Maggie O’Neill

Dr. Daigle

FYOS

5 November 2019

Today I will be reflecting on Article 5, which primarily focuses on promoting mental

health, as it is absolutely essential to one’s overall health and wellbeing. The article does a good

job of explaining how one’s physical health is often dependent on one’s mental health, as it is

mental health which provides a person with the positive emotions that a person feels when they

are happy and healthy. If we only focus on fixing one’s physical health, they might often be left

wondering why they don’t feel better and what is wrong with them. Just because someone is

physically healthy does not mean they are perfect and good to go. Rather, a person can be

physically normal and healthy, yet still struggle with feelings that they are not okay. If we

emphasize that one’s mental health is equivalent to one’s physical health, it will be normalized

and will be understood as a treatable illness.

Additionally, a part of the article I really appreciated was the discussion on resilience and

how it is not something that you either have or don’t have, but rather something that can be

learned. When struggling with a mental illness, it can be easy to feel hopeless, like your illness

consumes you or defines you, even though it doesn’t. For people who don’t have natural traits

towards resilience, however, they must rely on their friends and family to be a solid support

system for them.

With workplaces and public health systems recognizing the importance of mental health

and moving towards more support and aid for those who struggle, I think we could be headed

towards a more empathetic and understanding population. Our children need to be raised in an
environment where their mental health is recognized as just as important as their physical health

and where they are unafraid to speak up and get help if they are struggling with something.

I think this article is very important because I have heard too many people try to dismiss

mental health as “no big deal”. A close friend of mine struggles really badly with anxiety and

panic attacks, which her parents are aware of, and she is on medication. Yet, so many times she

has gotten off of the phone crying because her dad invalidates her and tells her that she doesn’t

really have panic attacks and that she probably just had low blood sugar, or that everyone

struggles with anxiety, she just needs to learn how to deal with it. This really frustrates me and

makes me angry because although everyone might struggle with short-term anxiety about maybe

public speaking or a big test, not everyone feels helpless, overwhelmed, and controlled by their

anxiety. I know if my friend’s parents completely supported her and did not question her or make

her feel like she was just being dramatic or whiny, she would be better equipped to deal with her

mental health struggles. As it is, however, she is too discouraged to truly talk with her parents

about her struggles and why she feels the way she does. I know if mental health promotion was

more emphasized in society, she would feel free to have a conversation about it. It sometimes

feels to me like a lot of older generations still view mental health as really stigmatized and taboo,

when I actually believe everyone struggles with mental health at some point in their lives. If

having a conversation about mental health and seeking professional help was more normalized,

some kids might feel more inclined to speak up.