By: Maya McRoberts
Mental health. Something that is so important, and so relevant in today's world. Over the last few years-especially in schools-we have had a few moments to look at mental health, and really focus our attention on it. As you may have seen, it is more frequently discussed in school settings, and is becoming a more comfortable topic to openly discuss in our everyday lives. Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act towards others. It also determines how we handle stress, anxiety, and social aspects of our life. Mental health isn't something that is just focused on teens; it can affect anyone from a young child to an elderly person. Looking after your own mental health is very important. Doing what you need to do in order to be happy and feel good is nobody's choice but yours. People can help you through your journey, but at the end of the day, it is yours, and you must do what you feel is best for your mental health. In your own life, you may live with bad mental health, or you may live with a mental health disorder; mental health can be a range of many different things. Mental health disorders can affect the way you perform at school, or the way you are in a social setting.
Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Ryan Reynolds have publicly spoken out about their battles with mental health, and how they are still struggling day-to-day. They also discuss how they have found ways to cope, and how they are much happier now because of their ability to manage their feelings. Not only is it important to recognize the impacts of mental health in others, but it is also important to take action towards these things. In order to do so, you must be able to understand the sensitivity of the subject, and understand how impactful mental health really is. You can help the community of mental health awareness by learning more about it, sharing a personal story so others will feel safe to do the same, or simply even getting people together to talk openly in a comfortable
setting.
There is one day every year dedicated to mental health. World Mental Health Day takes place on October 10th. This is a day when everyone who suffers from mental health speaks out about it to raise awareness for themselves and for others to feel safe and as though they belong in a community. It is a day where people with mental health issues are being raised up, and not teared down for what they have to go through, although this is something we should do every day of the year. So many people are working to get mental health recognized just as much as physical health, and other well-known aspects of life. People who are advocates of mental health are trying to make it become a global priority, because it is still not talked about enough today. World Mental Health Day is a day for people to talk about mental health in general and all aspects, and how we should look after it, and after one another. No one should be in it alone. Overall, mental health is a very important aspect of our lives today. It was not talked about enough many years ago, but we as a nation, as well as the world, are getting more and more comfortable to be able to do so. By talking openly about it, we are spreading so much awareness to others who may be afraid or scared to speak up. Awareness is so important with aspects of life such as this, because with something so sensitive and important as mental health, no one should have to suffer or go through it alone. Doing what you need to do to be happy is so important. And raising people up, and letting them know we support them and that they are not alone, is just as important, too.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/world-mental-health-day
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