It Gets Mental
Story By R’Nasia Murphy. Photos by kukosha.com
APR. 11, 2019: Everyone has their own issues. Things like self-confidence, anxiety, putting yourself out there, and maybe being vulnerable can be a struggle for many. Sometimes the person will know that he/she has these issues, while others don’t. These problems, depending on how severe they are, can affect one’s mental health. I’d like to say that the mind can be the most dangerous place. Your mind and your thoughts, can affect how you live your life. I believe it's important to keep your thoughts in check.
Sometimes, mental health issues can start with self-deprecation. I am usually self-deprecating, but most times I’m just kidding. But I do it so often that others don’t know if I’m joking or if I’m being serious, and there have been plenty of times when I was serious. What I didn't know was that by saying these things jokingly, I started to believe what I was saying. I started believing that I wasn’t pretty, that I wasn’t beautiful, that I was useless, and that I wasn’t smart. It wasn’t sudden, it was gradual, but it was sudden in some ways. I didn’t know why I was feeling this things, and why I was thinking these things. It was sudden in those aspects, since I wasn’t thinking about these things prior. Mental health problems can sneak up on a person.
Mental health is extremely important. It’s important to take care of yourself, and to make sure that you’re okay before you can take care of anyone else. I believe it's not healthy to make others happy if your not happy. Find ways to create a new, better you. It's not easy either. The road to recovery is a tough one, and one I haven't exactly accomplished yet. I have broken old habits like self-deprecating. I'm still struggling, and no matter how bad you've got it, it'll not be an easy ride. But with time, you'll become the “you” you want to be, not what others what you to be. You only need your approval. Find new words to identify yourself like: beautiful, handsome, special, everything except for ugly, weird (in a bad way), and insignificant.
Be yourself, and treat yourself better. You deserve better.
R’Nasia Murphy is a 10th grade scholar at Friendship Technology Preparatory Academy.