Illustration by Nishaya, AMY

By Thabata, Catholic Partnership Schools Healthy Courier | Mental health is never easy to talk about. It’s consistent throughout our lives, affecting how we think, feel, and act. As an eighth grader, mental illness is more prominent than ever with the stress of applying to high schools, grades, and the chance of leaving long-time friends behind.  

Writing about mental health can help us identify what we’ve struggled with and furthermore find ways to cope. Not only that, it can also bring awareness to the seriousness of mental illness. This could cause students to check up on their classmates more frequently, along with the possibility of students thinking twice before speaking, to learn compassion.

—Thabata is in eighth grade.