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The Midnight Library is a book which I (Saga) recently read which addresses the endless possibilities of life and the ways in which this idea impacts mental health. Through its approach, it made me reflect upon how one's life choices and the fear of making the wrong choice can negatively hold us back in life.

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Something that has taught me (Alex) a lot about mental health, ways to live, and how to cope with mental illness is Marcus Aurelius' meditations. The book and the philosophy had been used in genuine science to treat mental illness, and the old words of Aurelius still have a lot to teach the modern world.

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This is a classic self help book. As someone that struggles with mental health, the billion dollar industry of self help always has confused me surrounding what I should be paying attention to to help myself

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He was a japanese surrealist artist I discovered some time ago. His paintings have always been very visceral to me and I always felt like I could relate to them. Explores the anxieties of modern life in the 20th century as well as social critique/commentary

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Dealt with mental health issues throughout his lifetime. The scream is a very iconic image that symbolises the quiet desperation of those dealing with mental health issues

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Struggled a lot with mental health and used art to express his pain. Maybe we can look into art therapy or the legacy of his mental health since there's the Van Gogh museum in amsterdam, maybe they have some mental health initiatives to honour this part of him

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Having battled with anxiety and depression throughout my life, I believe mental illness and the institutions which are responsible for treating them should be on the forefront of any modern welfare state.

Having experienced a Dutch therapist, as well as gone through the universities recommended route of psychiatrist, I have noticed genuine flaws in the current system, namely that genuine help for those seeking it is inaccessible, expensive, and inefficient.

During the 3 to 5 week waiting period to see a psychiatrist, one could make the decision to end their own life far before. The system is alienating to internationals, as well as lower-class citizens.

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- Welfare (access to mental health services)
- Stress
- Performance
- Well-being
- Development
- Work-effort (economics)
- Physical productivity
- Mindfulness
- Prevention over Treatment (mental health policies)

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- Students at UU (easier to get in touch with)
- Career coaches or student psychologists at the university
- Younger children (problem of age of consent)
- Suicide line volunteers
- Mental health volunteers of some sort
- Student psychologists + study advisors

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- Have participated in courses provided by the university which focuses on mental health
- Have had experiences with difficulty in finding accessible therapist as an international student

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dcd

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I struggle with mental health and it can be hard to get the help you need because:
- generational discussions are hard ( younger generations seem to seek it out more, be more effected )
- can be expensive or seen as elitist (high class) due to money
- hard to access therapy as a minority
- the " self help sector " is seen as it's own industry that younger generations use and access a lot to "replace" therapy, which can confuse you when you cannot access professional therapy
- coaching vs therapy: what's the difference?

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- Used UU career services before (related)
- Having been to therapy, I do think there's a lot of Western bias in therapists on how they handle therapy sessions and communication with minorities (think this is a very unexplored niche)
- therapy for international students in a different language: complications?

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- In UU services
- In society
- In nature? When I think about mental health, so much of it is dominated by voices in urban cities. I wonder about the influence of environment or modern lifestyles on mental health

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Reflection Prompt #1: defining the topic

a. mindmap

make a collective mind-map on which you explore your (preliminary) theme

what are the thoughts, emotions, experiences, and concepts that come to mind regarding this theme?

b. add your individual connections

how are you individually connected to this theme? What makes you care about it? What are the personal experiences, emotions, and values that make it matter to you?