Zora excitedly reaches for her report card. It is the end of 7th grade and she anticipated the end of the school year. She rips it open and looks at her grades, but then something catches her eyes: the comments from the teachers. Every single one of them said that she needed a better attitude. Her heart dropped. Surely, this had to be a mistake. “What does that even mean?” she questioned.
She went with her parents to talk to the teachers, and they recommended that she go to a psychiatrist. The thought of, “I am a screw up,” repeated itself in her head over and over again. Attitude, as she understood it, is a fundamental part of who people are. If she was being judged by those who were supposed to support her as lacking such a fundamental thing, she didn’t know if she wanted to continue living. Those comments from the report card did not describe who she was, as the teachers did not really know her. Thankfully, she sought support from her mom who helped her through the situation and showed Zora how much she was actually loved.
Now, she is at Andrews University as a freshman and her friends describe her as a caring individual with a soft soul.
The issue of suicide is as prevalent as ever. September is the National Suicide Awareness month. You’ve probably seen the signs the Counseling and Testing Center put up all over campus in order bring awareness. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in people ages 10-34, as told by the National Institute of Mental Health (2020). That means more teens and young adults die from suicide than cancer, as stated by the Jason Foundation (2020). Many professionals, such as those at the Suicide Prevention Lifeline believe this can be prevented. One way to do this is to know the signs, found at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/how-we-can-all-prevent-suicide/.
COVID-19 has made this year especially challenging to our emotional resilience. It is quite hard to feel motivated during these times, but any effort towards keeping up with your health is worthwhile. For example, making connections could help. There are still spaces in the cafeteria to share a meal with friends. It’s still a great place to connect! Our phones can help aid in this connection, whether it’s FaceTime or Zoom. The Wellness Center is now open and is another great place to talk and exercise. Making sure to take care of your physical and mental needs is crucial during this pandemic.
As much as the virus has been an impact, the media has been filled with the loss of many valued Black lives. Black people need the support of a community during this time. Mental illness disproportionately affects minorities. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (2020), Black students report the largest percentage of suicide attempts compared to other ethnic groups. We can support our fellow Black friends by checking up on them and expressing our empathy for the pain that they are going through, even though we may not fully understand. Listening to what Black people have to say and being an advocate is also really helpful. Black lives matter at Andrews University, and they deserve to feel wanted.
Faith can also be a great way to keep emotional wellbeing. Rachel Rettner wrote that having a strong belief in God is correlated to decreased depression and anxiety (Rettner, 2015). Week of Prayer, which took place only two weeks ago, focused on the theme “Love is Life.” On September 1st, Keila Carmona made an impactful sermon about allowing Jesus to be in the places that hurt the most and not push him away. We can allow God inside our dark thoughts so that he can illuminate them.
We are blessed by the fact that we have free counseling services through the Counseling and Testing Center at Andrews University. The challenges of life are hard and constantly changing, but you are not alone. Kristine, another student at Andrews, previously used the resources available on campus and felt more supported. She was feeling anxious from the stress of finals on top of personal issues in her life, and the CTC was there for her when she most needed it. If you or anyone you know is going through anything, please reach out and know that the CTC will be there to guide you (Phone: 269-471-3470, Email: ctcenter@andrews.edu).
Works Cited
Rettner, R. (2015, September 23). God Help Us? How Religion is Good (And Bad) For Mental Health. Retrieved September 14, 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/52197-religion-mental-health-brain.html
Suicide statistics. (2020, July 29). Retrieved September 14, 2020, from https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/
Suicide. (2020, September). Retrieved September 14, 2020, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml
Youth Suicide Statistics. (2020, August 27). Retrieved September 14, 2020, from http://prp.jasonfoundation.com/facts/youth-suicide-statistics/
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.