It Takes a Village to Raise Mentally Strong Adults

Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash

There is a surge in mental illness and disorder cases since the onset of the pandemic. Some of the known cases are university students in our locality. With this concern, students in protested for an academic break. The government and acedemic inistitutions responded to the call within a few days.
There response was favorable. But it would be unfair to blame academics alone for the mental health struggles of our students. There are many contributing factors to a person’s mental health including genes, relationships, diet, activities, life events, and even the weather. We all need to work together to protect each other’s mental health.

Here are some things we can do in different aspects of our society.

At Home

As parents, we have to remember that we are not only raising physical bodies. We have to take care of our children’s mental, spiritual, and emotional growth as well. This is easier said than done, it’s difficult especially when we have our own struggles. But we don’t have to be perfect, we just have to do our best. God’s grace will fill up whatever we’re missing.
Let us love our children exactly for who they are while guiding them to be the best they can be. Let us allow them to express their emotions. Let us give them the tools they can use when life gets difficult instead of doing everything for them.

In Church

Stop equating mental health problems for spiritual weakness. Those who are mentally struggling do not need judgment. They need understanding, love, and prayers.

When Elijah prayed to God, “I have had enough Lord, take my life…” He did not send an angel to say “strengthen your faith!” Instead, He sent an angel to give him food and drink. So the next time someone comes to you with their troubles, be an angel and treat them with cake and coffee instead of judgment.

In School

When we were in third-year high school, we felt like the requirements given to us were too much and the deadlines were too tight. So what did we do? We all skipped our classes. Our teachers came to class only to find an empty classroom. Our teachers were wise enough to make that into a teachable moment. One…