Students mindful of mental health

For Grade 10 student Cyenna Link, the best mental health treatment is education.

Thanks in part to her vision, her classmates at Northumberland Regional High School attend ‘Talking Tuesday’ sessions with a psychiatrist, do mindfulness exercises on Wednesdays and various other activities to promote mental wellbeing this month.

“I wanted to start that conversation for students because I know it’s something that everyone deals with, it’s something that people don’t know how to deal with,” Link said.

Link herself lives with anxiety and has also experienced depression and an eating disorder, which inspired her to help others at school become educated about mental illness and talk honestly about any issues they may be facing.

While anxiety can cause panic attacks and intense fear or worry, Link said it also has positive impacts. These may include a feeling of motivation or even better leadership skills and problemsolving abilities.

“I use it to go throughout my day and it helps me get through all of these challenges, but at the same time, the way it affects me creates some negative obstacles going through my day-to-day life,” said Link.

Link and her fellow students are partaking in activities throughout this month that also coincided with Mental Health Week that ran across Canada from May 7 to 13.

“We did a survey at the beginning of the school year and anxiety and stress came up as our top two mental health issues that our students and our schools are facing,” said guidance counsellor Kathleen Reid.

She said that mental health issues can be particularly severe in youth owing to the stress and pressure society puts on teens. This may include exam stress, bullying, peer pressure and conflict at home, among other issues.

Treatment for anxiety commonly experienced by teens includes meditation and focusing on breathing, taking a short break from daily activities, sleeping properly, reducing caffeine, sugary and processed foods and even applying lavender oil, among other strategies. In some cases, medication may also be prescribed by doctors.

“Anxiety is actually very treatable once you know the strategies,” said Reid.