Personal Perspective: Mental Health

Mental health is very important, but does pain strengthen or weaken the owner of the mind? In the case of erosion, time and damage can either strengthen or erase things. Does trauma strengthen your mental strength? Surprisingly enough, it does.

According to the Journal of Psychology,  “It could constitute a natural and strongly motivated case of cognitive training, facilitating the development of effective habits of control.”

According to Psychology Today,  “students’ anxiety is as bad as a person in the 40s in an insane  asylum.”  There are many factors that contribute to how we feel each day.  Some of it is because the news shows off more of what is happening or that we now always are hooked on phones and feel the need to please others with postings or selfies. Sometimes, it is because of extremely personal reasons, such as horrible situations at home or school.

I also have had my struggles with trauma, and I firmly believe that damage is only a prerequisite of strength.  Sometimes it takes months or years to overcome bad experiences, but with the right support, people need to grasp that there is hope for everyone.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said it best:   “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the presence of fear, yet the will to move on.”

As an advocate of mental health and self care, along with being a survivor myself, I am here for anyone who needs a shoulder to lean on.  I understand that times have gotten tough during this pandemic and school can be stressful, but everything gets better with time.

Readers, I’d like to tell you I’m proud of you and that you’ve got this. Just keep pushing. No matter the storm that comes or how rough the waves…keep pushing.