thebabyperks

Today is World Mental Health Day, and if I'm being honest I didn't know until I saw John Green tweeting about it. While I didn't know the exact date, World Mental Health Day is extremely important. 

In America we try to shy away from discussing mental health. Our society fails to properly address mental health and how it affects people, especially young adults. America's mantra seems to go something like this- "keep going and even if you want to stop, don't", while this thinking has gotten us far, it has taken its toll. People don't have time to breathe, they work for hours on end and then get home and still feel the pressure of work, family, friends, etc. For me personally, I recognize the fact that, yes, I probably should talk to someone but at the same time I feel like I don't have enough time to take out of my day and talk to a professional. This thinking is wrong, I shouldn't feel guilty about taking the necessary steps to improve my sense of living. 

Tweets from John Green

Mental Health can be scary, there are so many unknowns and we are constantly finding out new information about the brain. The first step is acknowledgement. Research how you're feeling, and talk to someone. Maybe you can't speak to a professional but just talk to someone who is open and willing to listen to your problems. This could be anyone: a friend, a teacher, a counselor, a family friend. Just make sure it is someone who you are comfortable with and can honestly share how you feel. 

If you have time, go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website and read about mental illness. I found this info graphic on mental illness and the here are some of the findings.
    - Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in youth ages 10-24
    - 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and 75% are by age 24
    - There is a delay period of 8-10 years between the onset of symptoms and actual intervention

We can change the stigma surrounding mental illness, and World Mental Health Day has generated more initiative to recognizing the steps we all should take.

Until next time,
Taylor xx



Sources: 
-http://www.nami.org/getattachment/Learn-More/Mental-Health-by-the-Numbers/childrenmhfacts.pdf