In a world that never stops moving, mental health is the one thing we can’t afford to leave behind. It’s 2025, and many are still treating mental health as a taboo. Mental Health Awareness Month is the time to raise awareness on the struggles people face silently and remind everyone that it’s okay to not be okay.
“Mental health is the act of being psychologically well,” school counselor Michael Johnson said. “It can affect people positively and negatively”.
If one’s mental health is in good shape, it can help them achieve a lot of things. If their mental health is in bad shape, it can stop them from doing their best in academics, goals, and hobbies.
“You can stay mentally healthy by taking care of yourself physically, getting the correct amount of sleep, eating, being mindful of time spent on screens, and the people you hang out with,” Johnson said.
Many people who struggle with mental health often don’t know what to do, they tend to keep it to themselves, or sometimes don’t even recognize the issues they may be having. The first step to better mental health is recognizing it, and knowing that you’re not doing well, then taking a step towards improving your mental health.
“If someone struggles with mental health, they usually become more withdrawn, and others might notice it so they should start by recognizing it,” Johnson said. “Reach out for help with resources in your school or community.”
Mental health is something a lot of people struggle with, sometimes even friends, or people we are close with, we have to be prepared on how to help others also struggling with mental health problems.
“What we, as friends, can change are things like your friend’s mindset, influencing them to think more positively,” junior and captain of psychology olympiad Meredith Yu said. “Exercising can also really help because it releases hormones in the brain, promotes growth [and] good heart health, and makes you feel good.”
Mental health is very important. It affects many things throughout your life and is important for your well being, and influences our feelings and actions. Mental health is also connected to physical health.Poor mental wellbeing can lead to physical health issues, which is why we should try hard to maintain good mental health.
“Being in a good mental state is important for our health. Being in a bad mental state makes us less motivated to make good decisions and instead, impulsive ones like resorting to drug use,” Yu said. “It also affects the people around you. It’s good to know that your friends will always be there for you unconditionally.”
Many people struggle with mental health and show some signs like being more reserved, forgetful, or not wanting to do anything, but symptoms vary from person to person due to differences in personality.
“Signs of mental health issues actually depends, people can hide it well with laughter and jokes, and sometimes the person themself don’t realize they are struggling,” Yu said.
There are many types of mental health problems, but they differ depending on the environment. The most common mental health problems especially in schools or workplaces include depression and anxiety.
“This school itself is a very competitive environment, the academic pressure and expectations causes people to be stressed and anxious and might lead to depression,” Yu said.