13 REASONS WHY

A Netflix series produced by Salina Gomez based on the novel by Jay Asher has had plenty of controversy. The storyline works its way through a tangled web of daily drama. This is not a high school drama. This is drama that happens in our high schools.

 13 reasons why covers the everyday experience for many teens: peer relationships, friendships, family dynamics, social media, sexual identity and the school environment. Some may consider this to be another high school drama. For me personally it highlights the nightmare that many teens are facing. Trying to tread water. Trying to get by. Trying to find some piece of happiness to hold on to.

There has been plenty of concern coming from mental health organisations regarding the show. 

The New Zealand Office of Film and Literature issued an immediate response and created a new censorship category RP18 to address concerns some mental health bodies had. Some said it glorified suicide and could prompt copycats. New Zealand has the highest rate of teenage suicide in the OECD (35 countries), with an average of two young people taking their own life each week.

There are those who praise the show for the realism of what high school life can be like, saying they can relate to at least one of the characters.

For me it's about having a conversation about suicide, mental health and wellbeing and what we can do to improve this situation. This issue is present and real and is true for so many around the world. In Australia suicide rates for 15 to 24 year-olds are at the highest rate in 10 years. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50. 25% of women aged 16-17 years old have self-harmed.

In America, more teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED.

Here are my 13 reasons why we need to consider how we treat people and how we can improve our health and well-being. Why it is such an important topic to be discussed in school, at home and the workplace.

1. Any suicide is one suicide too many. We must build a strong, loving foundation for our kids to prosper for the rest of their lives.

2. Conversations about health and well-being in school needs to happen. Health and well-being must be a priority over any test score.

3. How can we make people feel more loved, more supported? How can we help them to feel more valued? How can the media take on a more positive role? Create an environment where all are valued and respected rather than being attacked for their way of life.

4. We need to reduce the impact of modern day bullying that happens every day online. Education on cyber safety is essential.

Change the idea of what success is.

5. Strengthen parent and child relationships by encouraging conversations.

6. Strengthen relationships with self. Build programs in schools that foster self-love, gratitude, self-awareness, respect, resilience and focus on internal happiness rather than external.

7. Nurture friendships built on trust and deep connection founded on unconditional love free from ego.

8. Have open conversations at school and at home about sex, drugs, bullying. Conversations about how they feel at home, at school, with their friends, politics. What they feel is expected of them. Create a safe space to share and discuss what positive actions they can take.

9. Empower parents to help empower their kids.

Change our expectations.

10. Actions and words – Raise our awareness of the internal and external dialogue. Become aware of how you speak about yourself and others. What example are we setting? Is the environment filled with love or ego and fear?

Holistic health

11. Nutrition – Encourage healthy eating at home and school and understand the role of our diet in mental health. How can we expect kids to function properly running on junk?

Change their outlook on life.

12. We are all addicted. Addicted to phones, to gambling, sex, alcohol…. Addicted to external happiness. Disconnect and reconnect. Disconnect from the virtual world and reconnect with self.

13. We need to assist young adults to change their outlook on life. Encourage them to be passionate about life.

The 13 reasons that I touched on need more attention, more time to delve into and in due course I will be working through each one. I am passionate about life and helping others see that they are needed. It is important that that we spend more time looking at our health holistically and feel at home in our own skin.

Say no to peer pressure, to fear, to self-doubt.  

Say Yes to love, to you, to life.