There are several obstacles that we face that drain us. Our homework load, jobs, sports, and activities name a few. We charge ourselves through sleep where we obtain the energy to surge through the upcoming days. Sometimes, sleeping isn’t enough. Our mental batteries have to be charged too. But instead of getting the help we need, we push ourselves as far as we can go. We run on one percent, attempting to act as though we are fine when we are everything but. And when we acknowledge our need for help, it’s too late.

We crash.

Professionals, coping mechanisms, trusted adults, and several other solutions can help you face your mental health. It doesn’t matter what outlet you choose to plug into, what matters is that you find what works for you. What matters is that you get charged and stay charged.

From an early age, senior Nathan Shaver knew all too well the struggles of battling mental illness. Ranging from social anxiety and sensory issues to depression and manic episodes, Shaver has dealt with mental health issues for what seems like his entire life. Shaver’s earliest recollection of emotional troubles began in early childhood, around the age of two or three years old. Unlike tantrums typical of his peers, Shaver suffered such extreme inability to process his emotions that he was often completely unable to function.

By age seven, Shaver had his first of numerous suicide attempts. At this point, his parents knew he was in need of psychological care only a professional could offer, so he began the journey of receiving help for his emotional wellbeing.

Because of his extensive experiences with mental health, Shaver knows the importance of finding the roots of issues. As a child, however, he struggled with recognizing why he faced the emotions and situations he went through on a daily basis.

“Before having this knowledge [about the causes of my mental health issues,] I was unaware of the cause for my mental or social problems and thought there was nothing to do to be able to move past them,” Shaver said. “I also had numerous things stacking [on] top of the depression including severe, and at the time, undiagnosed ADHD [and] sensory issues. I generally just felt bad about myself and thought that that was how life was supposed to be forever.”

Shaver’s process with discovering the sources of his mental health issues began in therapy, where he received diagnoses, medications, and counseling.

“I got put [on] meds, and was honest about how they made me feel… [I] regularly saw a therapist, who took time to find as they weren’t the first one I spoke with… When my father took me to a mental hospital… [I realized this] isn’t something that is solved by committing suicide but by working on the issues. In short, I guess it was when I realized the problems I was having weren’t normal,” Shaver said.

For senior Katie White, the situation surrounding the causes of her mental health battle is completely different. Before White’s freshman year, she experienced the losses of two family members with whom she was very close.

“I think the cause of this was from my grandma and aunt passing away in the span of three months, and I was just entering high school which was also kind of scary,” White said.

Among dealing with the loss of her loved ones, strain on her relationships with her immediate family members and loneliness from the pandemic, White was eventually unable to cope on her own.

“After running away from my home and constantly fighting with everyone in my family, I accepted the fact that deep down, I wasn’t happy and needed to talk to someone,” White said. “My mom was understanding about me struggling… [and] got me a therapist and I have been talking to her for about a year.”

Rather than being a specific event or stressor in Shaver’s life, he deems the mental illnesses themselves as the cause for his emotional turmoil.

“I’ve got pretty severe ADHD, but I also go through regular spouts of chronic depression and just generally have some heavy anxiety about certain things. I think that in my case… it is just something that is rather than something with a direct cause,” Shaver said.

Though Shaver doesn’t attribute his mental health struggles to one specific factor, he does stress the importance of identifying the elements that contribute to emotional unwellness, whether they be literal stressors or underlying mental health conditions.

“Without knowing why, it’s difficult and even impossible to know what to do to change and alleviate some of the problems you might be facing,” Shaver said.

Shaver adds that, without understanding the origins of mental troubles, it is significantly harder to remove or reduce their presence in your life. Shaver’s advice is to reach out to a loved one, even if you’re not quite sure what specifically is troubling you.

“People need breaks from stressors. If you need help, ask,” Shaver said. “Regardless of what type of issue or severity of your issues or problems or struggles, everybody needs somebody sometimes.”

Mental health has long been surrounded by a stigma of fear and shame, but in recent years, the recognition and knowledge about the subject has considerably opened up. The ideas that once surrounded issues of mental health seemed to fade. With the new wave of awareness, people grew skeptical of the sudden ‘problems’ people had when they reached out, and were accused of being fake. It was seen as an easy path for attention when no one could prove or disprove their claim. Those who struggled regressed into hesitancy and doubt again, captive to their own mind in a battle for legitimacy. Suddenly, caught between the two pulling tides, the silent victims were again tossed aside in the clashing world of conflicting stigmas and doubts, and because of the recent movements and attention brought to the subject of mental health, those who struggle find it harder to access help as they now face two stigmas: one of being fake, and the other of being feared.

Amidst this, their voices still need to be heard. The silence doesn’t mean they’re better. If anything, they need more support than ever. And they shouldn’t have to wait until they feel broken to get help. None of us should.

We need to normalize asking for help, not just for those who’s struggle is visible, but for anyone who wants to reach out at any time. We shouldn’t have to fight mental illness alone until it gets ‘bad enough’ to seek help. We shouldn’t have to wait for an opportunity where we can go see a counselor in quiet and shame.

Educational and Support Counselor Shannon Harting helps eliminate the barriers between mental, social, and emotional health and academic success. For her, the stereotypes and stigmas surrounding mental health are nothing new, and she understands the hesitancy students may face when reaching out.

