Mental Health Needs Attention!

written by: Kaya Smith-Haines

Mental health is a state of well-being in which individuals realize their abilities. Now, I’m sure growing up, we’ve all learned about the meaning of mental health, but does the importance of it get talked about enough?

Mental health is a topic that seems to get ignored, depending on the magnitude of the problem. One’s mental health plays a big part in their life, so that should not happen. Deeper speaking, if you’re not mentally okay, if your thoughts are negative or anything of that nature, you will have a tough time. I personally have had struggles in the past with mental health. I’ve lost some very important people in my life and experienced all the stages of grief. It took a very long time for me to put my head on straight, realize how important it was for me to change my ways, and know that things would end up being okay no matter what. I had to take pills to start getting my life back on track. Those pills were the only thing that made me feel better. They were the only thing that allowed me to put a smile on my face. They were the only thing that helped me to be in social settings.

No one should ever have to get to that point, to the point of needing a supplement to make you feel normal. When you feel down or want to end your life, you have to speak up and talk to someone. Whether it’s your parents, siblings, teacher, or school counselor, it does not matter who, but please do not shut down and allow yourself to keep going deeper into that hole.

We have to normalize opening up and share how we feel and normalize when someone comes to us to do so. Do not shut people down when they choose to come to you. Do not make them feel like they’re not important. Today, people have decided that mental health is not important and that we should ignore what people go through or that we shouldn’t help people when they are struggling. This is why many people suffer, and we do not know about it.

There should be more help to ensure individuals’ well-being and help them understand that it is okay not to be okay. Mental health is a very touchy subject for people like me, so I am glad to speak and try to help as many people as possible by letting them know it’s okay, letting them know that they are not alone, and letting them know they have this.

Always remember to check on your loved ones and be kind to those you do not know. Many people are going through tough times and don’t have anyone to talk to, or some may be used to putting their feelings aside. Mental health is important. Why? Because good mental health is essential to flourish in life.