Reflection #4 on Mental Health Awareness All Year Long with Kecia McDonald and Barbara Bray

 <br /> <br />I am so honored to know Kecia McDonald and to learn why mental health awareness is important all the time. Kecia is Curriculum Coordinator at Kealakehe Intermediate School and a certified health teacher for K-12. I reached out to Kecia to reflect on positive mental health. <br />What is good mental health? Why is it a right to have good mental health?<br />Kecia: According to the World Health Organization, it’s “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” There’s a lot to unpack in just that sentence, so let me dive a little deeper into what it looks like.<br />Good mental health is characterized by a person's ability to fulfill a number of key functions and activities, including the ability to learn; the ability to feel, express and manage a range of positive and negative emotions; the ability to form and maintain good relationships with others. (learn, self regulate, communicate, collaborate) Ultimately, good mental health is about being cognitively, emotionally, and socially healthy – the way we think, feel, and develop relationships – and not merely the absence of a mental health condition.<br />Signs of good mental health are:<br /><br />you are confident when faced with new situations or people.<br />you feel optimistic.<br />you don't always blame yourself.<br />you set goals.<br />you feel good about yourself.<br />you have good self-esteem.<br /><br />Doesn’t that sound like something every human being has the right to? And wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone did?<br />Why are the stories of the struggles that students, teachers, and families are going through real?<br />Barbara: The struggles are real for everyone during this pandemic. Work, businesses, banking, and school as we know them have been completely disrupted at all levels. There are many people who are “essential” workers who work as firs