I believe that mental health awareness needs to be spread and that people need to be educated about it. I have faced challenges such as anxiety and depression in the past. Looking back, I wish I had someone to educate me about the symptoms of these conditions in detail and guide me on proper treatment methods when I was younger.
For as long as I can remember people have told me that there is a stigma around mentalhealth, which is why I think that we should spread awareness about it. This stigma alone can simply stop individuals from getting the help that they truly need, which is heartbreaking in itself. It also refers to negative attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes that our society holds towards people that experience mental health issues.
By stereotyping, I mean that people believe that mental problems such as anxiety and depression are signs of weakness, and that disorders such as being bipolar are dangerous. This is not true, just because you suffer with these things doesn’t make your feelings any less valid than someone that doesn’t suffer them.
By spreading awareness about these kinds of disorders, it can help to normalize the conversations around mental health, allowing people to talk about their feelings more easily and without feeling judged.
Also, it allows for people to learn how to identify the signs and symptoms of a certain disorder. This can help someone more than you think because they might be able to hear about the symptoms early on and get help before they worsen.
Along with this, I believe that we need to spread awareness about mental health because it promotes something called emotional well-being. This meaning that it is a state of positive emotions, a sense of purpose and the ability to manage emotions and adapt to change. Spreading awareness teaches people how to cope healthily and manage what they are feeling, improving their life. This is something that I wish I had known growing up, how to properly cope and manage these emotions.
All of these reasons are extremely important when it comes to spreading awareness about mental health. I believe that the most important thing is to spread that you are never alone. There is always someone who will be here to talk to you, to be here for you whenever you need something.
You can always reach out to anyone whether that is a teacher, family member, close friend, coach, there is always some. There are helplines and free counseling especially on Monmouth’s campus.
I believe that we need to start spreading more awareness about mentalhealth because it is something that is so important and you never know what someone is going through.
