Take Action for Mental Health

My art work shows the different sides of mental health. One side is about when I am feeling strong and confident, I feel invincible. BUT behind that I have lots of insecurities and I overthink a lot.

Growing plants is a big part of a world that supports my mental health so I drew a person gathering dirt around a new plant that curls into a green ribbon. I thought that it was a creative way to incorporate the ribbon into the plant showing how plants can help improve mental health. Plants are proven to help improve mental and physical health. Not only is it peaceful to walk through nature but a study shows that trees and plants release phytoncides which not only protect the tree but if inhaled help lower stress hormones. Sometimes the simple act of planting a seed, flower or plant can give someone purpose and something to look forward to seeing grow.

My art reflects upon the idea of young people being seen and heard with their mental health. I feel as though many young people aren’t taken seriously when it comes to this, especially in younger children. This is an important problem that is overlooked in society. A world where mental health is taken seriously is what is portrayed in my painting, simply a young person being heard by an adult/therapist/person that cares. Communicating and expressing care towards young mental health creates a great impact of a sense of belonging and feeling heard.I feel like this is something the world needs. To represent how this relates back to mental health month, I included a green ribbon on the listener and on the corner table, a stack of cards that show Directing Change’s slogan and logo.

My piece aims to depict a common mental strain that students in particular face a lot of; anxiety. Pressures are piled upon many students, largely from expectations from parents, society, and themselves. Anxiety often goes ignored until it reaches a breaking point for many students though, as there is a culture in pushing oneself until burnout. This is not a healthy practice, and the youth should be educated in the fact that they should allow themselves time to step back, reflect, and get help for any negative emotions they accumulate. The splash of color in my painting, incorporated through the lime green ribbon, represents the help that is available in a sea of warped and grim emotions, show through perspective and monotone colors. It is my hope that through increased mental health awareness, more adolescents will be able to recognize their own mental hardships, and find help in the communities around them.

It is a poster with graphics of people talking to each other, along with a Green ribbon representing mental health awareness, a quote from Lauren Fogel Mersy, and a text box saying that you can talk to each other about Mental issues.

My project shows the green ribbon, representing mental health awareness, and on it are ways that I help my mental health. It shows ways to calm down and how to help with your mental health.

My entry shows a mental health toolbox. This is supposed to reflect ways/ tools to help improve mental health. I drew a toolbox with tools in it to represent the mental health toolbox. On the tools I wrote a few ways that people can check in with themselves and find ways to improve their mental health. A few things I wrote on the tools were to talk with friends and family about any problems you are experiencing, to be well rested, and to eat healthy food, etc. All in all my project is a Mental health toolbox to show ways of achieving great mental health.

My poster is about how to make sure you stay mentally healthy and what to do to stay healthy. My poster provides 4 ways to stay healthy and it has a website name if you want to learn more about mental health. Anyone who has trouble staying emotionally healthy can read this poster and understand it.

My submission, “Floating into Better Health” details a community striving to connect and help those around them. As depicted, community members are giving those in need balloons in the shape of hearts, tied with a green ribbon, emblematic of the Green Mental Health Ribbon. The heart balloons are symbolic of a community’s willingness to devote resources, and more importantly heart and love, to the ones around them, allowing them to “float” into a better mental health. My piece shows the willingness & passion of loved ones helping those in need. In this way, it calls on a community wide effort to help those who are struggling the most.

My submission is about two friends sitting on a bench and one is going through mental health problems. The one on the right struggles with stress and anxiety which has caused him to feel depressed. The person on the left wants to help out his friend by talking to him about what he’s going through and how he can help. This shows that young people can take action by reaching out to the ones they care about who are going through mental struggles and giving them support.