By Karli Wallace
Staff Writer
Costa Junior Emily Angstreich takes her focus off of her musical career and will speak up about mental health awareness and the stigma that surrounds it during TEDxManhattanBeachSalon on March 8th.
Link: Click here for information on TEDx events coming to Manhattan Beach
Angstreich will be speaking on the controversy of mental health struggles and more specifically how it affects teenagers. She feels that it is important that she shows her audience that even if someone seems like they have everything all together, they’re probably struggling with something else, such as anxiety. The illusion of perfection that people project onto others only furthers the stigma surrounding mental health, Angstreich said.
“Right now there’s a lot of shame surrounding mental health and that makes people reluctant to discuss it,” said Angstreich. “I believe that mental health should be addressed the same way as physical health, in that it is given just as much treatment and care and has the same lack of stigma.”
Angstreich was diagnosed with anxiety and depression during her freshman year. She says anxiety was something that she felt had been following her whole life, but nothing became serious for her until then. Since coming out of these mental health struggles in late 2015, Angstreich feels that the struggle of mental health, specifically in teenagers, needs to be elucidated to the world and society around her.
“I was able to receive so much love and support from my friends after I came out of my health problems in 2015,” said Angstreich. “Even more than that, I was able to see how many others are truly struggling right along with me. In my mind, it is crucial that the members of Mira Costa and the world know how many other people struggle with mental health.”
Angstreich was first introduced to TEDxManhattanBeachSalon by fellow junior Liam Cook. This will be her first TED talk she’s ever given, and says she is supported mainly by her friends and family.
Link: Click here to watch past TEDx speakers project their ideas
“I’m excited to give my TED talk but also a little nervous.” said Angstreich. “I’m an avid participant in Model United Nations and just got back from University of Pennsylvania where I spoke in front of more than two hundred people, yet it’s still nerve wracking to know that whatever I say will be recorded forever.”
Prior to this year’s TEDx in Manhattan Beach, the South Bay has hosted over twenty TEDx events at Costa and three TEDxManhattanBeach events. Manhattan Beach will be holding another two TEDx events this year, one additional TEDxManhattanBeach Salon on March 15th and another TEDxManhattanBeach event in early November.
“Change and reform are brought about when people speak their minds,” says Angstreich. “The only way to ever fight the stigma surrounding an issue is to talk about it. Someone has to be the first one to bring it up.”
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