Reba Beaudry-

It’s the time of year when things start to pick up, creating more stress on our minds. Our minds are important; it’s vital to take care of them and to talk about our mental health, especially to break down stigmas. Mental health isn’t talked about enough, especially suicide awareness. By talking about suicide awareness, those who are facing suicidal thoughts might feel more comfortable opening up and getting the help that they need.

This is a major issue among young adults, especially college students. “Roughly 20% of the Gustavus student population go to the counseling center each year” Member of the Counseling Center, Jessica Harder said. Other students see their therapists off campus, and many more may be quietly struggling with their mental health on any level of severity.

Gustavus is working towards creating an initiative to help with suicide awareness. This initiative is brought forth with boxes called Anchor Boxes from the company Find Your Anchor. This idea was raised by the GustieWELL coordinator, Justine Schultz. These boxes are meant to “educate and raise awareness” Schultz said. These boxes are a resource for anyone on campus, whether they are in crisis or not.

These Anchor Boxes have 20 to 25 items in them to help those in need. Some examples of the items are a deck of cards with 52 reasons to live, a journal, hotline numbers, and resources. These boxes are for anyone to grab, whether it be for yourself or a friend, whether someone is in crisis, or as a preventive action. They are located in the GustieWELL, the Counseling Center, the Dean of Students office, and the Health Services office.

Many of us may know someone who is struggling but might not know what to do. So, how can we help? As a friend, you need to “understand your role, be a friend, listen and provide support”, Schultz said. It is also important to direct those who are struggling to professionals, especially those who are in crisis mode and struggling with suicidal thoughts. When looking back on their experience, they will remember those who were there for them. That is what you can do: be there for them.

As a support person, you could also get them an anchor box and reach out to services for them if they need help but aren’t ready to go out and get it themselves. Sometimes people need someone to reach out to them. “I think the biggest thing people can do who are struggling with thoughts/feelings of suicide is to not keep it to yourself,” Harder said. She is essentially saying that if you can admit that you need help or that you are ready for it, you should take that step. By taking that step, you can help save your life.

The counseling center offers emergency sessions called triage daily Monday through Friday. These sessions with the counseling center “… work(s) with the student to assess the severity of their suicidal ideation and develop a plan for safety” Harder noted. These safety plans help students who are struggling with suicidal thoughts to make a plan and come up with strategies to help motivate them to live.

There is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health and suicidal thoughts. The Anchor Boxes and the counseling center aim to break down that stigma via education and awareness. “We can’t improve without awareness,” Schultz said regarding breaking down the stigma. It is important to sit down and listen to someone who is struggling, this way you will be educated. Although it’s good to learn from your peers, you should do some research and even talk to a therapist to further understand and educate yourself about mental health problems.

It is so important to talk about mental health especially suicidal thoughts, as it brings awareness and stops stigma. When we talk about it, we normalize mental health. Everyone has mental health, whether they are stable or struggling. One thing to remember is to give space for people to talk about their mental health and to actively listen.

So, if you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, you can get help. Utilize the anchor boxes and the other resources on campus. Remember the more you talk about it, the more understanding others will have and you will be more comfortable getting the help that you need.