One student shares her mental health journey on World Mental Health Day
DELMARVA – In honor of World Mental Health Day, health officials are urging you to take the necessary steps to ensure you are doing well.
“World Mental Health Day is important because it really starts to break that stigma,” says Dr. Heather Brown, Ph.D. Registered Psychology Associate under the supervision of Dr. Samantha Scott.
A stigma that a Delaware State University Senior broke by taking the initiative to talk to a health professional. “I actually had a therapist, which worked out really well, I was in therapy before COVID happened, and then once it like settled in, it was really important for me to keep going with that, so I think that’s what helped me mentally throughout the whole pandemic,” says Senior Naomi Branch of DSU.
An experience that Naomi Branch describes was detrimental to her learning experience. “With the pandemic, in the beginning, it was completely nothing but a negative impact. No positive whatsoever, especially with parents that were super strict on quarantining, so I was just home, in my room 24 hours a day. It kind of made my life grey. It was super discouraging,” Branch says.
Feeling grey because the pandemic has created change that many students we’re unfamiliar with. “They really became isolated and what we’ve noticed is there was an increase in anxiety as they transitioned back into class. It was the worry about resocializing, about being in class and actually doing the work in class and just building up the confidence to be back in the classroom,” says Dr. Brown.
If you are experiencing mental illness, it’s best to stay active. “I would just say do things to take care of yourself. Find hobbies that you enjoy doing, exercise, enjoy when it’s nice outside, make sure that you socialize, and make sure you be around people that make you happy or have fun. , everybody needs somebody different in their life. Everybody needs somebody different in their life, we don’t just need one friend. We need somebody that’s going to make us laugh, we need somebody who’s going to be there, when we need them cause we’re upset, we need somebody who’s just happy to be with us. “Whatever that may be find that social connection, connect with somebody, but also find things that you enjoy.” Dr. Brown says.
That’s advice that Naomi says worked for her and her friends. “Luckily I had time to make friends for that and so during that time we could come together because we knew what each other was going through, it was kind of like a little family that was suffering together,” Naomi says.
Naomi is set to graduate this December and reminds other students it’s not over, you can do it. “I just tell myself to keep fighting the good fight. You’re almost there no matter if you’re going through a really bad episode, at the end of it you’re even closer than where you thought you were going to be. Stay as connected as you can even though you’re like, “Oh I’m a homebody,” just try to make as many friends, network, and just stay open with people because opportunities can go somewhere at all times, way more than you think it will,” she adds.
Dr. Heather Brown says mental and physical health work hand and hand, so be sure to take care of your entire body. If you or anyone you know is in a crisis, call the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
