Today, despite the rise in suicide, PTSD, anxiety, and depression, many do not believe in the importance of mental health. There can be many different reasons for not acknowledging mental health that stop individuals from taking it as seriously as it should be considered.
Many individuals are scared to ask for help because anyone that seems to be going through a mental condition such as depression or anxiety is considered weak, which makes them helpless.
In this helplessness, people look at temporary solutions such as alcohol, weed, or shrooms, which seem to be a more natural way out than facing whatever is happening to them. Listed below are 7 ways to help spread mental health awareness so that more and more people get to know about it and can make a noticeable difference in their or someone else’s life,
Table of Contents
Talk about mental health on different forums:
Over the past few years, mental health has gained a lot of attention, especially after many different cases of depression, anxiety, and how they affect a human being. Over the years, many cases of suicide have also been observed. After that, mental health is talked about almost everywhere but not to forget there are different forums on which the discussion of mental health is necessary.
Social media, your group of friends, online forums, discussion groups, and all public forums are some of the mediums that should be used to spread awareness regarding mental health. There are different kinds of people out there. Hence, experts need to be extremely clever with the language they use and the words they acknowledge as it is a sensitive topic but not to forget that the more it is talked about, the more people will know about it.
Learn everything you can on mental health:
Before talking about mental health, make sure you know everything about it. Mental health is not an easy topic as there are many different aspects that one must have full knowledge of. The internet is full of history and how it gained importance; you can read from there or consult books that will help you.
Make sure to talk to people about their conditions as that will provide you with direct information. When people share their experiences, that means they will tell you about what bothered them, how they felt, and how they got over it, which will make you look into the practical side of mental health too and not be confined to books and the internet.
Include children in the conversation when you are talking about it:
Children are inquisitive and ask many different questions that may irritate you but try to keep calm and listen to everything they say. The questions they may be asking may not seem important but try to answer all the queries most knowledgeably.
Whenever you are talking about mental health, make sure to look at children, and acknowledge their presence. They are the future generations and need to be well educated on the matter, especially nowadays when people are surrounded by stereotypes such as boys can’t cry, girls are weak, you can’t show emotions and so much more. A healthy kid with all the information on mental health will do better than the kid who does not have any information on the matter.
Talk about it personally:
Sharing things from the books you have read or the research you have conducted on mental health is a wonderful gesture, but it seems closer to reality when you include personal experiences. As a presenter on mental health, many individuals must come to you and tell you what has happened to them in their life.
You can quote their experiences or share some of your own with the people listening to you. Citing real-life examples will spark an interest and provide people with the hope of a better tomorrow. You can make a list of the incidents with people’s permission that the events have happened so that it is easier to remember the next time you are talking about mental health.
Share all about mental health screening sites:
Many people don’t know about this, but there are many different screening sites present on the internet that, upon looking at your symptoms, can tell you if you are suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, or any other mental illness.
Try to sit down in front of your laptop and gather all the screening sites that you can find and then share them with the people. You can share them through your social media handle, share them with a celebrity asking them to share it on their profile, too, share them in a seminar, and mention them whenever you are talking to anyone regarding mental health.
This is a great way to spread awareness regarding mental health as more and more people will undergo screening and eventually be on the path to change their or someone else’s life.
Talk to parents and the elderly:
The brought up of our parents is different from your generation due to which many senior citizens don’t believe in the concept of mental health. The argument they give is that they lived without it, and so can you. I’m afraid that’s not right and needs to be taken seriously, it is essential to sit with the elders and tell them the consequences of ignoring mental health.
Showing them that mental health is no less than your physical health can be a challenge, but it is not impossible, they need to be displayed to care for themselves and their children. You can show them the statistics of suicide; you can show them how life is affected and how a small amount of love can make the most significant change in the lives of the people they love, especially when dealing with a mental condition.
Involve more and more people to spread the message:
One thing you need to understand is that the more people you are involved in delivering your message, the more impact. Talk to more people, post about matters regarding mental health on your social media, and whoever you talk to make them join your cause so that they speak to more people.
The journey will never be comfortable, as many will be required to convince, but it is not an impossibility. Talk about all the different mental health conditions that today’s people face and how it is negatively affecting society. Make sure to convince talented people, such as the pope of the nearest church, school teachers, parents, and so many more.
To sum it all up, talking about mental health needs to be normalized so that more people can be aware of how it is as important as physical health. Make sure to shower anyone suffering from love, care, and support to become better and join hands with you in this mission.
For more information about how to better your mental health, read more from BetterHelp.
Author’s bio:
This article is written by Thomas Shelby, a young individual striving to spend awareness on mental health issues and how they can be dealt with. Thomas loves to read books based on psychology and wants to make the world a better place through his writing. You can check out more about Thomas.
