This week at Her Campus Harvard, we’ve been addressing an issue on campus that is talked about sometimes but not talked about enough. At the “greatest” university in the country, there are many issues voiced by it’s students about mental health and wellness and how it lacks the attention that it needs from the university. With the fall and the changing of the weather comes many changes in moods and Seasonal Affective Disorder among students on top of midterm craziness and pressure from outside forces. We all need to take a step back and evaluate ourselves and the way that we are handling our assets in this tumultuous time to be sure that we are not spiraling downward.
Marlise Arellano is a junior in Lowell House studying Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology. She’s fascinated by the inner workings of the brain as well as hormones generated by the body. Oh, and she always has a banana with her during important life moments such as midterms (sometimes eaten, sometimes just for moral support). She is also involved with an important group on campus that is very relevant to our week’s theme here at Her Campus Harvard: SMHL, or Student Mental Health Liaisons. Let’s learn more about Marlise, her interests and how they contribute to SMHL:
HCH: Tell me a little bit about what Student Mental Health Liaisons is. What is the organization’s mission? What sort of events/projects do you all do? How do you see your club contributing to the Harvard community?
MA: Student Mental Liaisons (SMHL) is a peer education group that focuses on educating our Harvard peers about the resources on campus and raising awareness about mental health at Harvard. We want to decrease the stigma surrounding mental health issues. We run the freshmen workshops in the fall as one of our big projects. We also hold mental health events with the larger student body (e.g. panels, community events) and smaller dinner events with different student groups on campus. In addition we also have house based events – specifically study breaks. Two events coming up soon are our “When is it more than just a bad day?” panel and our community dinner with Fuerza. I see SMHL as contributing to the Harvard community by opening up dialogue surrounding mental health and being a resource for our peers about mental health.
HCH: That sounds like a very important thing to have on campus. How did you get involved with SMHL? Did you always have an interest in mental health or did this spark up once you got to Harvard?
MA: I got involved very early at my time at Harvard so I have loved watching myself grow and watching our community grow as well. I realized that mental health wasn’t something that was talked about at my high school, but that it was still a prevalent issue. Mental health education/awareness has always been extremely important to me and SMHL was the perfect place to be surrounded by like minded individuals who are passionate about what I am!
HCH: What’s your personal view on the stigma that surrounds mental illness, especially at top tier universities such as our own? How do you think SMHL tries to combat this stigma?
MA: I feel like stigma is a large issue at Harvard and at many other universities in the United States. I feel like much of the stigma arises from the lack of communication surrounding mental health on campus. Not just in a larger sense but even in day-to-day life. Checking in with your friends and even actually replying to the question “How are you?” can be steps in the right direction of opening dialogue and making mental health a topic of discussion that is normalized rather than considered taboo. I feel like SMHL helps combat stigma by creating a safe space at events and through more one-on-one contact to discuss mental health issues. Through our peer education model I feel we have the power to speak out against the myths and stereotypes that perpetuate stigma while discussing ways to create a supportive Harvard community.
HCH: Going off of that same vein, what would you say to someone who is on the fence about utilizing some of the campus resources for mental health because they are afraid or don’t know what to expect?
MA: I would tell them to reach out to resources no matter how big or small the issue you want to talk about is! The resources (peer, residential, and professional) are so passionate about the work they do and really want people to come in and talk to them! Seeking resources is a brave choice that can only be commended. ”What to expect” varies by resource types, however all of the resources are here for people to feel safe and comfortable talking about whatever they feel the need to. There are multiple modes of entry in the system of resources so there is always a resource that will fit your needs!
HCH: What, with your training as a liaison, would you recommend for students to do to keep a good frame of mind and avoid getting to a bad place during this time where everyone seems to be bombarded with stress? What sort of things do you do to stay mentally healthy?
MA: I cannot stress enough the importance of self care. During freshmen workshops I would almost always get the question of how to take care of themselves in a stressful, sometimes overwhelming, place like Harvard and self care is one way to do that! Self care differs by individual but in general self care is a way to take time to yourself to make sure you are feeling balanced physically, emotionally, spiritually, or any other way in which you may find your balance. For myself, I find one thing that helps me is to take a break from Harvard campus/square. The environment can be overwhelming sometimes so leaving the campus to do something I enjoy has been invaluable to me to feeling refreshed and coming back with a new perspective. The change of scenery whether it be just downtown Boston or outside of Boston completely (just went apple picking in western MA) helps me self-reflect and contrast how I feel and how I want to feel.
HCH: Awesome! So, final question: Do you have any last words that you’d like to leave for our readers?
MA: Your mental health matters :)