Mental Health Amidst the Challenges of War in Palestine
The project in hand was centered around a vague and foreign topic to Palestinian society that many refuse to acknowledge or address. The curse of not knowing its significant impact on their lives should be broken so that they can live their lives to the fullest. With the current dire situation that does not seem to be ceasing soon, Palestinians’ mental health is at risk of collapse, which is what our activity is aiming to prevent by raising awareness about its significance.
Project Objective:
To raise awareness about the importance of maintaining a healthy mentality in light of the current situation and how it is related to every aspect of life. By focusing on the future bright leaders of our community—school students, and specifically females, the rigid pillars of our society—we aim to help them process their emotions and guide them toward a healthier attitude. We are wholeheartedly yearning for a society full of individuals who are able to achieve what they can and want, despite the surrounding stress. The project comprised a number of activities:
• Providing a floor for students to express themselves and what they know about mental health, building a bridge of confidence
• Defining what “mental health” means using the simplest of terms
• Aiding the students in the seemingly difficult process of distinguishing “good” mental health from “poor” mental health, and when it is necessary to seek the help of a professional
• Orientation toward adopting positive coping mechanisms that help in battling unpleasant feelings
• Incorporating visual aids to help ease the understanding of such a “new” term
• Reminding the students that the session is a safe space and they are free to contribute when they feel comfortable, as well as not to hesitate to ask any questions
• Applying the “Secret Box” strategy to provide an even safer environment, where students can comfortably share their setbacks, thoughts, fears, or anything they would like to share, without invading one’s privacy. The most mentioned topics were safely communicated to the school counselor
• Handing out brochures at the end of the session that illustrate to the students that they are not alone and solidify their understanding of the topic.
Implementation:
In order for the event to take place, a series of actions needed to be taken:
- First, permission from the school board of Al-Masqat School for Girls was necessary to start planning for the event.
- Then the school had to take care of the timing so that no periods were missed and all the students had the same opportunity to attend.
- An empty classroom was provided so that we could conduct the event successfully and without any disturbance to the learning process.
- An attention-grabbing presentation was made to be exhibited to the students throughout the session via a tablet.
- Small note cards with pens in an isolated corner were provided so that students could share their pressing thoughts privately.
- Finally, brochures about the topic in Arabic were printed to further reinforce the topic.
Fortunately, the project was executed perfectly and fulfilled its sole purpose of adding the much-needed term “mental health” to the students’ vocabulary. Although students were reluctant to participate at first, given the ambiguity of the topic, seeing their fellow students being heard and seen—leaving with a smile on their faces and a deeper appreciation of their mental health—motivated them to eagerly participate for similar outcomes.
To sum up, any surrounding stimulus, good or bad, profoundly affects an individual’s mental health and, consequently, their attitude toward life and the meaning behind it. Palestinians, especially, face a different type of stimulus—a stimulus that is hard and wrong to ignore—one that alters brain chemistry. In order for a simple human to survive, he or she must keep pushing through the tunnel of tragedies to meet the light at the other end, before the rocks collapse on them, ending their hopes, dreams, and plans for the future. Here comes our role as the healers of our society: to highlight the importance of good mental health and help guide people on how to deal with their monsters.
Recommendations:
In the days to come, our only hope is for public awareness toward mental health to grow profoundly and for the bothersome stigma that comes with it to regress as much. To do so, similar activities must be implemented by our fellow professionals among different segments of society, and even more advanced ones by the ministries and relevant establishments.
