T housands of young people all over the world are fast becoming victim to a subtle, vicious, and crippling disease known as mental illness. Words such as “psycho sis,” “neurosis,” “neurotic,” and “psychosomatic” are fill ing our vocabulary in an attempt to describe a sickness which, at this very minute, may be strangling you and could well render you a helpless maze of confusion for years to come. These sound like strong words but there are even stronger statistics. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare reports that one out of every two hospital beds in the United States is filled with a mental patient, that over nine million Americans suffer from some type of serious mental problem, and as a result over one billion dollars were spent last year to fight this growing menace. Even more alarming is the fact that most cases of mental illness find their early roots and traits during childhood, early teens and even college days. Do not be so cocky as to believe that this awesome monster cannot touch you. The odds are that it very easily can strike you and rob you of months and years of useful life and vital ity. In an effort to develop safeguards against this enemy, let us check off some helps for our lives and keep them in mind in order to protect our very valuable minds. I. Avoid Too Many Mirrors If you are like the average young person you are usually fairly self-conscious. You are afraid that you might look differently, speak differently, act differently or in some other way stand apart from the crowd. Ac ceptance by the other members of your clique means a great deal to you and this is perfectly understandable. Yet, at this point hundreds of young people go adrift and become overly occupied with themselves. Held by
the fear of social disapproval, they constantly examine the different areas of their lives and fight to hold their positions among the people Who they think really count. Often this type of person will become so involved with the minor physical and social features of his life that everything about the person becomes fearful and highly sensitive. He begins to believe that people are staring at him, criticizing him, sizing him up, and finally he fears that he is always being watched and ridiculed. At one time or another this happens to everyone, possibly even more acutely when in the teens; how ever, with too many young people it becomes an obsession and they become tightly tied up in themselves. The final result is that they gain a warped view of themselves and the people around them and take the first step in losing a firm grip on reality and genuine values. The best plan for combating this pitfall is a two-fold scheme. 1. Relax and be yourself. Remember that every one experiences this type of anxiety sometime so you are not really so different. Also remember that people, in the long run, always like a person for what he is and not for the front he puts on. So be yourself. 2. Be out going. Take your selfish eyes off yourself for a change and concentrate on helping other people. Help a friend with his geometry, run an errand for a sick neighbor, mow the law for your dad. A person who is intent on making life better for other people does not have time to worry about himself and do not forget that a person
who acts friendly always has friends. II. Avoid Environmental Letdown
No one knows the problems you have! Your neighbor hood, your dates, your parents, your English teachers, somehow life itself, has placed you in the worst circum- T H E K IN G 'S BUSINESS
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