Mental Health in School

Mental health is still such a taboo topic. We have rehearsed the answer for when someone asks us, “How are you” in a way that doesn’t give anything away, social media is making us more lonely than ever, and we are still not talking about it. But where do we even start? How do we bring up those tough conversations, and reach out to the people around us?

This idea that we should be ashamed of talking about our feelings starts from a young age. Playground politics determined crying was “girly” and therefore an insult to boys who were naturally more sensitive. Young girls were taught to be silent but strong without showing anger, while young boys were told to toughen up and be a leader. As certain emotions were deemed unnatural or bad, we learned to hide every emotion in hopes of protecting ourselves from humiliation.

The pressure to hide only grows as you get older and enter middle school and high school. For me, these years were incredibly isolating. The feeling that I couldn’t open up to anyone, or that no one would understand was persistent and exhausting, and I know now that I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. And still, we were never taught that these emotions are normal, or that everyone feels this way at some point. The stigma around mental health created a culture of kids who believed their struggle was singular, and therefore should be kept to themselves. 

If we could introduce comprehensive mental health education in schools, we could raise the next generation of people as ones who speak openly about their struggles, and who are not shamed into hiding their emotions. They would know how to advocate for themselves and reach out to the people around them without inherent judgment. This is of course the big picture. 

If you are like me, you want to break the stigma around mental health but you aren’t able to establish a curriculum in schools just yet. But, it can start with you. You can be the reason why people feel comfortable with being vulnerable, and showing up exactly as themselves. When one person speaks their truth, it inspires others to do the same, and you alone have the power to create the change you want to see in this world. Take up space, love unconditionally, speak out loud. The world needs more people like you.

 

• high school