Mental health is a very important aspect of well-being that people typically forget about. With school and sports getting in the way of some students, it can be hard to focus on time for themselves when they need it. While it’s important to stay physically healthy, it’s also important to stay mentally healthy as well.
Here at Oakdale, the Mental Health Awareness Club helps amplify the importance of mental health. Kathleen Twigg, a third year English teacher that teaches grades ninth through eleventh, helps advise the club. On October 28, the club decided to lead a color run to help raise awareness for mental health. They have partnered with Aiden Matthew Ripple Effect, a local non-profit that helps advocate for mental health awareness.
Twigg mentioned how the club hosted a fundraiser and put posters around the school last year to help spread awareness.
“I think oftentimes mental health is something that flies under the radar because there’s not always physical symptoms,” she expressed, “and so a lot of times people think that if they can’t see that you’re sick, then you’re fine.”
While Twigg enjoys the activities her club does, she also enjoys how much of the club is led by the students: “A lot of our ideas, activities, and things that we push for come from the students. They benefit the students and are for the students.”
When asked what people can do to improve their mental health, she discussed that finding someone that you are comfortable with, and finding something that you are passionate about can have a positive effect on people’s mentality.
“We all have our strengths and weaknesses. We all have our areas where maybe we’re not as passionate about the content, or it’s just not our strong suit,” Twigg addressed, “[and] I think it’s incredibly important to give ourselves grace and time to recharge.”
Although strategies for taking care of your mental health are different for everybody, Marie Ireland gives out some advice that helped her take care of her mental health. These include things like talking to a therapist, journaling, staying active, and going outdoors. “Just finding something that you can do [where] you don’t have to think about it,” she said, is something that she believes is crucial for taking care of your mental health.
Ireland, a senior, is one of the student leaders of the club, co-leading with Rory Fritts, also a senior. The club was created a couple years ago, but was not carried on after the original leader graduated. It was revived in the middle of last year, right when the second semester was about to start.
Ireland mentioned why she wanted to restart the club: “I wanted to start a club at Oakdale like this because I struggled with my mental health and kind of wanted to create a club where people can maybe feel less alone and also find resources to raise awareness.”
The Mental Health Awareness Club has made a lot of people join, and Ireland appreciates the community that has been built around this club, which is what makes her enjoy it. She added, “I like the community we’ve created. Everyone is really nice, kind, and understanding.”
Ireland also talks about how mental health is something that everyone has dealt with at some point. Especially with school, where most people usually have work and sports they have to worry about, which can cause stress and anxiety. Ireland explained, “Having an environment where people can talk about their struggles with mental health and be supportive of others kind of makes everyone feel a little less alone.”
Good physical health is important, but good mental health is also something that we need to stay healthy. Without good mental health, it would be hard to find things to relieve your stress or anxiety, when it comes to things like school or sports. The Mental Health Awareness Club hopes to make people’s mental health the highest priority and to make sure people don’t forget about it when it comes to taking care of themselves.
