OPINION: A capstone passion project about mental health

By Natalie Ritacco

I’ve always been very passionate about advocating for mental health awareness since I know firsthand what it’s like to struggle with mental health. Since I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety in 2017, it’s been an uphill battle working toward improving my overall mental health and learning to live with a mental illness.

I’ve been fortunate enough where I have never felt ashamed of my mental illness and I’ve always been comfortable talking about my mental health and leaning on the people in my life when I’m struggling, but I know for some people, this is rather difficult to do, and a lot of people instead choose to suffer in silence.

I know what it’s like to be struggling with your mental health and feeling like there’s no way through the battle in your mind, which is why for my mediated communication capstone project I chose to create a mental health awareness and mental health advocacy organization called The Happy Path.

The primary goal of The Happy Path is to provide those struggling with their mental health with a virtual community that is a safe space for all to navigate their mental well-being. We share mental health resources, daily self-care tasks, inspirational quotes and mantras, weekly blog posts about various mental health topics, weekly mental health check-ins, and so much more!

I’ve always known that advocating for mental health awareness and normalizing conversations about mental health has been something I am passionate about, but I never realized how truly passionate I was about this until I began working on “The Happy Path.” Through The Happy Path, I hope to create a community of college students that are all working towards improving their own overall mental well-being while advocating for and helping others to do the same. I want to create something that is meaningful and helps people to blossom and grow into the best versions of themselves, and I hope that The Happy Path can be a place people turn to feel better when they are struggling.

You need to know that you matter, and as cliche, as it may sound, it’s the truth. Trust me, I know how frustrating and discouraging mental illness can be at times, but you are not your worries! Your thoughts do not define you, and you should never feel ashamed of them. Mental health struggles might be something you deal with, but it does not define you. More importantly, mental illness is something you are capable of overcoming and tackling head-on, and I hope that The Happy Path is a community to help you do exactly that.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, I encourage you to talk to someone about it instead of struggling in silence. Sometimes, our thoughts feel massive in our heads, but once we talk to someone about it, we realize how small the worry actually was. When I’m struggling with my mental health, it always makes me feel better to talk to a friend or a family member about how I am feeling. Knowing that the people in my life are supporting me on my journey in navigating living with mental illness provides me with comfort and reminds me that I’m not alone. Always remember that you’re never alone and the people in your life who love you are always there to help you and lift you up when you are struggling.

You can join The Happy Path Community on Instagram @_thehappypath_ or support the organization through our website. Join us on The Happy Path and be a part of a community of people working towards improving their mental health and advocating for others to do the same.