Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Feb 7, 2020 |
My name’s Hanna, mine’s Jaxon, and we’re seniors at Glencoe High School. Jaxon: those of you who know us know that we’ve been friends for a long time but we got truly close in sophomore year when we were both going through a lot. In the ensuing time, our experiences with mental health have been closely linked and we’re here today to discuss the importance of friendship and support networks in promoting mental health. Hanna: from initially supporting one another to now working together with an international nonprofit in promoting mental health awareness, Jaxon’s and my stories are closely linked. Jaxon: back in sophomore year, i was dealing with the end an unhealthy relationship and my relationship with my father was hostile and contentious. I was stressed and isolating myself from my friends. Hanna: at the same time, I was dealing with aftershocks of a death in my family and my existing mental health conditions were especially bad. I was having very severe panic attacks and struggling to stay afloat in areas that used to be easy for me, like school & my other volunteer work. Jaxon and I had 5 classes together, so we were spending a lot of time with one another. Over a couple of months, we ended up opening up to each other about what we were coping with and I think it surprised us both how much it helped to have someone to talk to. Jaxon: for the first time in a long time I opened up to someone new about what I was struggling with, and it helped me gain clarity and a...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jan 13, 2020 |
Art has always been a part of my life, from doodling as an infant to taking art classes throughout school I’ve always been creating something. But when my depression was at its peak, I found that I had no motivation to draw, lacked inspiration, energy, and it felt like I had lost such a fundamental piece of myself. Reflecting back, in some ways I think I had romanticized the idea of self-harm and saw it as another form of body art, as a “healthy” expression of my feelings. Self-harm as a coping mechanism is addictive, and while I slowly began to realize how dangerous my behaviour was, like any addiction it was extremely difficult to stop. When this had been my go-to for so long, it seemed hard to imagine anything else working to help me deal with the dark thoughts that filled my mind daily. Music was an outlet for me at the time. I had never really been musically inclined, but bands like Pierce the Veil and Bring Me the Horizon created songs with lyrics that explained exactly how I felt but didn’t know how to vocalize. Quickly, I became more and more captivated by the world of alternative music and these musicians became my role models. They candidly spoke about their own experiences as teenagers struggling with mental illnesses and within them I found a community. Something most of these musicians had in common were their heavily tattooed appearances and I became almost obsessed with their body art. In a way, it reminded me of a more permanent version of “mehndi”, a type of Indian semi-permanent...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Nov 3, 2019 |
Thank you to everyone who attended the Celebration of Hope on October 24th. It was an inspiring night filled with stories of courage, hope and resilience. We raised just over $40,000 to support our mission to normalize conversations about mental health and inspire hope and healing, one story at a time. We are most grateful to each and every one of our donors for their valuable support. If you were not able to attend the event, please consider making a gift and join our Circle of Hope. To donate, please click here … We welcome gifts of any size and sincerely appreciate your generous support. Enjoy the video and pictures… « Prev1 / 1Next »2019 Celebration of HopeIt’s time to invest in youth mental health. | Hanna’s StorySpeak up. Seek Help. It can save your life. | Hoda's StoryYamini Rajan - 2019 Celebration of Hope« Prev1 / 1Next » Event Photos...
