Keeping Up with our Mental Health going into summer

By: Ciaren Rounds

We are all going to be away from each other, not going to school and seeing everyone’s faces every day. It is going to be difficult because oftentimes many people feel very alone over the summertime. As for a plan of action, it is the most important time to stay in contact with each other. Check up on your friends, ask them to hang out. Call someone you haven’t talked to in quite some time. You never know what one simple text can do for someone, it can save them.

As for dealing with your own mental health, alongside checking in on others, do things for yourself. Try some self-care over the summer. Self-care doesn’t have to mean doing face masks and using a bath bomb, it can look much simpler than that. Getting fresh air, going on a walk, eating your favorite food, listening to music, or getting-well deserved sleep. You never know how much you will need those simple tasks, or even indulging in your hobbies, to better your mental health.

It is important to put yourself first and do what is beneficial for you. Someone once told me, “at the end of the day, you are the only one living in your body, the only one having to wake up and go to sleep in it, so you might as well make decisions for yourself.” So we all should choose to say these affirmations, “I take those words to heart when it comes to my mental health. I am the only one living my life, I choose me. If I am not being treated right, I pick myself and leave. If I am struggling to keep up with tasks, I take a break, maybe take a nap or shower, and go back to it when I feel ready to.”

The most important thing we can do over the summer is to be there for ourselves and each other. So I urge you to keep in contact with people who make you feel happy and safe, let go of those toxic friendships/relationships, and try to do things for yourself. You deserve it. I hope you have a great summer and we can’t wait to see you next fall!