Five of the Best: Mental Health Videos

Mental Health Awareness Week is coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean the conversations surrounding it have to stop.

In the age of coronavirus, mental health is a bigger topic of conversation than ever, as many find themselves struggling with lockdown and the mental toll of the virus. Being home, without the option of going to work or school, or simply taking a much-needed walk through nature, can be difficult and play with one’s mind – and that’s not something to be ashamed of. Whether you suffer from anxiety, depression, an eating disorder or another mental health issue, there are many out there who understand and are working to break the stigma. That’s what Mental Health Awareness Week is all about.

Many YouTubers are using their platform to better raise awareness about mental health. From certified doctors and therapists, to creators who know firsthand what it’s like to deal with poor mental health, they’re sharing their knowledge and experience to help viewers, and that’s something we want to highlight.

Here they are, our Five of the Best: Mental Health Videos.

Mental illness during coronavirus | The Psych Show

Dr. Ali Mattu is a clinical psychologist who uses his channel to educate viewers about all things psychological. His videos cover all things mental health, from one’s emotions and dealing with anxiety, to a video series about Star Trek. (Yes, we’re being serious. It’s golden.)

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Mattu has extensively covered the virus and the affects it’s having on the population, especially when it comes to mental health. In this video, he talks about our reactions to the virus and the mental health symptoms that may occur as a result. If you suffer from anxiety, OCD, depression or have experienced trauma in your life and are experiencing new symptoms as a result of COVID-19, we highly suggest giving this video a watch.

Living Alone With A Mental Illness | themaddiebruce

Maddie Bruce is one of our go-to YouTube channels when we’re looking for content regarding mental health. As someone with personal experience, she offers viewers advice and tips based on what she’s dealt with, and we find there’s a certain authenticity in that. We’d be lying if we said she hadn’t helped us through some tough times in our life.

One of the biggest challenges for someone struggling with their mental health is moving out on their own. When living by yourself, you find yourself without the 24/7 support system you had when residing with your family or roommates, so it can sometimes be difficult to escape your own head. Thankfully, Maddie offers up some tips on how to combat that, including planning out your week, leaving your house when you can and interacting with others on a regular basis.

Learning to Not Be Ashamed of Our Mental Illness | Kati Morton

Kati Morton is a therapist whose channel is dedicated to raising awareness about mental health, specifically eating disorders. She’s become a trusted name within the YouTube community, with over 940,000 subscribers regularly tuning in to her videos.

One emotion many who suffer with mental health issues feel is shame. We often don’t feel as if we deserve to get better, for there’s no reason for us to be feeling this way in the first place – and that’s simply not the case. We need to learn to validate our feelings and know that it isn’t our fault we’re feeling the way we are. From there, we can begin to seek the help we deserve, which is something Kati touches on in this video with her dear friend, Alé Diggs.

Anxiety Diary – How I Recenter Myself | Estée Lalonde

We understand how difficult it can be to share when one is going through an anxiety attack – trust us, we have experience – but it’s something that needs to be done, as it not only allows others to reach out and help us, but helps to better break the stigma surrounding it. It can be difficult and scary, but once we let others in to how we’re feeling, we can start to accept the help we deserve.

In this vlog, Estée Lalonde speaks about her experience with depression and anxiety, and also goes into detail on how she re-centres herself when her anxiety takes hold. It’s a very open and raw video, and we can understand how nerve-racking it must have been to upload, so we appreciate Estée allowing us to see such a personal moment.

Emotional Baggage | Jack and Dean

We’re closing things out with a comedy sketch that hits deep – and, honestly, would you expect anything less from Jack Howard and Dean Dobbs?

As Jack explained to us back in 2019, Emotional Baggage covers the emotions and thoughts those dealing with mental health issues struggle with on a regular basis, but frames them in the literal sense. The idea for the sketch came about from the pair’s personal experiences, and manages to get the point across pretty clearly. As many of us know, talking about mental health can be difficult, so it’s appreciated when humour can be brought in to make it a bit easier.

So there you have it…

Our Five of the Best: Mental Health Videos. We hope you were able to take something from each of them and that you know that mental health is never something to be ashamed of. We all deal with our own personal struggles, so know there are people out there who understand and want to help. All you need to do is reach out.

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