My Thoughts Archives - AllForHim28

I just some quick thoughts on the idea of taking a “mental health day” from work or school.

I was in my Business class today and nearly half of my class didn’t show up and my Professor made a comment to the effect of, “Oh they must all be taking a so-called “mental health day”. Something about the way she said it, laughingly, got my attention and made me start to wonder why we get “sick days” for work and why only medical notes are what considers an absence for class excused.

Obviously the idea of a “mental health day” could be abused by those who are just simply not wanting to go into work or class; but can’t you also do that with a doctors note? There are days, we all have them, when we get so stressed and overwhelmed that we often find ourselves on the verge of a mental breakdown. I know I’ve found myself there more than once when there’s a lot going on at school; and then life throws some more at me because it seems that everything happens all at the same time. I’ve bawled my eyes out over the littlest things, panicked about nothing, and just been overwhelmed so easily when I am extremely stressed, and I know I am not the only one.

It should be okay for us to call into work or email a Professor saying, “Sorry I wasn’t there today, I really needed a mental break.” I understand that a lot of this problem is society’s fault, and the pressure and fast pace of today’s world doesn’t help. However, that is never going to change unless we force it to.

We need to start acknowledging that our mental health is just as, in fact maybe more, important than our physical health.

I know this all won’t change overnight, but don’t let an unexcused absence keep you from taking care of your mental health. Sometimes you have to put yourself first and do what you need to do to be in a good place where you can both be and perform at your best.

@AllForHim28

How To Find Your Passion

One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was to go into college as an undecided major.

At first it was really hard being surrounded by so many of my peers who knew exactly what they wanted to do. They had their majors declared, and they made friends easier because they bonded over the passion they all shared. Not to mention that they were taking the same classes – most of the time together. It seems dramatic, but it was easy to feel like an outsider, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life – and I do realize how absurd that sounds. What exactly is wrong with being unsure of your life goals at 18? Let me tell you, NOTHING.

Being an undecided major meant that I didn’t have a 4-year plan already drawn up as a Freshman. I wasn’t tied down to taking any specific classes, and that gave me the freedom to explore so many different fields. I took courses in Philosophy, Computer Programming, Politics, Business, Economics, Finance, Psychology, Accounting, Social Work, Marketing, and Art. Wow, right? I know, it’s a lot, but taking all of those classes helped me to find my passion.

I fell in love with Photography in an Intro to Photo class I took during my first semester Freshman year. I used Photoshop for the first time, and I was able to take photos I had taken and turn them into something more, adding an artist statement to give the photos a deeper meanings. It was the perfect fit for me, but then I realized that I most likely couldn’t really be successful in that career. So I explored the Drugs and Human Behavior class I was in, and started to love the idea of being a Social Worker. But as I took more Social Work courses, I realized that that wasn’t the field for me. That sent me back to square one with no clear direction for my life.

I decided to take a Marketing course because it seemed like the next best thing, and I fell in love with it. The next thing I had to decide is which side of marketing I wanted to be on, the visual side or the business side. So I took a few more classes, did some side work creating graphics and redesigning logos, and I also took an Intermediate Photography class and that’s when I knew that I wanted to be on the graphic side of Marketing, and I FINALLY declared a major.

The moral of the story is that in order to find your passion, you have to have an open mind and the freedom to explore. Don’t be afraid to swim upstream and go against the flow. You don’t have to do everything your friends are doing – what’s right for them might not be right for you. Stay focused on what you want and work hard, and you’ll find your passion on the road to success.

Best of luck, DMs are always open

@AllForHim28

Mental Health Day: Excused Absence

How To Find Your Passion