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PrioritizingMental Health LIFE THROUGH WORD AND LENS GALLERY We can build a foundation for the weak and make the world strong MAKAYLA DICK

Mental Health Prioritized School Counselor Lynda MillerGrade School Part 1 Every 40 seconds someone chooses to take their life The World Health Organization also goes on to claim that suicide is the second leading cause of death in people aged 15 to 29 I found these rates alarming and quite awakening If the suicide rates are that high you can t help but question why If the thought of taking your life is so prevalent then what is there to say about the lives of others who don t and walk in joy strength and abundance How can we understand the mind well enough to reverse the damage of a poor mentality that induces harm on the human brain I ve taken on this project to investigate and analyze the evidence pertaining to the solutions found for this study I m using the perspectives of school counselors coming from all ages starting in grade school making its way up to high school then to a college psychologist I first interviewed Lynda Miller the school counselor at the Mulvane Grade School and her answers not only helped me to understand but also take on a new overview of how younger kids can be helped and related to in the best way She told me that she implements the use of classes throughout the year on diverse topics all relaying back to the mental health and overall wellbeing of the children and what they re feeling Topics such as growth mindset school success strategies positive coping habits conflict resolution and building hope all which happen within nine weeks It gives a broad understanding to the reason and strategies one can implement to make students feel safe within their struggles I have wondered if the idea of making mental health classes mandatory in schools would be beneficial After observing all that Lynda Miller does at the grade school it would seem to be a constructive addition By doing these classes she gets down to the below surface factors She mentions her tactics such as it s not the behavior it s something else I found this to be profoundly beneficial It doesn t have to be a punishment it can be more about figuring out the problem When addressing a student s bad behavior tendencies it can be harsh or it can be constructive If you think back to a time you had an outburst or drawback from a certain situation why was that so Did you experience a bad time at home or a circumstance that made you question your stability Usually when this happens we become more apt to not checking our behavior among others It s not always out of straight defiance but an internal frustration from a situation not dealt with Kids experience the same thing sometimes in worse doses than adults Lynda tries to configure coping skills for the students expressing frustration through their current behavior By understanding their circumstance whether it be at home or loss of understanding in a situation she can try to pinpoint the reason for misconduct I think by treating it this way you can be enthralled in an atmosphere of compassion and sincerity Rather than the kid thinking they are inherently bad for the way they showed emotion they can be accepted and understood by taking on a new perspective for their mental health So you re probably wondering what are the coping skills that seem to be working for her younger students She said To get through hard situations especially in our time period now you must have an eternal optimism It seems bad now but it s one day closer to being over and it will get there She not only relayed this to the COVID 19 situation but the toxic mentalities that tug at the individual freedom over our minds She puts the importance of recognizing the awareness into a representative example She said If you have high blood pressure or insulin there s not a problem People don t say oh you ll be okay The stigma that our minds are not as important as our physical needs is quite the downfall If one were to be shot yet ask for assistance and not be given attention the patient might die The same can be correlated to mental health affects if not treated By turning down the need for attention PAGE 1

towards an individual s mental health catastrophic effects can take on the reality of one s existence Again according to the World Health Organization all of this leads us back to the initial shocking fact that for every 40 seconds someone chooses to take their life Mental Health Prioritized School Counselor Teresa Brown Grade School Part 2 The Centers for Disease Control state that for children aged 3 17 years old approximately 4 4 million are known to be diagnosed with some sort of anxiety disorder Following up on this research I asked the question What do students struggle with most when they come to you Miller said Anxiety would be on the mind of most She defines most students having it as very generalized and internalized They usually can t sleep at night The way she can help to defer these emotions is by talking about the brain science behind it when one feels nervous The fear is not usually logical It s like when a child thinks there s a monster under the bed Logically the reality is that nothings there It s an illusion of the mind and of what is occurring in that present or past moment Miller stated that she uses the Grounding Technique to calm her students down and release the anxiety that is overwhelming them The technique consists of realizing things that are happening in the very moment For example saying four things they hear four things