By Ryan Otteson | Reporter
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and there are several organizations on campus that prioritize and advocate for mental health.
Active Minds is an organization focused on spreading awareness of mental health disorders and reducing the stigma that is sometimes associated with them. According to their webpage, nearly half of college students have struggled with mental health issues, revealing how prevalent they are on college campuses.
Frisco junior Kayla Schlotman is currently serving as the president of Active Minds and is very passionate about the work they do. She said she found Active Minds at Late Night her freshman year and knew she wanted to be involved.
Active Minds is doing events for finals such as providing food, self-care kits and activities for students at Fountain Mall. There will also be a trail mix bar in the library on dead day for students to come and get a study snack.
“We set up in Moody, and people just come by. and we give them free food,” Schlotman said. “All the bags have encouraging messages on them.”
While these are little things that can uplift someone during a hard study day, Schlotman also said that seeking professional help like counseling along with taking medication is important for treating mental health. Memorizing healthy thoughts and thought processes can also help people through difficult situations. Schlotman emphasizes “not only [be] memorizing those difficult moments but memorizing the moments when you feel most alive.”
However, she believes the biggest impacts are made within interpersonal relationships and people being able to notice behavior that could be linked to signs of poor mental health.
Austin sophomore Anna Grace Driver agrees that checking in on family and friends is a good way to advocate for those with mental health disorders. Driver is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, a Panhellenic chapter that engages in philanthropic efforts for mental health.
“I think it’s important to treat mental health disorders because if they go unnoticed and untreated they could just get worse, and that’s just not healthy,” she said.
For her own mental health, Driver said she does little tasks that make her happy such as going on walks, getting coffee or simply journaling her thoughts and feelings. On Fridays, members from Kappa Kappa Gamma volunteer at local schools in Waco to spend time with the students there.
“Being able to uplift these kids on a Friday afternoon and talking to them, sharing God’s light, really benefits not just their mental health but ours as well,” Driver said.
