The entire month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
Mental Health is a serious subject that can often be overlooked, due to invisibility, misunderstanding, normalization of distress, lack of resources and funding, and plenty more. Meaning, it is important for everybody to be aware, and often check up on others, or even yourself. It is also just as important for people to take a mental health day (at the least) once every other month. Mental health days can help reduce stress, prevent burnout, and generally improve a person’s emotional and physical well being, by allowing a person to take a moment to rest and recuperate. The Hawthorne High School Clarion is aware that this topic is significant to some students, so we will be getting the perspective of our students.
To kick off this interview, sophomore Isabella Gomez was asked a series of questions, beginning with, “Why do you think mental health is an important subject?”
Isabella responded with, “I believe mental health is an important subject because mental health is a part of our daily lives even though we might not notice it. It affects the way we handle stress and how we choose to make our own decisions. Speaking about mental health allows people to feel more comfortable about finding help and more understanding of how they are feeling.”
Continuing, Isabella was asked, “Why do you think mental health days are important for people to have?”
Isabella informed us, stating, “I think mental health days are important because they prevent people from having burnouts due to not having proper rest…without rest it can cause exhaustion or people to be unmotivated. Taking a day to just rest is important because it can prevent people from getting burnt out easily.”
Isabella was next asked, “Are there any self-care strategies that you do to help maintain a positive mindset?”
Stating her strategies, Isabella explained, “The Self care strategies I do are focusing on the future and what I want to achieve for myself so I keep myself motivated. As well as doing things I enjoy that help me feel better when I am stressed or overwhelmed: for example, I journal, listen to music, or read because all of these things help me feel the emotions I am feeling so I don’t bottle them all up and then out of nowhere burst out because I kept preventing myself from feeling my emotions.”
To end off Isabella’s interview, we asked, “How can people support family and friends who are experiencing mental health challenges?”
Speaking clearly, Isabella said, “A way people can support their family and friends is by listening to them without judgement because sometimes people just want to be heard and don’t always want advice.”
To keep the conversation flowing, sophomore Lizmelly Munoz Alejo was asked the same series of questions, starting with, “Why do you think mental health is an important subject?”
Lizmelly responded with, “Mental health is an important subject because people struggle with it daily. Even if you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean that it’s not there, making it such an important conversation.”
The next question posed to Lizmelly was, “Why do you think mental health days are important for people to have?”
Lizmelly informed us, stating, “Mental health days are important for people to have because they give people a chance to breathe and rest their minds and body. Mental health days also improve the way people perform in school or work.”
When asked about her personal strategies, Lizmelly explained, “Self-care strategies that I use to maintain a positive mindset include journaling, writing, or reading a book I’m interested in.”
To conclude Lizmelly’s interview, we inquired, “How can people support family and friends who are experiencing mental health challenges?”
Speaking clearly, Lizmelly said, “People can support family and friends who are experiencing mental health changes by letting them know you are there for them and making sure you are always there to listen.”
Both sophomores, Isabella Gomez and Lizmelly Munoz Alejo, share insightful perspectives on mental health. Their experiences highlight the significance of self-care and support for those facing mental health challenges. As Mental Health Awareness Month continues, remember the importance of prioritizing well-being and fostering open conversations. We need to strive to create a supportive community where mental health is understood and valued. The Clarion thanks these wonderful sophomores for their insightful responses!