Over the couple of months I have been able to investigate arguably the leading cause of stress for students and adults which is mental health. At the beginning of the semester, I wasn't sure if I wanted my topic to be mental health because I have had many experiences from myself and my peers' stories. Upon listening to podcasts like “The Breakfast Club”, I made the decision to have mental health as my topic because it is something that we don’t talk about enough in today's society. Usually when people talk about their mental health to someone who isn't educated on the topic, they think you are doing it for attention or they say there's nothing wrong with you. This type of stigma is heavily prevalent among middle aged and senior adults whose generation didn't talk about mental health much. The series of projects I did this semester opened my eyes to a world of contributing factors that lead to the downfall of one's mental health. I happened to do a mini podcast as one of my first projects with one of my friends as a guest. Talking and listening to his story made me want to help those who were helpless, trapped in their mind or who may not have a voice to speak out for themselves. Using techniques such incorporating statistics, persuading a group a certain way or using personal experiences has helped me become a better writer and is what I think will make this magazine worth reading. Rereading drafts and organizing new ideas helped me generate new ideas for possible projects but I was also struggling to think of new ones.
The outbreak of CoronaVirus took most of us by surprise and because of it, school got out and millions of people lost their jobs. As a high school senior this news shocked me because I was looking forward to spending the last few months having fun with my friends. Although Covid-19 is bad, it helped me generate new ideas to talk about mental health. Many of us are inside our homes everyday to help stop the spread of the virus and it made me think about all of the people who suffer from depression or anxiety. Those who are inside by themselves suffer the most in my opinion because they have no one to talk to and are trapped in their thoughts which could lead to them doing mad things to themselves. The last podcast discussion I did in my opinion was a good general look at the things that have been happening throughout the Covid-19 battle, from staying healthy to the country reopening businesses back up, the discussion is one that I think people could understand from a students perspective. Doing these series of projects not only helped me connect with my audience through feedback and writing but it also helped me view different stories from different people from different schools. I hope these stories and discussions help you realize you can overcome battles and challenges and be able to share your story without feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable. Thank you!