Reflections on managing the emotional well-being of young people
The "Ask for a cure" awareness campaign for young people, promoted by San Juan de Dios, concluded its in-person activities in shopping centers with the live broadcast of a special episode of the podcast "Dentro" dedicated to the emotional distress of young people.
Dentro is a cultural podcast presented by Alba Riera and Iñaki Mur, part of the content produced by the Primavera Sound festival. In this episode, titled " Tía, relativiza" ( Aunt, put things in perspective), the hosts spoke with Carolina Iglesias , a comedian, screenwriter, and content creator known as Percebes y Grelos ; and Jordi Mitjà, a nurse at the Integrated Functional Unit for Eating Disorders at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona and a member of the technical committee of SOM Salud Mental 360º (SOM Mental Health 360º) .
This discussion addressed some of the themes reflected in the installation that was on display at shopping centers in Madrid (CCH2O–Rivas Vaciamadrid), Seville (CCNervión), and Barcelona (CCDiagonal). This initiative, part of the Henka project, involved SOM Mental Health 360º in creating digital content for teenagers and young adults, which can be accessed both on our platform and through the campaign website.
Some of the topics addressed include experiencing emotional distress as a part of life and how we manage it during such a difficult time as adolescence and young adulthood. "It's important to understand that feeling bad doesn't mean you have a mental health problem," explained Mitjà. "Discomfort is part of the normal emotions we feel at different times in life; it doesn't last and it doesn't prevent us from living a normal life. Alarm bells should ring when this distress is persistent and debilitating."
Iglesias, a content creator, reflected on the trivialization of mental health on social media. "Sometimes it's good to put a name to what you're going through," she explained, "but you can't self-diagnose anxiety based on three symptoms on TikTok. I'm very afraid to explain certain things on social media because my experience can be very different from someone else's. We have to be responsible with what we share. Your experience isn't standard knowledge."
How social media pressure affects our emotional well-being
One of the aspects most highlighted in the discussion is how young people (and adults too) are bombarded by millions of messages on social media. "It's essential to have a critical eye towards what we're seeing, to understand that it's not reality, and not to be swayed by pseudo-health advice," adds Jordi Mitjà. "Anyone who has concerns or wants to make decisions about healthy habits or health should do so from reliable and rigorous sources, such as SOM Mental Health 360, or consult their healthcare professionals."
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