It’s all about changing the negative perception involving stress and mental health. That’s why the Purdue Extension Farm Stress Team is reaching out to high school and college students to break the cycle of silence when it comes to their mental health.
“Stress and mental health are something that each of us deals with,” says Purdue Extension – Fountain County Director Adam Tyler. He was recently at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis with the Purdue Extension Farm Stress Team to connect with students about the importance of opening up and sharing their emotions with someone they trust.
“If you have a mental health issue, if you’re dealing with stress or you’re dealing with things, you don’t have to bottle it up and you don’t have to hold it in,” says Tyler. “It’s okay to talk about it. That’s what we’re trying to do is to give those resources to help them be able to deal with a problem that could turn out to be a very serious issue if it’s not dealt with properly.”
Tyler says many students may not share their stress with others because their parents or grandparents never shared their stress, which is why he says it’s important to work with students now to break that cycle and that perception.
“Those older generations do bottle it up, because when you talked about your emotions, you talked about things that were painful or hurtful, that was a sign of weakness,” says Tyler, who adds that it is important to reverse that perception and to show students that seeking help is a sign of strength.
He says it’s important for students to know that finding a solution to their stress begins with sharing what they’re going through.
“I have family members that have dealt with mental health issues,” says Tyler. “I seen first-hand that they struggled with talking about it, but once they talked about it, they have been able to begin that healing process and working through things that they would not have been able to do. I don’t know where they would have been today if they wouldn’t have had that opportunity to talk to somebody about it.”
For more information about the Purdue Extension Farm Stress Team, as well as a list of resources – visit extension.purdue.edu/FarmStress.
Click BELOW for C.J. Miller’s news report and interview with Adam Tyler, Purdue Extension – Fountain County Director, about changing the perception of mental health with students and young adults.
