to ask for help from individuals within your support systems (i.e., family members and friends) and help from mental health professionals (i.e., psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, and social workers).
For instance, in the movie Her, Theodore appeared to exhibit a flat mood, loneliness, depression, and was withdrawn from the human connection (Jonze,2013). He seems to lack social interactions with his friends and has isolated himself from others (Jonze,2013). The isolation that Theodore experienced caused dysfunction within his home and work environment. Theodore wanted emotional intimacy with other humans, but instead, he found emotional intimacy with technology (Jonze,2013). There are unpredictable events that occur in life. Still, with the help of mental health professionals, family members, and friends, an individual can navigate through unanticipated events that occur in life. A quote from the Starling movie stated, "where is the light switch hole in the light cover? No hole in the light switch cover means you are forcing a choice of or choosing constant darkness and/or constant light, and that's nuts" (Melfi, 2021). When a person is going through an unpredictable event, they may feel like they are in a state of darkness and may not see a way out of their situation, but with the help of a positive support system, they can help the individual by providing positive solutions to navigate adverse situations.
Life can be scary and unknown, but we try to make the best of it. Even in the bible, the Lord believed that man should not be alone and created him a mate/ partner because he realized Adam was lonely (Genesis 2:21-22). Social connections have an influx of benefits which include: improving your quality of life, decreasing your risk of suicide, boosting your mental health by lowering anxiety and depression, helping with regulating your emotions, leads to higher self-esteem and empathy, and may improve a person's immune system (MindWise Innovations, 2019). Individuals that are active and engage in various social organizations and community groups whether in person or virtually, create a sense of belongingness with others. Individuals who attend support groups can obtain catharsis by verbally conveying repressed emotions regarding traumatic events that may have occurred in their lives. Everyone needs someone, especially if they are going through adversity or various transitions in their life that can affect their physiological and psychological health.
Check out the trailer of the movie entitled The Starling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYyImx_KXm4
References
Jonze, S. (Director). (2013). Her [Video file]. Warner Bros. Pictures. Retrieved 2020, from www.netflix.com
MindWise Innovations. (2019, February 19). The importance of Social Connection. MindWise. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.mindwise.org/blog/uncategorized/the-importance-of-social-connection/
The Starling . (2021). Youtube. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYyImx_KXm4.