Over the past year, the pandemic has posed serious health risks beyond physical well-being. In January, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, up from one in ten adults in January 2019, according to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.<\/p>\n
Mandi Nelson, a junior advertising\/public relations<\/a> student and UCF social media ambassador, recently shared her perspective on the importance of mental health during this time.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are all complex human beings with stories, and often times with those stories come with challenges that we hold in and they build up over time because we don\u2019t want to burden others,\u201d she says. \u201cBut talking about your struggles is healthy and shouldn\u2019t be stigmatized.\u201d<\/p>\n As an advocate for mental health, Nelson\u2019s awareness on the topic developed in high school after the sports fan saw NBA player Kevin Love and NFL player Hayden Hurst share their personal struggles. After exploring her own mental wellness journey for a while, Nelson decided to start using UCF\u2019s Counseling and Psychological Services<\/a> in November 2019 to get some additional support. Throughout the pandemic, she\u2019s continued to work with CAPS through virtual telehealth appointments, and the organization has returned to limited in-person services this semester.<\/p>\n