Are You Okay?
As students and teens, we should be checking in on our friends and family regularly. Meaningful connections and conversations make an enormous difference to someone’s mental health, but they are often overlooked.
It is incredibly sad when a teen in middle or high school is thinking of ending their lives or hurting themselves because of the enormous amount of pressure put on them by their parents, teachers, social media, and peers. Nowadays, especially with COVID-19, it is easy to become consumed in your thoughts. We want interactions with people and can often try to find that in the wrong areas and from the wrong people.
“Do not settle for just ‘I’m doing good’ or ‘I’m hanging in there’ because it is always much deeper. ”
Some of our friends are getting verbally abused by family and people who are supposed to support them, without ever saying a word. Although they may not mean it in a bad way, words do have a monumental impact on our thought process. My friends have confided in me that they have experienced hardships I would never have imagined. They have said things that have left me in awe and really opened my eyes.
Yes, we all have difficulties in our lives and do not have the time to have a two-hour talk with our friends every day. However, we must make it a priority to talk to someone we care about, even if it is about our day for five minutes. Ask each other how things are going and how each other is doing, and do not settle for just “I’m doing good” or “I’m hanging in there” because it is always much deeper.
Some of our friends cannot confide in their parents easily or try to ask for help without their parents putting them down or making it seem as if what they are going through is not a big deal. This is what comes with being a friend because no one wants to see their friend going through such a rough time, and no one wants to imagine or go through losing a friend because of their mental health. The truth is not always pretty, however, and if their family will not support them and listen, then be the ear that they need, be the support system to uplift them, and be the one that helps them keep going.
