A few weeks ago, Vandal Health Education hosted Fresh Check Day on campus, a mental health fair held on campuses across the country. I facilitated the Elephant in the Room booth which addresses how difficult it can be to talk about aspects of mental health. Students and faculty members were encouraged to write down their personal elephant in the room to be shared anonymously. Participants’ answers reflected many aspects of mental health ranging from anxiety to family troubles or personal insecurities.
Kelsey Stevenson
Looking at all the things people had written, there were several responses that were similar. This shows in our Moscow community, it was not just one person who felt like anxiety or depression was their elephant in the room, instead there were several people who were experiencing similar situations. It was such an impactful way to see how many people struggle with similar things, and how so many people want to talk about these big issues but feel like they can’t speak openly about their elephant in the room.
People seemed surprised to see that other people had put similar things up on the board. Sometimes it can feel like we are the only one struggling or that we are the only one feeling this way, but as the booth showed, we often aren’t as alone as we may think. Discussions around mental health may be uncomfortable and so we avoid talking about them, but this makes people even less likely to ever talk about them and adds to that overall avoidance.
Not talking about our elephants in the room may seem like the easier choice because it is more comfortable, but it is often detrimental in the long run. While we are the only person to experience our unique circumstances, chances are we are not alone in how we are feeling. Isolating ourselves and keeping our emotions hidden away can impact our mental health.
Fighting the stigma surrounding mental health issues is a huge part of the overall battle to address mental health. As a society, we should talk more about mental health and work toward a healthy lifestyle together. It is okay to struggle sometimes, it is okay to talk about it and it is okay to reach out for help.
We are all just people sharing life together, so we should encourage people to openly talk about mental health. It might be uncomfortable, awkward, and difficult at first, but once we start the conversation about our elephants in the room, it will become much easier to keep talking, creating change, and supporting each other.
We can start with small changes, like opening up to family and close friends. The more people talking, the more it will ripple out to their friends and friends of friends, and eventually to the community and society as a whole.
There are also several resources on campus that students can access to get help with mental health. One of the primary resources is the Counseling and Testing Center which offers free and confidential counseling services for students. Students can call (208) 885-6716 or walk in to schedule an appointment. Additionally, they have staff available day and night for students in crisis. It might be difficult, but we can work together.
Let’s start talking about our elephants in the room.