World Mental Health Day
Today is an extremely important day… World Mental Health Day!! I wanted to use this post to share information on mental health and show how mental health affects us all. I have recently been very open about my mental health and I want to continue to share more of my own experiences. Collectively, we need to normalize talking about mental health and be there for one another without judgment. Mental health should not be taboo, we all have something going on in our lives, and for some of us our mental battles may be the toughest.
To begin, prioritizing your mental health is paramount to your success in life. If you do not take time for yourself you will burn out. You need to fill your time with things you enjoy and surround yourself with people you love. As I have said before, not every task or every person is going to bring us joy, but the majority of people in your life should make you smile.
Many times in my life thus far I have powered through, but we need to stop glorifying powering through. There are times when we need to push ourselves and not give up, but other times we are just asking for a disaster by not listening to what our minds and guts are saying. For example, I always used to push through my work in school. I would never give myself a break and I couldn’t rest until everything for the next month was completed. This, of course, did not work out. I would come home and cry every day. I was stressed, overwhelmed, and overworked. I soon realized this lifestyle would never work out.
I then found that health, fitness, and wellness could start to make me feel better. This was great, but I was still not putting my all into getting better. I would still overwork myself and I was still always stressed. What I needed to learn (and what I am still learning) is that it takes effort to get out of this state of mind especially when your mind is programmed the way it is. Besides fitness, I have used things like meditating, writing this blog, talking with my parents, and so much more to decompress. You have to find a system that will work for you!
I realized that I needed a complete reset in order to help my mental health. Before COVID, I was not in the best place. I did not have good friends, I was unhappy, I hated school (even though my whole life I have loved school), and I had so much work that I couldn’t make time for me. I made a promise to myself during lockdown that I would become my best self, I would get away from people that didn’t have my best interest, in mind and I would do me no matter what. This is exactly what I did. I switched schools and began loving school again, made the best new friends ever, worked out every single day, spent time doing the things I love, etc. I cannot explain how much my mental health improved. Once I started prioritizing me and staying true to myself, life became infinitely better.
Although this sounds like it all happened in a flash, let me tell you it did not. There were times when I felt stuck, like nothing could free me, but with time and hard work, everything worked out. One thing that I cannot recommend enough is to get on medicine if you feel it is right for you. I was hesitant at first, but getting on anxiety medication has changed my life.
I still struggle with my mental health every day. I have major anxiety that is spurred on by school, which I obviously cannot escape. Mental health and anxiety does not always make sense and you don’t always understand why you feel the way you do. For example, last week I was anxious the whole entire week and I have no idea why. I kept trying to get to the root of it, but I couldn’t. I tried to calm myself down using my breath, which helped but didn’t solve the problem. I honestly just needed the end of the week to happen. This weekend was the perfect way to restore my mental health. I was able to leave my house, road trip to Gainesville, hangout with my sister, and just let loose a bit. It was so nice to forget about school and stress.
I also want to remind you all that mental health comes in many forms. We do not wear our issues on the outside. and although you may not understand how someone’s mental health works, please be compassionate and patient. On this note I want to share a few facts about mental health.
“1 in 5 young people (age 13-18) has or will develop a mental illness in their lifetime.”
“30 million people in the U.S. have an eating disorder.”
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34.”
“Anxiety affects 284 million people in the world.”
So… You are not alone!