they feel four things they see and one thing they may taste She said It s giving something they can do in the moment when they have this feeling Another technique would be using the toolbox You keep tools in your metaphorical toolbox to bring them out at the time you ll need them She said It s like nailing something on the wall You need a tool to fix the problem at hand So building your toolbox with the necessary components such as your personal calming and destressing methods will prepare you for the next fix of the future Being organized in your mind can disengage the mess that invades your mental health She continued to address more on the topic of fear within this frame of anxiety She said It s not a bad feeling fear keeps you safe sometimes but it can also keep you from the things you enjoy The definition of fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous likely to cause pain or threat According to the article How Fear and Stress Shape the Mind the experience of fear and stress leaves an indelible trace on the brain This indelible trace is observed as both changes in behavior and changes in neuronal structure and function Fear and stress interact on many levels The experience of stress may lead to the formation of a fearful memory trace of a place or reminder cue and fearful memory formation is regulated by the extent of concurrent stress The concurrent experience of fear and stress may amplify fear and slow fear extinction which may lead to pathology Fear memory formation involves changes in synaptic plasticity while stress and glucocorticoids change neuronal structure Thus both neurons and synapses are changed These changes can be identified visualized and mapped within focused microcircuits Johnson Luke From information such as this it s apparent that fear creates a new neuronal structure pathway that will change the whole direction of our personality and behavior towards others If we dwell with the worries based on the fear of the future past or present experiences it will shape the reactions we put forth to the community presently How can we approach these worries We can openly choose to be vulnerable and transparent Taking the path to emotional freedom breakthrough and recovery is PAGE 2

a decision that will take strength strength that might come from someone else if the problem is over us and too hard to comprehend Too many think the battle is fought alone and must come from the will power inside you but it can t Not if the anxiety and depression you feel are confusing irrational and illogical Seeking out a counselor licensed professional preacher or trusted friend is a step that surely leads to success That s why students seek Mrs Miller for guidance because direction from the influence of others or confusing circumstances has been misled in some shape or from For the students who don t seek help opening up is not an easy option to take on So their journey of courage must start with small notions of wisdom and personal strength from examples shown by others around them How can we show others how to live openly within our everyday life Living openly requires a state of approaching your fear logistically and calling to it by its name But to do so we must know the root cause What can you overcome something without knowing the address for where to locate it how would you know where to look To break it down imagine your brain as a neighborhood with a variety of houses and people Some houses are pretty dainty and still constructing Some houses are old worn outdated and far from any kind of new investment Those houses have no need to be a part of the new and renovating neighborhood So they are torn down that more room is made available for the new better future prospects By tearing down the walls of outdated architecture we make room for the best versions of the neighborhood Just as we do within ourselves By tearing down the walls around the root problem of our anxiety and depression we make room for new and better prospects of ourselves From the overview of the grade school both struggles and solutions are demonstrated Some may not work We all come from different circumstances backgrounds and mentalities that may not let us relate or give support in the right way Miller said I want to fix everyone by nature but there s just some things I can t fix No matter how hard I try or do I m not the perfect fit for them It s important to realize we cannot help everyone but we can continually try for potential mental success in all the people we can This may include seeing better results in classrooms more checkups and support or it may look like the individual pursuit of mental recovery and betterment Maybe the greatest thing we can do is understand the influencers of ourselves so the struggles of our neighbor are given light to the way we overcame our own The road starts in you and ends in another The next best victory may be right beside you have you noticed them before Mental Health Prioritized High School Part 3 Motivation is not always easy to come by For students it s the line that draws between perceived failure success and acceptance But how do you get a student to hone the drive they need Teresa Brown at the high school gave some wise words of advice for kids and adults struggling to harness their inner places of purpose and motivation Brown said It doesn t have to be internal it can be external For some it s praise others food some natural curiosity recognition a reward like an activity expectations money or time Such as give me thirty minutes I ll give you fifteen She personally is motivated by If I know the expectation I ll want to hit it Students that strive against the fear of failure are more prone to succeed beside the pressures and expectations given to them by others Brown said If they are willing to try then they will go far It s about learning grit and resilience It s having a selfawareness and perseverance to your situations by presenting a positive outlook and attitude PAGE 3

