Sometimes, it isn’t easy to generate ideas while also making sure you’re posting consistently. Some might agree that YouTubers, all across the board, try to be original. But they never are. Instead, we see the same classic YouTube pranks, the same “what’s in my bag,” or the same video of which the YouTuber appears to be “letting” us in on their day. However, I haven’t seen one video where YouTubers talk about mental health. If it’s not a paid advertisement in the context of going to therapy, it seems as if it’s not important.
While we might think the pandemic is over, it’s not. There are still other countries or states struggling to combat the virus, given that there’s a new strain, which is worst than the Beta strain. Nevertheless, have we forgotten that we were all in the house for basically a whole year, with nothing to do? Besides TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Netflix, and so on, we weren’t doing much. Our mental states were in shambles. We couldn’t see our friends, nor could we go outside without masks. That, with everything else, took a toll on us. So why isn’t mental health talked about?
We should not brush mental health under the rug. Especially during times like this, it should be one of the topics that should be discussed more than ever. If you’re blessed to have a large following base on YouTube or an additional platform, use it for the better! Don’t wait for a paid promotion to discuss something that everyone battles with. It starts to create a culture where people would rather deal with it on their own or never talk about it at all.
For that reason, below, we will discuss why mental health is important to talk about, and organizations that you could highlight as you start to think of how to incorporate mental health into your next video.
Why Mental Health?
As I said before, mental health is something that everyone battles with at one point in their life. During the pandemic, we got to see how bad it could get if we did not address our issues. More importantly, we started to see how important social interaction could benefit our well-being. Not having it for a long period of time, as we got to see, is detrimental.
“During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or a depressive disorder, a share that has been largely consistent, up from one in ten adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019.” On top of that, “The pandemic has disproportionately affected the health of communities of color. Non-Hispanic Black adults (48%) and Hispanic or Latino adults (46%) are more likely to report symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder than Non-Hispanic White adults (41%). Historically, these communities of color have faced challenges accessing mental health care.”
With this kind of new information coming out, could it be that now is the time to focus on the more important issues? Forget the pranks; forget what’s in my bag, or forget the need to let us ‘in’ on your daily life. Let’s start to change the way we go about life, and that starts with talking about how your mental state either negatively or positively impacts your life. There are some people out there that didn’t experience much of a difference in their life during the pandemic. And that’s life. But for those that did, I think they’d really appreciate it if they heard, or watched, something which would let them know that they’re not alone.
As someone who has dominated the Olympics, if Simons Biles isn’t afraid to talk about it, you shouldn’t beeither.
Organizations To Highlight
If you’re considering highlighting organizations that focus on mental health, below are some to get you started as you prepare for your next video.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
2. Mental Health America
3. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
4. Child Mind Institute
Organizations To Donate To
If you want to take it a step further, below are a few charities you can donate to, especially now that mental health has been a topic that many media outlets are covering.
- StrongMinds
2. Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
3. Rethink Mental Illness
4. The Jed Foundation
5. NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness
This is a step in the right direction. Let us not allow Naomi Osaka or Simon Biles to be by themselves when it comes to not being OK. In the words of Osaka, “It’s OK to be not OK.”
Featured image credit: Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash
