One in five U.S. adults experience mental health each year. The second leading cause of death in teens is taking their own life. These simple facts impact our environment and community more than people realize. There has been a stigma surrounding mental health for many years now in high schools all around the world, but not Huntley High School.
The Mental Health Fair took place at the Huntley Park District on Jan. 29, which introduced a variety of different organizations to help people suffering from mental illness. The mental health fair also had a lot of educational resources for parents if their child is having trouble with their mental health.
The event included activities such as a raffle where students could win a $25 gift card of their choice. The event included booths with information from Hope Squad, which is a mental health awareness club at HHS, employees from Northwestern Medicine, discussing how fitness impacts your mental health, and other tables discussing housing and therapy.
The Hope Squad table discussed how many challenges come with mental health but there has to be someone who wants to talk about it and things that would be changed with mental health awareness.
“I think the biggest challenge facing mental health awareness today would be the stereotypes that are put around it,” said Kristen Adam, Hope Squad leader. “Everyone thinks negatively about mental health and people do not talk about it as much as they should.”
A big turning point in mental health in 2020 for teens was the coronavirus. It caused a lot of issues with relationships, going out and doing things, and taking care of themselves.
“After COVID, teens were all alone for long periods of time,” said Chelsea Meyer, fitness manager at Northwestern Medicine. “School shut down, schedules were a little weird, and lack of fitness. Exercise naturally helps build up endorphins in the body, ethically, the more you exercise the more happy you will be.”
Taking care of yourself on the outside is important but taking care of yourself on the inside is too. A table at the Mental Health Fair discussed why your gut health is so important to your mental health.
“When it comes to health and wellness and just how we feel overall on a day-to-day basis, I am a strong believer that lifestyle has a lot to do with that,” holistic health coach Carmela Riley said. “Things such as nutrition, stress levels, screen time, sleep, all of these components play such a big role.”
The Mental Health Fair showed HHS students, facilities, and parents how to take care of themselves and the people around them.