The importance of tracking your mental health

Mental health is something to take as seriously as the health of your body. Being stressed out and not having enough sleep can be just as dangerous to your body as a virus or infection. It is important for everyone to be well-aware of the state of their mental health in order to help protect themselves and others in the community. This is especially true when there is a pre-existing condition that may limit just how healthy one is able to one’s health. We all saw this become a reality this past week during the unfortunate attacks on campus. It is therefore, up to the individual whose mental health is less than adequate to deal with stressful situations, and up to the peers of these individuals to seek help when problems start to arise. These problems can manifest themselves in all different sorts of ways. A person could simply be having different sleeping habits, or it can be as extreme as the individual threatening to do something wildly out of the ordinary. To help these individuals, the peers must be willing to first talk to this individual to then assess whether or not there actually is an issue with the person’s mental health. However, if there is any indication that the person’s mental health is in need of professional help, then the peers have an obligation to speak up and get that person the professional help he or she needs. It can be tempting to try and help an individual all on one’s own. However, no student on this campus possess the education, technique, or experience that is needed to properly help someone who suffers from mental health issues. These people are not to be stigmatized either. These people are human beings like anyone else, they just need some extra attention from time to time to help them cope with life. If you see anyone expressing disturbing signs of concern, especially when dealing with their own and others’ safety, speak up. Tell the many different outlets available to students on campus to help avert any possible unpleasant incidents.