Collective Journal

Mental health has a different definition for everyone and I think that's what makes it unique and important as a whole. No matter which way you perceive it, all of it is important. To me specifically, mental health is important because it is just as significant as one's physical health is. You really can't have one without the other. It took me some time to learn this. Even if your body is healthy, it doesn't necessarily mean that your mind is. That taught me to be careful of

I've always cared for mental health and how our well being affects our behavior and relationships with others. In high school, I began volunteering and working with nonprofit mental health organizations. I learned more about the importance of advocacy and education; oftentimes we forget how mental health affects us and the people around us. I love meeting new people and hearing about everyone's stories and experiences, and I believe that learning from others is one of the bes

Since high school, mental health advocacy has been one of my passions. In college, I enjoyed studying mental health through an interdisciplinary lens, taking a writing course and an economic course on the topic. I began volunteering for a suicide hotline when I was 15 years old. That experience showed me how many people desire a space for connection, inspiring me to create Voices Meet Minds (VMM) with Natalie. We began VMM as an org for youth, and it has been wonderful to see

I was diagnosed with autism when I was 20. I had always been different, was always awkward or had a hard time with things others didn’t, but I thought I knew what autism was and it wasn’t me. It took me hearing others’ stories of people who experienced the world in ways similar to me to consider I wasn’t just different or quirky I had something worth accommodating. It was something I could finally give myself grace for and it helped me to navigate the world with knowledge rat

For me, mental health reflects the freedom to express one’s humanity, and to do that, we must collectively live presently and according to our personal truths. Though I'm definitely an introverted person who spends too much time in her own head, I've always loved spending time with others and truly getting to know them. People have so many different aspects of their personalities that show up in different parts of their lives, and usually an abundance of stories to tell. This

To me, mental health means caring for your mind and emotional wellbeing. It is another facet of our overall health that shapes our ability to engage and thrive in our daily lives. Though, while I hold that perspective now, when I was growing up in my family, mental health wasn't really viewed or prioritized in that way. I was well educated about physical health. I knew that if I got physically hurt or sick, I had to go to the doctor to get better; but I didn't know what to do

Mental health is important to me because it reminds us of something we often forget: behind every diagnosis, behavior, achievement, or setback is a human being with a story worth understanding. My own experiences have taught me what it feels like to search for connection, to navigate healing, and to realize that our struggles do not define our worth. They become part of the stories that shape us. Those experiences inspired me to pursue my PhD in clinical psychology, but they

My journey with mental health began in college, when I was struggling with the stress of school and being away from my family. I underwent therapy, spent a lot of time editing videos as an art student, and went for long runs in Richmond, VA, to help manage my stress. Understanding and defining my own struggle, as well as who I was becoming, was a challenging but enriching time in my life. Mental health is important to me because I think we all struggle in some way, with inter

If I were a bowl, I would not be lifted new from a shelf. I would be one that shattered, but not from being dropped. From something inside it growing larger than the space allowed. I carry the philosophy of kintsugi with me because it reflects my culture and how I understand healing. Not as a return to what once was, but as an ethical act of repair. Breakage is never random. Some cracks are caused by force. Others by neglect or mistakes. And many by systems that were never de

The past is addictive when the present is in anguish. The future is pasted in the rearview of our minds. We’re aware but the hope for...

Her flower curls up into hibernation. She’s always asleep; She’s never the blossoming garden I wish her to be...

She finds a cardboard box in her cobweb covered basement next to the dusty plastic Easter eggs and the toy drum filled with white...

There are moments in my life where I believe the stars align and that life has so much love and adventure to explore. Where I point to...

Everyday I wake up at ten in the morning. I watch some videos on the internet and daydream about being someone else, somewhere else...