During the RGV LEAD Young Leaders’ Summit on January 20th, the Mercedes High School Ambassadors presented a program entitled, “Improving Your Mental Health During the Pandemic”. It was interesting to see how students took to heart the words of wisdom shared on the topic. Ambassadors were encouraged to reach out to others through social media, texting, and phone calls. The Mercedes Ambassador team also suggested that people should consider staying away from too many depressing news stories, rather find light-hearted movies and shows to watch. 

I especially found the mental health topic interesting because I had recently heard that people have been talking to themselves more frequently since the pandemic broke out. I thought, “Isn’t that normal? I talk to myself all the time!” Without hesitation, I decided to look further into the idea of talking to oneself, and there it was – this month’s Thought for the Month: “Talk to yourself once in a day, otherwise you may miss meeting an excellent person in this world.” It was written by Swami Vivekananda, a Hindu monk. 

During my curious research, I came to realize that there are several articles related to talking to yourself. Some say that this may be more prevalent right now because people are more isolated and need to converse. “Whatever form it takes — projection, self-encouragement, humor — it’s a way of hearing our own voice, helping us discern what’s going on inside our head.” Think about it, who better to encourage you than you! Even the Little Engine cheered himself on when he said, “I think I can, I think I can, I KNOW I can!” So, the next time you’re looking in the mirror, tell yourself something positive you’ve done for the day, or when you find yourself asking, “Now, where did I put my keys”, it’s okay to answer back. You’re an excellent person to talk to! 

Luis