Mental Health.
It's wild to think that there was a time that I didn't understand what the words "depression" or "anxiety" meant.
That's not to say that they didn't impact my life - mental health challenges are a part of my family tree. But there was a time when I didn't personally understand what a mental health challenge was.
And then as I got older I realized that some of the things I felt weren't really normal. I didn't know that I was the only kid who had cramped hands before a test, or burning ears during a presentation. I didn't know I was the only kid whose stomach did knots at the thought of speaking up in class. And I was never one to talk about things, so when I realized that other kids didn't feel the same, I kept my mouth shut. I gained a reputation for being a quiet kid, but really that wasn't quite it.
I guess the upside to not knowing what mental health challenges were, is that I learned to cope by powering through. That's also a downside. It's what got me this far in life, but it's also what got me this far in dealing with the challenges I face - nowhere.
I also didn't grow up really understanding what depression was. So when I started hearing about friends and family being depressed, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I tried to help, in my own little way, but that wasn't what they needed.
The thing is, I never really truly understood what mental health challenges were until I entered university, and as a social work student, I learned what depression and anxiety really were, and what could be done to cope, manage, thrive with those challenges. I began to understand my friends, family, and even myself in a way I had never done before.
It's sad that I had to wait until I was 17 to learn about mental health. It's sad that I was taught about anatomy and biology but not the basics of mental wellbeing. It's sad that I got an education that many of my peers will never get. And some will never receive that education because they will never go down the same career path that I chose. But others will never recieve that education because they needed it so badly long before they got to 17. And without that knowledge, they never had the chance to make it to 17.
What I'm saying is, mental health education is important. From childhood we need to learn about the challenges we are up against. And we need to learn to cope as soon as possible, because there is no telling when these challenges show up in our lives. We need a mentally healthy world. And it starts with mentally healthy education.
That's not to say that they didn't impact my life - mental health challenges are a part of my family tree. But there was a time when I didn't personally understand what a mental health challenge was.
And then as I got older I realized that some of the things I felt weren't really normal. I didn't know that I was the only kid who had cramped hands before a test, or burning ears during a presentation. I didn't know I was the only kid whose stomach did knots at the thought of speaking up in class. And I was never one to talk about things, so when I realized that other kids didn't feel the same, I kept my mouth shut. I gained a reputation for being a quiet kid, but really that wasn't quite it.
I guess the upside to not knowing what mental health challenges were, is that I learned to cope by powering through. That's also a downside. It's what got me this far in life, but it's also what got me this far in dealing with the challenges I face - nowhere.
I also didn't grow up really understanding what depression was. So when I started hearing about friends and family being depressed, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I tried to help, in my own little way, but that wasn't what they needed.
The thing is, I never really truly understood what mental health challenges were until I entered university, and as a social work student, I learned what depression and anxiety really were, and what could be done to cope, manage, thrive with those challenges. I began to understand my friends, family, and even myself in a way I had never done before.
It's sad that I had to wait until I was 17 to learn about mental health. It's sad that I was taught about anatomy and biology but not the basics of mental wellbeing. It's sad that I got an education that many of my peers will never get. And some will never receive that education because they will never go down the same career path that I chose. But others will never recieve that education because they needed it so badly long before they got to 17. And without that knowledge, they never had the chance to make it to 17.
What I'm saying is, mental health education is important. From childhood we need to learn about the challenges we are up against. And we need to learn to cope as soon as possible, because there is no telling when these challenges show up in our lives. We need a mentally healthy world. And it starts with mentally healthy education.
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