With May coming to an end, so does National Mental Health Awareness month… or so you think. Although May is dedicated to Mental Health Awareness, it is still a prominent subject that affects our everyday lives.
According to the United Nations World Health organization, depression is the fourth leading cause of illness and disability among adolescents aged 15–19 years and fifteenth for those aged 10–14 years globally. Along with that, studies show anxiety is the ninth leading cause for adolescents aged 15–19 years and sixth for those aged 10–14 years.
So after hitting you with all the statistics, you pause and think to yourself: do I fall into this category? And it may hit with surprise that most likely you do, but that is okay.
There is a common misconception that we cannot admit to being “not okay”. It is so easy to reply with “I’m fine” instead of confronting what it is you are facing.
Whether this may be because you don’t want to bother someone or you don’t even know how you feel, that is okay. The problem is that we don’t want to be considered “abnormal”. Uniqueness is ideal, until you’re left feeling alone. And the one thing the teenage population can agree on as a whole is we fear loneliness. We, especially in times like these, dread feeling alone. We yearn for our classmates and regret any moments in which we wished we could spend the whole weekend in bed isolated from the world around us.
But if you take a second to pause and breathe, and think about your fellow classmates, you’d realize there is a lot you don’t know about them.
Although mental health and illness is something you wouldn’t think as common, you truly do not know what another person is going through. People we know suffer every single day. We need to let go of our electronics and start focusing on the people around us. We need to realize that this isn’t abnormal; this is the harsh reality we face. Our pain may not always be visible, but it is there nonetheless.
Mental health isn’t something we should be afraid of. It isn’t something that we should be ashamed of running to our guidance counselors to. It’s something we should embrace. It’s something that makes us human, something that connects us. And although it’s not this shining star we hope it to be, it is a sign of unity. And together we can conquer it.
Now there isn’t a sure way to get rid of mental illness and anxiety, but over time you can learn to face it.
You can do this through meditation with apps such as Headspace and Breathe. Even self-guided meditation or watching videos on sites such as YouTube can help one relax and overcome their adversity. Working out and eating healthy have also been proven to help. When you exercise, it increases endorphins, dopamine, adrenaline and endocannabinoid — these are all brain chemicals associated with feeling happy, confident, capable, feeling less anxiety and stress and even less physical pain. You can even jam out in your room to your favorite album. It’s all about taking time for yourself.
A lot of teens put so much on themselves, whether that be from handling schoolwork, extracurriculars, friends, that they often forget about themselves and the very things that make them happy. Remember to breathe. The world can feel like it’s going 100mph sometimes, but we just have to remember that we set our own path with its own speed. You are in control, even when it doesn’t always feel like it.
Lastly, spreading awareness is an important key in remembering the value of Mental Awareness Month.
Amazing organizations such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) continue to do great things each and every day. Not only should you spread awareness, but you should also remember to speak up. Crisis lines are readily available; all it takes is one Google search. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential emotional support to people in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Crisis Text Lines is another organization for those who are afraid of talking to someone and would rather text.
But most importantly you have the people around you, the people who love you. Your friends and family who, although you may not think so sometimes, always have your back. Save lives by reaching out to your friends and family and letting them know they are loved, that their life is worth living.
Bring hope to those affected; stay safe and always remember that although we may be quarantined, we are never alone.
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