TEEN mental health is a hot topic in all circles. Many teens struggle with their mental health whether they realize it or not. One important step to becoming healthier and happier is becoming educated about mental health conditions and how to treat them. 

    ONE major contributor to mental health struggles is something everyone deals with: stress. 

   SCHOOL psychologist Taylor Jackson reports that, “many different age groups deal with stress differently, some people cry when they feel overwhelmed or even start having panic attacks and have trouble breathing and calming down. And some people tend to shut down to try and avoid the issue when it’s hard to deal with.”

    SOMETIMES the issue someone is dealing with isn’t something that started due to a mental or physical condition.  It could’ve started due to someone surrounding themselves with the wrong people. Students might be influenced by friends that have their own mental struggles, who cope in unhealthy ways. Students might turn to self harm, drugs, or other unhealthy things to cope with their pain.

  ANOTHER common mental issue includes depression. Signs of depression include not finding joy in things that used to be enjoyable, stopping friendships, and losing motivation. Mr Jackson says:

    “ONE of the examples of someone developing depression would be an athlete dropping a sport they loved or used to enjoy because they suddenly lost motivation. Another example would be to suddenly look at everything differently, it makes it feel like that gloomy feeling will never go away”

  IF a student finds themselves losing motivation, here are some helpful tips: consider when struggles with motivation began and what might have caused them.

   SOME people can’t think of reasons why they lost their motivation in the first place. They don’t have a reason or see a reason to do anything. They start having thoughts like “why do my parents/ family want me to have a good future? Why do I have to get up?”

   Anxiety is also a big thing that could be a bother. A lot of time anxiety makes it so people have many many thoughts racing and won’t slow down. Sometimes the stress makes it so they can’t sleep at night or think over and over again about the future.

    WHEN it comes to mental health, self care and proactivity are everything. Here are some tips for how to be proactive about maintaining positive mental health

    Self care rituals: Self-care includes things like  boosting mental health through exercise,, sleeping well, and therapy or medication, only if instructed to by a doctor. 

   Practice mindfulness: One thing to do while dealing with anxiety is to be mindful. Mindfulness or meditation could take from 5 to 10 minutes. Jackson says, “an app I usually recommend to my students is called Medito. This app helps  process thoughts and feelings and is free so students can use it anytime.”

   Use the Safe UT app: This app can also help. It has people to talk to or text if not feeling confident to do it in person. They are available anytime and any day of the week whenever it’s needed. Texting or calling will get anyone connected to an assistant immediately

   Music: Music can also be a really helpful tool when feeling upset. The key is to listen to music that’s calm or upbeat. Listening to sad music while upset could make one feel worse but at the same time it can calm anyone down since it isn’t the case with all people. Calm music is also very good when having trouble sleeping since unlike upbeat songs it’s not loud, fast and is very soothing at times.

   JOURNALING: Journalism and writing  are other things to do while feeling down. If one can’t talk to someone, write everything down and let emotions out. Thou can also write about thy day and future plans. Journalism can be very therapeutic to many people, especially those who love writing or telling stories.”

   NEGATIVE thoughts or feelings to be aware of can include: discouragement, losing confidence, hopelessness, no enthusiasm, a sense of sadness, having a feeling of loneliness even when surrounded by peers, and having a hard time to find a positive outlook.

   Many students struggle with their mental health, however there is always hope.