Nakayla F.
Photography by Cat White
If you’re reading this, your life matters and always will.
While this statement may seem straightforward and simple to the "average" person, as someone who has struggled with their mental health for over a decade, this is something that I continue to have to tell myself on a daily basis.
As a nursing student and soon to be nurse, I've had the privilege of working with patients who share my struggles, both on and outside of the psychiatric unit. In my work as a future healthcare professional, I have come to see the benefit of being able to truly relate to my patients when they share their own personal mental health battles with me. I know that I will always validate what a patient says about how they’re feeling, regardless of whether or not I believe it to be true because I know how it feels to have your feelings dismissed. In 2021, I remember having my first full blown panic attack my senior year of high school and going to the school nurse for help because I couldn’t stop hyperventilating and didn't know what else to do. From the moment I stepped into the school nurse's office, she made it known that she was annoyed by my presence and didn’t ask if I needed anything or attempt to assess my mental state in any way. She simply put me in a back room, handed me a paper bag for me to breathe into, and left me alone when all I really needed was someone to support me and sit beside me. When she finally came back to the room minutes later, all she said was, “are you ready to go back to class now?” in a dismissive tone while I was still bawling my eyes out and struggling to catch my breath. Thankfully, my guidance counselor came and took me into her office, walked me through some breathing exercises, and actually asked me how I was feeling and listened, not just because she had to, but because she cared to. That moment was extremely crucial for me in knowing how I wanted to treat my patients in the future. I never want to be the nurse who made someone feel small and worthless, just because they struggled with their mental health.
While I now have the knowledge and resources to better manage my own mental health, it is a battle that I continue to fight every single day. Helping others with their struggles is at times more beneficial to me than to them because I know that I’m acting as the support person I really needed when I was at my worst. My main message to the readers would be to be kind to others every single day, all of the time, not just when someone else is watching. You never know what battles a person may be going through in their mind and a kind action or simply lending an ear can truly be the difference between life or death.
Nakayla F., University of Virginia
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