Mississippi teen face of national Macy’s Youth Mental Health campaign

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A 15-year-old from Starkville is getting consideration for her braveness to speak overtly about her psychological well being standing. Now, she is a part of a nationwide marketing campaign to finish the stigma amongst younger individuals.

Final 12 months round this time, a number of weeks into the varsity 12 months, 15-year-old Alex Jones realized one thing was totally different.

“It was actually tough for me,” Jones stated. “I’m a very social particular person, and with the pandemic occurring and never with the ability to see individuals and now coming again, it was actually a flip, I’d say. It was fairly aggravating.”

Immediately her bubbly character was thrust into an area that she wasn’t used to. The scholar-athlete additionally felt the strain of performing for her coaches, academics, and oldsters. So, she joined The Jed Basis after which began speaking.

“It made me need to talk about it extra. It made me need to hopefully assist different individuals going by way of the identical factor as me with the change and shift within the ambiance,” stated Jones.

“Don’t wait till a scholar is in disaster or serious about suicide however transfer means upstream to have a look at and see when somebody is simply starting to wrestle,” Jed Chief Medical Officer Nance Roy stated.

The parents at The Jed Basis are working to embed this concept into younger individuals and assist them understand it’s okay to speak about your psychological well being standing. The inspiration is partnering with Macy’s to succeed in hundreds of thousands, and Alex is among the new faces of the youth psychological well being marketing campaign. The aim is to shed the stigma and get individuals speaking about their psychological well being standing. Small speak in these conditions can go a good distance.

“I like to speak, Jones stated. “I like to talk to individuals. I’m all the time the kind of particular person to say, ‘Hey, how are you? How was your day? Are you okay?’ I like checking up on individuals as a result of I do know someone would need the identical for them.

Alex says with this newfound fame, together with popping up on the large display in New York Occasions Sq. — she desires to assist individuals in any means she will be able to. The teenager additionally desires younger individuals to know it’d really feel isolating at occasions, however you’re not alone.

“Someone on the planet might be having the identical struggles as you’re, and so they obtained by way of it, so you may too,” Jones stated. “It’s all the time room for enchancment. Room for betterment, and you’ll all the time do it. That’s my motto — you are able to do it.”

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