Many students struggle with mental health. Teachers at Littleton are proof that despite some of the anxieties and troubles that surround teens, things do get better.
One of Littleton’s proudest -Ms. Thieme- was a high schooler not too long ago, and she has learned how to manage mental health. Ms. Thieme has dealt with anxiety since high school and has learned to grow from it.
When I had the chance to talk with Ms. Theime, I first asked about her relationship with mental health.
“It has I would say my relationship with mental health has evolved over the years. To one of like not knowing about it at all, to being embarrassed because I knew I was struggling with mental health issues, to acceptance and wanting other people to talk about it too,”
“The not-knowing was definitely in high school… and in college, I’ve since learned that for many people that comes to be when some mental health issues come up. So for me, it was a lot of anxiety, and once I realized that I started doing the work to take care of that. I was really embarrassed because it felt like everybody else is having fun around me, its like what’s wrong with me?”
“Since then, my friends in college that I have never talked to about myself having anxiety, they were like ‘I had my own mental health struggles’. So I think partly through that and partly the bigger shift in our society right now of talking about it, probably starting in my later twenties into my early thirties. I feel like I have a new acceptance, that this is just a part of me, and I do these things to take care of myself.”
I then asked her if she had a specific moment when she realized something wasn’t right.
“Yea, it’s so funny I think everyone’s mental health journey is different… I don’t remember the exact context but I do remember a moment where I was talking to my mom and I was really upset, but it was a deeper upset. I was calling her from college, and I was like this isn’t a normal ‘I miss home’ or a ‘somethings hard at school’, it was deeper than that. Something clicked into place and my mom even was like ‘I don’t know, you might need to go check with the health center and see what’s up”
I asked if she had any advice to give regarding her experiences of mental health.
“One, not be ashamed or embarrassed. I think its, to this day and at this point, and I’m constantly reminding myself of this, that it’s not different than having the flu or breaking a leg. Mental health is a physical thing that’s happening in your body and to see it as a weakness or something you’ve done wrong is not right. Talking about it, not being ashamed of it, is the first thing. Then, getting help and not being afraid to ask for help. A lot of people in this world think that asking for help is also a sign of weakness, but for me its the greatest thing I’ve done. Reaching out for help, getting professional help, talking to people that can help the person,”
The last thing I asked is if she believed that things do get better.
“Absolutely…One thousand percent better… I definitely can relate with people who think that it’s not going to get better. Through not being ashamed and reaching out to get help, my life is completely different. It’s so much for the better because of that… I want students to know, not only do they see friends or peers struggling but this is just a societal thing. Mental health is a normal thing that everyone struggles with, for some it’s harder and for others its a little bit less. I want us all as a community to be talking about it. Not just kids, but the adults as well.”
Ms. Theime ended our conversation teary-eyed, explaining that it makes her emotional to talk about it. Mental health is emotional for many people, and understanding that our teachers deal with it to can help us feel better.
Through overcoming her fears and anxieties, Ms. Theime proves that things do get better. So if things seem difficult now, the adults around us can help guide the way to a better future.