“If you notice that you have a change in enjoying activities, or being engaged in life, or really able to connect and focus to the goals that you have. That’s when you’re like ‘okay I need someone to bounce ideas off of and help with’… if there’s a significant problem that you’re encountering that you just need some help kind of figuring out how to navigate, that’s kind of the time to go,” Harting said.

The stigma of fear surrounding mental health stems from a lack of understanding and false portrayal. As our knowledge about mental health increases, so does our ability to open up about the subject.

“If you have some need where you need a therapist or where you need, let’s say an antidepressant, [people might] think that that is going to be like the rest of [their] life…that it’s forever. And I even see that with parents…a lot of concern about putting a student on a medication is because they don’t want them to have to have that forever, [but] that’s not really accurate anymore,” Harting said.

Overcoming the stigma surrounding mental health will start with an understanding of the topic and help us all better reach out when we want help. No one should have to wait to feel broken to help take care of themselves.

“[Mental health] is a part of physical health, no different than taking care of your body, and it needs to be an active intentional thing you do to take care of your mind and your emotions so that you can achieve exactly what you want and be who you want to be,” Harting said.

When walking into the Thrive Room, one is met with an ambiance unlike any other seen on the rest of campus. Lights are dimmed, while sensory lights emit a soft blue glow. Mrs. Kalinda Dixon is there ready to welcome any student who stops by. Mrs. Dixon is the behavior support specialist that works in the Thrive Room, located near the main office, a specialized room designed to be an oasis for those in need of an escape from the stressors of school.

“[The purpose of the room is] to come back to the reality of what’s going on, instead of veering off into those life stressors, or getting really tied up in a tornado effect spiraling out of control,” Mrs. Dixon said. In order to go about contacting her and becoming a regular to the Thrive Room, one must go through their counselor first.

“If [a student] needs support then, by all means, come,” Mrs. Dixon said. “But, eventually, I’m going to have to get them to their counselor. I can’t work with them on a daily basis until they get referred.” In the hierarchy of mental health outlets, the Thrive Room is one of the first places to go. For students struggling with surface-level anxiety or stress, Mrs. Dixon provides the tools to cope with those issues.

“I’m more of a skills coach for teaching coping skills… I guide [students] through mindfulness or through breathing techniques,” Mrs. Dixon explained.

When a student comes into the Thrive Room they sign-in and fill out a questionnaire, then they have time to sit and get settled before jumping into a discussion with Mrs. Dixon. She works with these students and problem solves through their unique situations, figuring out what techniques that student is using to cope, and from there trying to implement one more technique to get through whatever hardship they may be facing.

While not intended to help those in crisis situations, the Thrive Room is a place where students can unwind and find solace in their mind-numbingly hectic days. Mrs. Dixon is there to listen and help any student struggling with their mental health.

“This is a no-judgment zone,” Mrs. Dixon said. “There’s no ‘I don’t know,’ ‘You can’t say this,’ ‘You can’t say that.’ It’s on the table.”

When looking for mental health outlets at school, the counselor’s office is what most think of first. There is a stigma surrounding the counselor’s office in that it is simply a place to get a schedule changed or to obtain a transcript, but each counselor is properly trained in dealing with mental health issues all across the board. Counselor Mr. Kris Miller finds that many students do indeed seek help from their counselor.

“We do spend a lot of time on the mental health needs of students, so we’ve seen that growing over the course of the last decade,” Mr. Miller said. “It’s not many days and not many weeks go by where I don’t have a crisis [to deal with].”

There are many ways to go about contacting a counselor, such as using the QR codes posted around the building or even just stopping in during passing periods. Someone will always be available to help. A majority of the staff in the counselor’s office is equipped to handle the many situations that may arise in regards to a student’s mental health.

“We’ve all had some training, but different members of our team have different varying levels of that background,” Mr. Miller said. “About half of us come from mental health backgrounds, a couple of people in our department are licensed therapists and licensed clinical social workers.”

Mr. Miller himself was a mental health counselor who worked with adolescents dealing with drug and alcohol problems. However, there does come a point where the school-provided counselors are unable to assist with a student’s problems, such as when that student is in danger of harm, or if what the counselor is providing is simply not enough.

“We are not therapists, I can sit and help a student periodically… but anything beyond the occasional check- in, we’re probably going to be limited, just because of the amount of other things we have to do,” Mr. Miller said.

Beyond the school resources, there are many things a student can do to reach out and get help. There are hotlines, online resources, and therapists that are all readily available to the public. Licensed professional counselor, Celeste Daiber, explains how one can go about finding the right therapist.

“It will depend on a lot of factors… like insurance and availability and personal preferences,” Daiber said. “PsychologyToday.com has an excellent find a therapist search engine that might be very helpful, especially if you have to work within insurance constraints.”

For those in immediate crisis situations, she recommends a multitude of hotlines, such as the Youth Connection hotlines, the SAMSA National Health hotlines, and the Disaster Distress Helpline. Sometimes hotlines are the only means of aid one can receive at the moment.

“I prefer face-to-face [therapy], but sometimes that’s not feasible,” Daiber said. “If you feel as though you’re in danger, like immediate danger, getting yourself in front of professionals ASAP is going to be the first step.”

There is a wide range of therapists available, each often specializes in a specific area.

“There are different modalities of therapy that will treat different issues… [for example] there are therapists that specialize in eating disorders… there’s a lot of different ways to go about presenting in therapy or therapy modalities,” Daiber said.

Daiber personally specializes in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy), which is therapy specifically for trauma situations. Through these different avenues of issues, there are different avenues of assistance.