The Balance Of The Mind
February 24, 2021
Mental health is often overlooked and not taken into consideration of our everyday lives. According to MentalHealth.gov (2021), “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social being.”
Mental health is often linked to more broad and major issues such as depression or anxiety. Most people don’t know that their mental health can affect things as little as the way you think, feel, and act.
The accumulation of unattended mental health could lead to even bigger issues such as, the way we handle stress, make life decisions, and the way we portray the world. These issues can later be the causes for depression and anxiety.
Aspects that also could play into the effect of your mental health are life experiences, family history of mental health, genes, and brain chemistry.
During this time of being in a pandemic and doing remote learning, maintaining your mental health is even more important. Some early signs of a mental health problem are irregular eating and sleeping habits such as too little or too much, avoiding people or usual habits, feeling numb or as if nothing matters, etc.
We asked several students how their mental health is during virtual school and if it was affected by virtual school.
“I feel like I’m a lot more isolated now since virtual school started. My mental health has never been the best, but virtual school has probably made it worse,” replied Lydia Spitzley, a junior of Thomas Dale.
Not all students are struggling with their mental health this year.
“I feel like my mental health has gotten better because I see myself not stressed out or overthinking anymore,” replied Janya Tate, a junior of Thomas Dale.
There are many ways to maintain and improve your mental health. According to MentalHealth.gov (2021), “Some ways to improve your mental health are to stay positive, talking to someone you have a close relationship with and trust, being productive, and developing coping skills.”
If you or someone you know are seeking mental health counseling, Better Help.com is a trusted counseling source that includes more than 16,000 licensed therapists.
You are matched with a therapist based on a questionnaire filled out by you including your issues and concerns. This site allows you to message your counselor anytime via website or the mobile app.
For local help, Chesterfield County Mental Health Department(804-748-1227), is located at Rogers Building 6801 Lucy Corr Blvd. Chesterfield 23832. This department takes walk-in patients Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m and on Friday from 8:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m. The 24 hour crisis line(804-748-6356) is also available to those seeking immediate help.