mental health day

It is neither an exclusive anniversary for patients with mental illness, nor is it a magic medicine that can solve all emotional difficulties with a day off or an activity. It is essentially an "emotional exemption pass" issued to all ordinary people - you don't have to wait until you collapse before admitting that you are tired, your feelings themselves are worthy of attention.

On May 25 last year, I was working as a psychological activity volunteer at a university in Wuhan. I met a computer science boy wearing black-rimmed glasses and clutching the strap of a backpack. He walked around in front of our activity booth three times. Finally, he came over and asked in a low voice: "I haven't been diagnosed with depression, can I still receive this stress relief massage?" ”In fact, there are many people who have this question. After all, in 2004, the Youth League Central School Department and the All-China Federation of Students designated May 25 (homophonous as "I Love Me") as the National College Student Mental Health Day. It has only been less than 20 years since this day came into public view. Many people's understanding of it is still at the stage of "it has nothing to do with me."

There is actually quite a bit of controversy within the industry over the mode of operation of Mental Health Day. Many academic researchers feel that the current activities are too "suspended": they are either paid leave gimmicks carried out by companies, or schools set up stalls to give out small gifts. They neither conduct systematic psychological science popularization nor cover those who are truly at high risk. They are essentially "emotional shows." When I attended an industry seminar last month, a professor from the psychology department of a university slammed the table on the spot and said that the current activities "turn serious psychological screening into a mass gathering, which is useless."

But social workers who spend their days doing front-line psychological services in communities and companies don’t think so at all. Sister Zhang, who I know and has worked as a community psychological service provider in Nanshan, Shenzhen, told me that in the past two years, during the Mental Health Day in their community, they set up a consultation desk and hung a banner saying "Free Psychological Counseling". No one came to ask questions after sitting there all morning. Later, they changed it. They set up a stall to give away meat, rings, and The 10-minute mindfulness experience was crowded with people. Many people took the succulents and asked casually, "Is it a problem to have insomnia recently?" Just like that, last year they persuaded three residents with serious suicidal tendencies to seek medical treatment. "How can people who really can't stand it dare to go directly to the psychological consultation sign?" If you let him put down his guard first and be willing to speak, that's better than anything else. ”

A while ago, when I was scrolling through Moments, I saw a friend posting about their company’s mental health day benefits: half a day off, plus 200 yuan of “emotional consumption coupons,” which can only be spent on things that make you happy. Someone in the comment area said, “If you have this money, it’s better to just raise your salary and do this.” My friend privately said She told me that she didn’t buy anything that day. She just sat in the bay window of the rental house and basked in the sun all afternoon. She even logged out of her work WeChat account. “That was the first time in the past eight months that I didn’t have to lie down and suddenly think about whether there was still a plan to change. I just sat in a daze, and my back was warm from the sun. ”

I was chatting with Dr. Li, who has been practicing at the Municipal Jingwei Center for 12 years, and she said something to me that I still remember: Many people’s misunderstanding of mental health is to “stay happy all the time,” but this is not the case at all. “Just like your annual physical examination is not to prevent you from catching colds forever. It is just to let you know your physical condition. If you have a small problem, you can adjust it early to prevent it from turning into a serious illness.” The same is true for Mental Health Day. It does not require you to be happy on this day, nor does it require you to solve all your emotional problems. It just gives you a reason to stop confidently: you don’t have to be so strong, you don’t have to carry everything, and it doesn’t matter if you take a break.

I now have a reserved item every year on Mental Health Day: I take a small notebook and write three lines. The first line is about the three little things that made me happiest in the past year. The second line is about the three things that still make me panic when I think about it now. The third line is about what I plan to do more and avoid in the next year. There is no need to do complicated psychological tests or force myself to write any in-depth reviews. I just write according to my feelings. After writing, I should throw it away and save it. It works better than anything else.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the meaning of Mental Health Day has never been to set a unified "health standard" for everyone, nor is it to ask you to engage in any fancy rituals. It is more like the "battery is less than 20%" reminder that suddenly pops up on your mobile phone. It does not have so many complicated meanings. It just tells you: Oh, it's time to stop and recharge your emotions, that's all.