This is part of a series of interviews with young Utahns making a meaningful impact on their communities’ — and their own — mental health. To protect their privacy, participants under 18 are identified only by their first names. Read more.
Editor’s note • This article discusses suicide. If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 24-hour support.
Amelia says she was always known as the happy, bright kid. As she got older, though, a pandemic and academic pressure started to weigh on her, even as she worked for her school’s Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention group that teaches students how to advocate for themselves and their fellow students.
“I talked to a lot of people about how they were feeling,” Amelia told me in a recent interview. “But I didn’t ever take the time to make sure that I was ok. I wasn’t taking care of myself enough to be taking care of others.”
When a former teacher, Elysia Butler, reached out and asked Amelia to join another mental health organization, The Hope Hero Foundation, and help reach other young Utahns via social media, Amelia said she was eager to help.
“I’m focused on finding simple and effective ways to spread evidence-based information about mental health,” Amelia says. “I understand that the attention span of a person is getting way smaller than it ever has been, so I’m kind of using that to my advantage.”
She spoke with The Tribune about how her mental health and the loss of a friend prompted her to help others. This Q&A with her has been edited for length and clarity.
Sara Weber: What drew you to mental health work?
Amelia: I’m a very emotionally in-tune person. I’ve always been very anxious, and I’ve gone to therapy since I was very young. So I feel personally connected. I’ve also had family and friends that have also had mental struggles. One of my friends, at the beginning of sophomore year, took his own life.
I’m so sorry, that must have been really difficult. How have you cared for your own mental health amid all that?
When I was in her class, Mrs. Butler would always say, “It’s okay to change playgrounds.” And what she means by that is you don’t have to be friends with the same people all the time. And when my mental health struggles started being a little bit more apparent my sophomore year, I was hanging out around people that didn’t really seem to care about me at all. I was like, “Wait, I can just go find another playground.” I started expanding who I was hanging out with. I ended up finding a friend group that really cared about me and was interested in who I was.
Another thing that really helped me as I started going to therapy more consistently. I understand that’s not the most accessible thing ever because it is a time and money commitment, but it was very helpful to have an unbiased, professional person to connect with.
The third big one that I’ve noticed connects to lowering my screen time and spending more time doing the things I love.
Because you work with social media now, I’m curious: What are your thoughts on the role social media plays in mental health? Is it a tool? A hindrance?
I think it can be both. The way that I was using my phone and social media was a lot less conscious than I wanted it to be. My average daily screen time a year ago was seven hours. And the average high schooler now is eight-and-a-half hours a day, which is a lot. Then my word for the year was “intention.” So I’ve been more conscious, and my daily screen time now is about an hour, which is a big difference. I feel so much better.
What advice do you have for other young Utahns who are looking to help improve their peers’ mental health?
Start small. Wave at somebody in the hall that you don’t wave at normally. I like to comment on people’s Instagram posts that I’ve never spoken to before. And hopefully it turns into a friendship. Just start with making connections. Connections are easy to make, but they make the biggest difference ever.
The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.