Mental health matters
This article includes information about mental health, and some guidance for who ever needs it.
Sometimes school can be overwhelming for students that’s why its best to try and take a step back, take time for yourself and breathe.
April 11, 2022
You’re in your room alone all the time, drowning in thoughts and tears running down your face. The voices in your head are getting louder every minute, never seeming to stop. You wonder to yourself, “Why am I like this, why am I so easily taken avenge of.” You want to get better, but have little to no motivation and no idea where to start. You want to stop unhealthy habits and negativity but most importantly you want to find yourself.
Some people find a good night sleep or a nap helpful to relax the mind.
“I go to sleep,” freshman Annie Warsame said.
Many people struggle with mental health every day and don’t know how to cope. They either get addicted to something or just don’t have any healthy coping methods. They also just might be stuck in a dark place and have no idea how to get out or have no – where to start. Coping methods can be anything that calms you and makes you happy but also things that are considered healthy. Good coping methods can be things like talking about it, fidgets, taking things slow, walking, breathing, or meditation. Then bad coping methods would be considered self-mutilation, ignoring, or bottling up strong feelings, excessive working, avoiding problems or running away from problems. Having good coping methods is always a good way to go.
“I try to stay more positive,” freshman Salu Lee said.
Panic attacks can take many different forms and look different for many people. But it’s always good to know the main signs to look for. Before or during panic attacks can include shaking, breathlessness, sweating, dizziness feeling, chills, headache, or numbness. Again, it’s different for everyone but if you see someone who looks like they need help, help them. It could make their day and make them feel so much better. A lot of people try and help but end up making the person feel more panicky or feel violated in their space. The first thing you should never do when trying to help someone though a panic attack is say “just calm down” or “just breathe.” It’s hard to do that when emotions come out of nowhere or when they are switching rapidly. Instead try to talk to them at their own pace or try to talk about something they enjoy. Fidgets are also a great tool to distract someone from negative things or thoughts. Eventually they will be calm enough to talk about it. But in the meantime, the best thing to do is be there for them and try not to smother them.
“My favorite strategy is leave them alone and not keep pushing them to do work,” teacher Juliana Huegerich said.
Some teachers are hard on students and want them to do work but don’t understand that mental health matters, too. With seven classes and the work can be overwhelming sometimes. To make it less overwhelming try getting work done in class. Working in class will make you feel accomplished and not to mention the free time after school for self-care or just relaxing your mind. You also shouldn’t let work pile up because that will be the hardest thing to get done. The best thing to do is get work done in sections. You may think you can get it done all at once but that’s hard on yourself and mind. Another thing to do in school is just take things slow but also get it done on time. If your teacher is being hard on you, try explaining how you’re feeling. If they don’t listen, then maybe go to a trusted adult to help the situation. Someone will eventually understand but just try to stay calm and explain how you’re feeling in the best way you can. Things will get better once you talk to someone.
“Good mental health is the best thing you can do for yourself,” Huegerich said.
What you don’t want to do is keep the emotions and feelings to yourself. When keeping in feelings it can cause out bust and taking it out on people you love. Which I don’t think is what you want, so even if you don’t like talking about your feelings at least try and talk to someone about it.
“I meditate to calm my mind,” freshman Jceon Miller said.
When it comes to mental health, people tend to over think. Over thinking is when someone thinks about negative possibility’s for too long. To help someone with over thinking try and not get mad at them and reassure them constantly. Over thinking can be triggered by any small thing like talking to someone and you think they are mad or hate you just because of the tone in their voice, even being around people and you think everyone is judging you in secret. Things that over thinking leads to are panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. But the most common thing that over thinking leads to is self-destruction. When people over think, they only think the worst. They take the smallest thing and think of the most negative outcome for it.
“I talk to the person and if nothing works then I walk away like nothing happened,” Miller said.
Over thinking is like going into a hall and the further you go the darker it gets. People who over think are just stuck in a dark hole with their mind and body overtook by negativity, wanting the dark hall to have some sort of light. But to find the light you must redo your thinking. Instead of thinking that you’re nothing, that you’re worthless, that you don’t deserve happiness think about why you’re thinking that. People screwed you over that’s why you are thinking these things. You blame yourself for people hurting you but guess what it’s their loss. You just wanted to be happy with them, but they took advantage of that. So instead, be your own source of happiness. Instead, be the person that they can never have and be the person who you always needed. Make them regret hurting you because at the end you were always meant to find the light.