As the happy holidays come up, it’s only right we highlight how “happy” things really are. As humans, our first instinct is to mask our hurt and sadness, especially while seeing family and friends. We don’t want to “worry” them. There is more to that than I would like to say, but as someone with first hand experience, I feel as if my understanding can bring comfort to others. Even if I can’t cure someone I strongly believe that talking to someone can be therapeutic, allowing our stress to be processed and understood. Personally, when my depression first started I was very young and had no guidance to help me get better. It almost cost me my life multiple times and therefore I learned suffering alone will never help but only hurt. We all have happiness within us, but most of us need extra help finding it.

On December 1st, I interviewed ACE student Cole Ferrentino regarding her feelings towards mental health around the holidays. We began with a discussion around why some feel that their struggles are more important than others. “…When we are invalidated, we focus more on our own struggles because no one else is focused on them and we tend to yell over each other.” She stated. We acknowledged how men are less likely to come forward with their mental health. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “The suicide rate among American men is about four times higher than among women.” I asked Cole if she was excited for the holidays and she said “I am excited and I’m happy about it.” She then added, “But I may experience holiday depression if I know I’ll be alone, and hearing others talk about gifts and things I couldn’t have sometimes makes me sad.”

I sat down with ACE student Tyler Scherer to gain additional insight about students’ feelings towards mental health. ‘I’m comfortable talking about it. I think it’s something everyone should be able to speak on.” When presented with the data found about men’s mental health, Scherer claimed, “I didn’t know that, but it makes sense. Men don’t really like to talk about things, and society looks down on men when speaking about depression and other struggles.”

This holiday season, it’s crucial to check on those most important and closest to you and to remember our mental health is very important. Making it a top priority gives us a moment to strengthen it and grow as a person