How Do We Redefine Mental Health For Newer Generations?
By Helena Kimber
There is no doubt that mental health in youth today has alarmingly dwindled over the past decade for multiple reasons, one being how rapidly our world is changing and perspectives are diverging. This impact can be displayed in various ways, such as social media, television/media, our communities, and our everyday lives.
Being a teenager is both a learning experience but a feat of persistence, but negative influences can cloud a growing mind regardless of goals or pride. According to “The American Psychological Association,” the recent pandemic could one of the main reason for the decline in mental health for children today, where it says “In addition to the social isolation and academic disruption nearly all children and teens faced, many also lost caregivers to COVID-19, had a parent lose their job, or were victims of physical and emotional abuse at home.” This quote helps emphasize that the impacts adults faced during the pandemic also ushered onto their families, especially their children who also felt uncertain about adapting to the sudden change in their lives. This uncertainty and unresolved distress can create tension in a home, as many adults aren’t taught proper ways to handle pain or anxiety which can lead to disagreements between parent/caregiver and child, eventually being reciprocated in forms of mental or physical abuse. In addition to outside conflicts, social media has maintained prominent influence over young growing minds in the past decade, which in some cases are just as dangerous as conflict in a child’s life outside of social media.
As more children under the required age limit are accessing social media, communicating and connecting with people has become significantly easier, but also making it easier for people to become targets of online bullying, bad influences, and jeopardy. For instance, in an article by “Child Mind Institute” it analyzes the impact of cyberbullying and imposter syndrome by saying “Girls are socialized more to compare themselves to other people, girls in particular, to develop their identities, so it makes them more vulnerable to the downside of all this.” She warns that a lack of solid self-esteem is often to blame. “We forget that relational aggression comes from insecurity and feeling awful about yourself, and wanting to put other people down so you feel better.” This quote originates from the statements of a clinical and developmental psychologist, who not only analyzed the general concept of the negative impacts of social media in teens/children, but connected existing conflicts of gender norms with the targeted victims of social media’s negative influences, expressing how mainly girls are subjected to these influences due to girls/young women growing up in a society of beauty standards that consist of ways a girl has to look and act for them to be considered “attractive” or “beautiful.” Social media only reinforces these fabricated beauty standards, ultimately lowering self-esteem and possibly leading to mental health issues.
Interviews from students in Hillcrest were conducted based on questions pertaining to mental health and social media’s impact on teens/children today, using the questions:
How do you think social media has impacted you emotionally and socially?
Would you think a nation-wide phone policy ban in school would help students more in the classroom?
What can teachers/educators/counselors do to help you feel more safe in school and in the classroom in terms of mental health? Do you think communicating with educators on an emotional level would build more trust in your learning environment?
Do you think more programs in your community should be implemented for teenagers who are experiencing the mental health crisis?
Students requested to stay anonymous for their responses. Their answer to their first question was answered straight-forward with honesty, saying “Social media alters with our brains and makes us feel that we should all be perfect, but in reality we really shouldn’t.”
Following the next question they replied: “Yea, definitely. Especially in my classroom where I can see students not paying attention and on their phones. Teachers get fed up telling students to put their phone away, and students then fail because of the lack of attention they give in the classroom.”
The next question was then asked, to which they replied “Counselors should have more interaction with students in the school. For example, I don’t know where to find my counselor so interaction is necessary for students. This would definitely help build more trust because many people don’t know who their counselor is…”
To the final question, they replied “Yes, because a lot of students suffer in silence, and at the end of the day expressing their emotions to a parent or guardian is more difficult than keeping them in, ultimately choosing to silently fight their own battles without ever seeking help.”
Even though at times it seems like there’s no hope, there are always solutions to support you. Certain things you can do to improve your well-being can be taking a walk to enjoy nature around you or venting to a person you trust. A few tips you follow or recommend to someone you know to improve your mental health and people around you is getting a good night's sleep, schedule a down-time, keep a journal, devote time to productivity, seek help and advice from a trusted adult, create daily affirmations, practice mindfulness, and appreciate the little achievements. With these suggestions in mind, practicing mindfulness doesn’t have to be hard or exert a great amount of effort because it’s the little achievements that count the most.