Features

Featuring students' powerful artwork- addressing anxiety and mental health

Grace Roncke, Bait Host | 04/22/2022

Anxiety and stress are pertinent topics in High School. Many students have experience with or can relate to these mental health struggles. The increasingly relevant topic of mental health is illustrated in freshman Sophie Schoenholtz’s work.

“As someone who personally struggles with social anxiety, I wanted to put that into my art piece and show everyone that it's okay to have mental health issues and it's not something you should keep from other people,” Schoenholtz explains.

“I feel like a lot of people can relate to it, and I'm happy that people can relate to it because mental health should be something that you really think about. Talk to someone about why you are feeling these things, and it's okay to feel these things. I just don't want anyone to feel alone about that.”

Schoenholtz shares themes throughout her piece, stating, “The words are things that I often think about, especially when bolded in red.”

Every student can relate to some part of the art piece, making it a poignant representation of the true feelings of anxiety and stress. The important message of mental health, as expressed through student artwork, stimulates the awareness of an individual's own mental health.

“Social anxiety disorder affects approximately 15 million American adults and is the second most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorder following specific phobia. The average age of onset for social anxiety disorder is during the teenage years,” according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America,

Individuals may not realize that they are dealing with mental health issues. Yet, sharing and confronting such issues can lead to growth and progress, allowing yourself to be the happiest and healthiest you can be.