Mental Health Awareness Week only a steppingstone to the difference we can make
Mental Health Awareness Week began Nov. 18; a week filled with free T-shirt give-aways, mental health workshops, and even a “Stretch Your Mind” yoga class at the University of Guelph. The week was dedicated to providing students with information and resources to maintain a positive mental health, but it is also important to remember that we can look beyond the seven-day marker.
Students quickly underestimate the power that we hold as we get stuck telling ourselves that making a difference just isn’t in our cards. Yet, the youth of today are the most significant driving force behind eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health. Why shouldn’t we hold the most power and influence? We are should be taking control of our own mental health. With statistics such as suicide being the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 to 24, and 1 in 5 of Canadian youth suffering from mental illness, the responsibility of making a difference is there for us to take advantage of.
We are a generation with the world at our fingertips, a power that is said to be the cause of youth isolation and other significant problems. However, with all the negative connotations surrounding our addictive smartphones and social media outlets, very few stop to recognize the incredible opportunity that these instruments provide us. For starters, it gives us efficient ways of getting the message out about mental health and away from it’s stigmatized hiding place. It is a tool in allowing us to recognize that mental health does not define a person; instead, it is an obstacle that anyone can overcome with the right amount of support, hard work, and education regarding the issue.
Our generation is responsible for strong-youth movements such as “Do It For Daron.” A movement sparked by the suicide of 14-year-old Daron Richardson. Led by her parents, Luke and Stephanie Richardson, the organization of DIFD uses the immense support and energy of youth to create awareness, inspire conversations, and transform the stigma surrounding mental health. This movement, which began in Ottawa, has spread its wings all the way to our very own University of Guelph. As I have worn the purple DIFD bracelet since the very beginning of this tragedy, I realize that this doesn’t have to be the result for everyone out there who suffers. The purple bracelet never removed from my right wrist stands as motivation for me to make a difference.
In February, there will be a “Do It For Daron” Night, featuring the Guelph Gryphons men’s hockey team versus the Laurier Golden Hawks. After filming videos and creating other promotional material, I realized just how many people want to make a difference and have been affected by mental health issues. The truth is, we’re all affected by it, whether we experience it first-hand or watch a friend experience it. The problem is that we allow ourselves to experience it in isolation, instead of bonding together in recognition and similarity.
Mental Health Awareness Week is a stepping-stone to coming together to have a conversation that has been avoided for far too long. It is up to us, those so often being educated by our elders, to teach the world. Mental health is one of the most neglected aspects of overall health, but we have the power to change this. Find something that is your “purple bracelet,” and begin there. Have a conversation that you wouldn’t normally have, extend a helping hand to a friend in need, rid the words ‘fear’ and ‘shame’ from mental health as a whole. It is up to us to come out of the shadows and stand together, only then will the stigma cease to exist.