With the last year being life-changing and unexpected, it’s become more prevalent how important it is to take care of yourself in such trying times. A lot of people’s daily routines and normal lifestyles had come to a halt with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With all the changes happening, people haven’t taken the time to focus on themselves and what they really need in this time of distress. In the PR world, everything is fast-paced, quick changing and it is our job to stay on top of it all, but we have to make the time for ourselves to do our jobs to the best of our abilities!
As a full-time student with a part time job, I’ve come to realize how important it is to take time to take care of myself when I need it most. I believe it is so important for everyone else to know the same. Social media has the ability to help mental health gain more awareness that it needs. Breaking the silence of mental health and illness with hashtags like #BellLetsTalk, has made a tremendous impact on the stigma surrounding mental health. With social media being such a big part of people’s everyday lives, it is important we use these platforms to reach an audience that could need help.
Twitter and Instagram are major social media platforms that can be used to help build this awareness. As previously mentioned, hashtags are a unique way to promote the attention of any cause. When it comes to mental health, there have been plenty of hashtags dedicated to the cause of mental health awareness. Some of these hashtags include #mentalhealthawareness, #mentalhealthmatters, #stopthestigma and #selfcare. By using these hashtags, we can promote the use of positive language to help further break down this stigma. We can open the door to the conversations that need to be had and help provide a common ground for people to connect.
With the pandemic still going on and everyday life not being fully back to normal just yet, the use of social media has become something people rely on all the time for their entertainment and even outlets for their thoughts. As someone who uses social media regularly, I find comfort in knowing there are other people on these platforms that either can help or need the help when it comes to mental health. Since being on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for over 10 years now, I’ve seen the efforts of using hashtags and creating awareness regarding mental health and how it has brought people together. For instance, the month of May has been observed as the Mental Health Awareness month since 1949. Now with all the
advancements on social media, we’ve been able to expand the awareness and bring to light the importance of your mental health. Instagram accounts like mentalhealthamerica advocate and offer help for anyone who needs. On their Instagram page, they provide infographics, tips to help take care of yourself through blog posts and outlets to find the help you need.
With all these available outlets and resources to help one another and the impact we have in the PR world when it comes to reaching our audiences, we can use the tools we know to continue the awareness this topic needs. With the skills we know and use every day as PR students at the Swing, we can continue to help and keep breaking the stigma surrounding mental health.
Sources:
Link for source of bell lets talk picture
Written by Emily Suter
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