Teresa Brown being the high school counselor gives an inside perspective on what it means to have anxiety and depression as a high school student Getting to a place of less dependence and acquiring more independence makes you question who you are as a person and what the path with big decisions will mean for you in college and in the places to come She said I have students that withdraw typically junior and senior year being uncertain of the future To some it has placed a toll on the body affecting breathing and with some reporting seizure like symptoms This frustration tends to come from not being in control of everything that the world around them is controlling their situations and they have no say in it To help combat the thoughts in that moment they should think about the things they can control and get back to their basics Which could be the simple act of realizing the things they once felt they had control over will reassure a hope that guides what they see as an uncertain future Anxiety typically presents a circumstance in our heads that puts the what if s and possibilities of failure up on a pedestal paralyzing the gift of our current place What we need to remember when this stops us are the moments in our past where we felt the same way and it ended up working out As a kid I remember being so scared of leaving one grade and going on to the next because I didn t want to be disappointed or anxious if I didn t make friends like I had in that year It was a scary thing for me But what I learned and am still learning is the gift of uncertainty and the beauty of a journey that doesn t stay the same but continues Each year may not have been like the last but it was a new experience that kept me eager to open new layers of myself Without all the different experiences and new people I was able to branch out and take new paths of discovery And in the struggle of building and rebuilding new friendships it helps me to slowly be okay with life being a journey not a destination Another place of struggle that high school students tackle with is the grades that perceive to define their intelligence This accusation can come from parents teachers staff or the voice inside your head that says the ability you hold inside you as a scientist is worthless because you failed math It is not correct and it is not what decides your future What determines your future is the effort you extend and the thoughts you let in Most of the time it is not our actions that fail us but how we perceive them Brown gives her own example of the experience she had with a class on college She said Freshman year in college perfectionism hit hardest with grades Getting a D in a class was a learning experience for her I asked how she overcame having a D and she gave one of the best responses Brown said It was just knowing that I was all in It was a learning experience Even with putting in all your effort sometimes it just doesn t end up the way you want I studied the hardest and still didn t get the grade up but the important part was I didn t give up Teachers such as Teresa Brown teach us that poor performance does not mark us with a stamp of failure but fuels the ability for us to grow and learn It is a part of who we are and that is something to thrive in With the many thing s students walk through as we have talked about so far grades social anxieties and the uncertainty of the future one still stunts students even into their college and adult years following into generations According to graduateprogram org acceptance is not only important in the individual s perception of their current situation but of the social expectations that influence social acceptance This is especially common in the years of high school leading into college When seeking to promote social acceptance at school respect is important Promoting respect will go a long way in creating a school culture that welcomes conversations about differences seeks to understand the perspective of others and celebrates differences Teaching Social Acceptance in School The cliques popular groups lunch tables and social pressures all play into the way we see ourselves through our scale of acceptance Sometimes people take it to heart if the cool kids deem them weird and unworthy if they can t sit with them at lunch Or if the football jock talks to his buddies about how the weird girl was PAGE 4

flirting with him at the game last night It all falls into the bowl of self esteem and worthiness We all feel the same feelings and we experience the same hurts Primarily we all want the love we see the ones around us receiving To help break this divide between groups and cognitive perceptions about others we can realize when we do it and fix it Judgement can be turned to awareness And this awareness can be turned into action To understand the divide between our acceptance and our journey to the rest of our lives we must love with purpose and reason High school can be scary It can be hard and mentally exhausting for the average person trying to find exactly where they fit into the world But if we can make it one step easier by bringing on a better understanding of ourselves then we can help others to understand the purpose of loving rightly To all