Mental Wellness: No more shh's about it!

We celebrate so many cheerful things in May—Graduations, Mother’s Day, the coming of spring, but May happens to also be National Mental Health Month. There are so many stigmas around the topic of mental health, almost as much as there is on teen parents. The interesting thing is that while adolescence is a hard time emotionally, when you’re a teen parent, those emotions are tenfold and accessing support to be healthy in every single aspect is a must.

According to a study by the Center of Disease Control, teen mothers are more likely to suffer from post-partum depression. And it is already a fact that as teens, depression is already a high possibility. As a person who was diagnosed with severe depression during my second pregnancy (at the age of 16) I can relate to the emotions and “embarrassment” of having to seek out a therapist to help you overcome the issues you have been told you have. There were so many thoughts racing through my head and I didn’t understand the importance of getting the support to overcome the overwhelming situation I was in.

As an adult and now mother of a “tween” and a school age boy, I can fully grasp the benefits of seeking mental health services and worrying about being mentally “well.” Do not let the terms scare you or frighten you, but rather seek education on what YOU can do in order to keep a healthy mental state. Whether it means learning to manage stress, learning to cope with things such as running late because your baby was having a hard morning, or because you have school and homework and a child to juggle, you as a young parent need to remember that you can only be the BEST for you child if you seek the BEST for yourself. Remember, you don’t have to seek a counselor, you don’t have to go on meds, just turn to someone you can talk to and who will listen. Internalizing your emotions is definitely not healthy, having someone take an active interest in your life will not only help your self-esteem, but also make you realize you’re not alone and how much you’re worth.

It’s never too late to look for help, and if you need assistance for whatever issue that needs to be resolved, turn to someone, visit websites, and remember that it is ok to ask for help. In the long run, you’re creating a better environment for your child and for yourself.