Before the girl’s dorm was built, I had to ride the bus home at 5:30 P.M. for one hour to get to my stop. Thirty minutes later, I would arrive home. In an hour and a half, I would eat and shower. The next three to four hours I dedicated to my homework and studying. If you have been keeping up, the time I would finally sleep would be at 12 or 1 AM. Then I would have to wake up at 5:25 A.M. to catch the bus on time. I was too young to realize the mental effect this schedule was having on me. I would get home and cry to my mom, begging her to take me out of Chinquapin. I did not have time for myself, and this was generating a burden on me. With my senior project, I wanted to help the people that do not realize they are being negatively affected by stress. I wanted them to be aware of their mental health and care for themselves.
I researched and contacted professionals and professors to learn more about the effects and coping strategies of stress. The fact that continues to ring through my head as I have progressed through my project has been that the word “stress” is such a common word to hear and say that we forget its power. I had never realized this fact until I heard many of my friends say, “I’m so stressed!” or “I’m stressing!” yet they did nothing to address the issues brought on by their stress. “Stress” was an adjective they used to describe themselves, but they used the word without knowing the consequences stress could bring them. People overlook the importance of mental health.
I heard many of my friends say, “I’m so stressed!” or “I’m stressing!” yet they did nothing to address the issues brought on by their stress.
Going about my project, my main goal was to advocate for healthier minds. As I interviewed my peers over if they knew something about coping with stress, they all said they did not know much and did nothing to deal with it. However, they mentioned they wanted to be more knowledgeable about the concept. In the post-yoga interviews, the same people said they loved yoga as a coping mechanism and would do it again. Even if this was a small event, I was glad to have been able to provide a coping strategy and vocalize the importance of mental health.
It was during those interviews that I realized mental health is not talked about because of the stigmatization that comes with it. People are afraid to talk about their issues because they believe they are being too vulnerable, which leads to being criticized. I felt more accomplished when I saw so many people sign up for my event because I felt like I was offering more to people who have been afraid to reach out for help. With every event I held, I felt like I was making a difference. Students would come up to me and hope these events would be offered again. The impact and conversations being held are what made my two years of focus on research worth it.
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