the students out there I see you and I admire you for the effort you make It s something to be proud of and one day you ll understand it will lead you to all the greater things Mental Health Prioritized Psychologist Teacher Krystle Neice Cowley College Part 4 Transitioning into a new stage college takes on the next battle of mental health Entering college alongside the information we have configured of elementary school onto high school brings a new pep to the analysis of the mind The adult years give out a different journey than the journey living under a dependent figure For some the new freedom of independence is a riveting breathe of fresh air while for others it s a cold breeze to the face Learning to adapt in the odds of diversity and enter into an unfamiliar zone of life creates a funnel of anxiety It s a greater struggle than others let on it to be For most of an individual s life circumstances were controlled and taken care of by an inside caregiver Until now the major problems were usually solved by someone other than yourself given that you may have still played a role in helping The previous struggles could have been tempestuous but it was not a timely crisis to the wellbeing of our future as we would say College is a different experience College works at our self esteem the betterment of our own self our adeptness to responsibility and the testing of our will to get our talents in motion The strength of our mind will overlay into all the surrounding areas of our experience to the adult transition If we come to independence with insecurity and low confidence we struggle to put together the steps it takes for planning goals to a dream destination We take with us the pain of either our childhood an abusive situation harassment and circumstances that have marked a part of our lives to college whether we like it or not This root of anxiety stems from a hostility repressed deep from within our subconscious Krystle Neice spoke with me on the pattern of thoughts and the theories that may shape them along with knowledge brought to us by Sigmund Freud She said There is a correlation to long term memory that becomes more infused Emotions hook on with our problems Freud would say let s look at this hostility what unmet needs are happening Diving more in depth into the problem by studying the cognitive side of your brain can help configure the roots seeded deep into your subconscious The Cognitive Revolution was a period during the 1950 s 1960 s when cognitive psychology replaced Behaviorism and Psychoanalysis as the main approach in psychology fields Cognitive Revolution cognitive therapy attempts to change maladaptive behavior by altering the patients beliefs and expectations concerning themselves other people and the world around them Kihlstrom John Having self defeating beliefs about oneself change the cognitive reactions and perceptions of the situations going on around them For example suppose a person is especially sensitive to rejection and is disposed to expect it to look for it and to react intensely to it Downey and Feldman 1996 Such rejection sensitive people PAGE 5

may see even innocent or ambiguous behavior from a significant other as intentional rejection triggering such thoughts as she doesn t love me which activate further thoughts and feelings of rejection and potential betrayal and abandonment In turn the person s scripts for coercive or controlling behaviors may become activated leading to angry or hostile and even abusive reactions Over time such hostility is likely to lead to actual rejection even when there was none before Mendoza Denton Mischel W The perceptions of a place and situation you are experiencing can construe an outcome that outweighs those actual realities of the present moment Cognitive research studies the brain science behind what we feel and what is real Stepping outside to analyze the thoughts of the mind help us to easier understand how the battle can be overcome This will lead us to stepping through Maslow s hierarchy of needs and knowing the path by which we can achieve the levels of our human needs In conclusion of Mental Health Prioritized the journey of the analysis being made through the elementary on up to the college level we can see that mental health is a struggle throughout all ages It affects the average human as well as the ones that we don t expect it to happen to By better understanding why and for what reasons this topic is so prevalent can save lives to the extent of preventing suicide and the deprivation of a beautiful life If we can be educated on the ways to help ourselves it can be a channel to guiding others in their path to selfacceptance and joy I pray that this will touch a soul in need of deep consolidation and that it will reach the light trying to break through out of brokenness Making mental health a priority and recognizing when others show signs of a distorted perception toward life will be the way to mending a struggling generation We can fix this together We can build a foundation for the weak and make the world strong We can be the change Works Cited https www heysigmund com new research will change way think depression https www frontiersin org research topics 84 how fear and stress shape the mind https www cdc gov childrensmentalhealth features anxiety depression children html https www graduateprogram org 2021 02 school leadership what we learned from 2020 https www sciencedirect com topics neuroscience cognitive revolution https www alleydog com glossary definition php term Cognitive Revolution https www simplypsychology org maslow html gsc tab 0 PAGE 6