On Friday, May 17, Corry Area Middle-High School students will be attending Union City’s Mental Health Day along with other schools in the area for an event called Coming Together to End the Stigma, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.
Mental Health Awareness Month’s purpose is to not only educate people on mental health, but it is also a time of reflection in your own journey as well as giving others a sense of hope that they can recover too. Prioritizing your mental health is not just for those who grapple with disorders but should be practiced by everyone.
Individuals who struggle with mental health are not always visibly struggling. One in four people experience a type of mental health disorder. Some tend to believe that visibility of a disorder is an important part of getting diagnosed, but that is not the case. Just because someone may present themselves as “put together,” always smiling, and outgoing does not mean that what happens in their private life is similar. We must remove those stigmas so people are more comfortable talking about how they are feeling and getting the help they need. Stigmas can be very harmful; blocking people into the bubble that we deem as “mentally ill” and if they don’t fit that, they obviously have no problems, right? Wrong. It is about the battle of the mind, not the presentation of it.
Never think that you are in this alone. There are many resources that not only the school provides, but online support and crisis lines too. You can always reach out to the school counselors, friends, parents, anything you feel comfortable with, just don’t go through by yourself.
Keep people around you in mind too. What could they be struggling with? How can I help the people I love? Reaching out to check in on someone could be the first step. Watch for signs of stress or anxiety. Remember that it is not about visibility; be kind because you never know what someone is going through.
On Friday, separate groups of students from Corry will be going to Union City throughout the school day, and from 5-10:00 pm there are other activities Union City will host.
