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May.
What comes to mind when the month of May is said?
Summer is near?
Memorial day weekend?
Prom?
Yes, these things come to mind but another idea that comes to mind is Mental Heath Awareness month.
Since the pandemic, people care about their mental health more than ever. In research conducted by the CDC, 4 out of 10 teens (42%) felt unhappy or hopeless. Also one of third of them have experienced bad mental heath (29%). But some groups are worse than others. The CDC also found in their research that of students belonging to the LGBTQ+ community, almost half of them (45%) have considered committing suicide. This is considerable more than their heterosexual counterparts.

As a population we need to help the people struggling with this issue! If you or someone is being affected by mental health issues, you should seek help IMMEDIATELY.
If you are having a bad day, here are some things you can do to make yourself feel just a bit better.
1. Think about something that makes you happy, (BBYO, memories, etc.)
2. Take a deep breath in and out, (in through your nose and out through your mouth)
3. Take a walk or a run (fresh air is always good for the soul)
4. Talk to someone you trust
5. Watch a movie or tv (this could clear your mind)
6. Write in a journal (take your mind off it)
7. Listen to music
8. Make yourself or others food (food always makes everything better)
9. Order stuff online (gives you something to look forward to)
10. Take a nap (gets your mind off of things)

Even when its not May, don't forget to check on your friends. You never know what someone else is going through.

All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.

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