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Le temps retrouvé DOSSIER 61

Maintaining good

mental health

Yara Absi 2 1, Maria Choueiri 2 8 et Valerie Chedid El Helou 2 10
de
de
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ur generation has been struggling with going on during these past two years, and
Omental health, especially with the current we are very grateful for that.
situation in Lebanon and the pandemic.
One efficient approach that our school
This topic, that has been overlooked for very has adopted to help students with their
long, is now very popular, especially on mental health issues, is starting an art
social media. Although it’s not that safe to therapy workshop. What is art therapy?
share our stories or to even discuss this matter you may ask. This kind of therapy uses
on social media platforms, it has been very art to activate sensory responses that is
helpful for all of us. People are educating directly connected to emotions. In brief, it
themselves now, which is raising awareness. is a way of communicating and expressing
Why is everyone suddenly so interested in one’s feelings without having to use words,
mental health? Is it because more people are which can sometimes be draining and
opening up about their struggles? Or maybe confusing for an individual. This is now used
because the number of people whose mental all around the world, and even became a
health got worse during the last 2 years has profession. Students find it really helpful to
increased drastically? take a break from their overloaded week,
put their minds to rest for 30mins, and let
In light of what has already been said about
mental illness, and specifically the way it go of all their stress and anxiety by letting
affects teenagers, it is important to add that their artistic inspiration flow. Since the
this year, our school has been giving this beginning of this workshop, a lot of different
subject a lot more importance. For example, techniques have been used to help students
in the beginning of the year, when we met cope, such as painting, creating fictional
the school’s psychologist, we had a one-hour- scenarios, playing different instruments
long activity about social anxiety. We talked and listening to calm and relaxing music.
about it, about the symptoms, the causes, we We all look forward to what is planned for
wrote down the feelings before, during, and future art therapy sessions by the school’s
after a social event... It was very nice to be psychologist.
able to recognize these feelings, because So, what can you do if you, or someone
we didn’t have to actually share them, just you know are struggling with mental health?
write them for ourselves. We also had other Well, first thing’s first, it is important to start by
activities such as: self-image talks (mainly for reminding yourself, and the people around
girls), wakefulness sessions about violence you of a few things. One, it’s okay not to be
(for boys), an activity about stress, and ways okay, it really is. Two, you are, no matter
to handle it, another wakefulness session what, loved and valuable and you can heal,
about addiction... even if it takes time and is not an easy or a
linear process; you deserve to heal. Three,
All things considered, it is clear that the
school is definitely trying to help us, to you are not alone. Even if you feel like you
give our mental health more importance, are, there will always be someone you can
especially with everything that has been reach out to. It can be a friend, a family

o
Nous du Collège - N 296 - Mars 2022