Mental Health

THE BRITE BLOG

We share the voices, opinions and stories of many Ventura County youth and young adults here. Not all posts reflect the opinion of BRITE or our sponsors. Managed by Ashley Heatherly.

More Than a Hashtag: Mental Health Advocacy Starts After the Social Media Posts

A middle school student reflects on her BRITE Futures Initiative advocacy project, sharing why mental health matters to her community, the research she explored, the action she took, and the future impact she plans to do.

Khushi P.

Jun 82 min read

A picture of a teen girl sitting at a desk with her hands on her head, looking down at a paper on the desk. She looks overwhelmed. Behind her are graphics of a ruler and some paperclips. The text reads, "Peer pressure prevention."

Turning Awareness into Action: Youth Leadership and Peer Pressure Prevention

At school, I saw how often students had a hard time dealing with peer pressure. What started as a simple observation turned into a project, an event, and eventually an official BRITE youth-led initiative.

Eileen P.

Apr 23 min read

A group of images featuring the Wellness Every Day website including mental health and wellness resources. The background is a light orange color and the text reads, "Wellness Every Day" next to a large sun.

Wellness Every Day: A Resource for Everyday Mental Health in Ventura County

At BRITE, we believe mental health is just as important as physical health and that it’s something we all deserve access to, every single day. Wellness Every Day is a free, county-wide resource designed to support people at every stage of life. Whether you’re feeling stressed, lonely, anxious, depressed, or just wanting to strengthen your mental health, the site offers practical tools, education, and local resources.

Ashley H

Mar 173 min read

Two young people are standing side by side laughing with their eyes closed. They each have one arm around the other. There are empty conversation bubbles above them as if they are having a conversation.

Maintaining Relationships Through Communication

Building relationships is hard, and maintaining them is even harder. Whether romantic, platonic, or interpersonal, all relationships require one shared element to thrive: consistent communication.

Chelsea E.

Mar 22 min read

Water’s Face

Writing and painting by Sierra Watson. I wonder how calm water feels; All gathered as I looked upon its face. I’m sure it wonders if...

Sierra Watson

Sep 8, 20252 min read

A young person is laying on a bed and their face is covered with post-its that say things like, "You got this," "Grind," "Hustle," "Team no sleep," etc. The backdrop of the bed is also covered in post-it notes but they are out of focus. We get a feeling of overwhelm.

Overwhelmed

A poem written by a high school student about feeling overwhelmed with tasks and the weight of planning for the future while not being able to stop and enjoy the present moment.

Jason Gray

Jun 19, 20251 min read

We see a line of dark chocolate chocolate chip cookies across the top of the image with a green cannabis leaf against a pink background. The text reads, "Everyone’s tolerance for weed is diﬀerent. Every form of consuming weed will aﬀect you diﬀerently. It’s a trial and error process, and no one talks about the errors."

“It’s No Big Deal:” My Personal Experience with Cannabis

A college student discusses her experience with cannabis, how it affected her mental health, and why using cannabis might actually be a big deal for some people.

Anonymous

May 30, 20255 min read

A person is sitting cross-legged on their bed with their hands resting on their knees, palms up. There is a candle burning next to them and a calm, relaxing vibe.

Coping Skills for Mental Health

A college student discusses the coping skills she uses to take care of her mental health and encourages others to try different things to find what works best for them.

Janette

May 23, 20252 min read

A young girl is sitting on a cement step with her head covered by her arms, her backpack on the ground next to her. In the background there are 3 other students pointing and laughing at her.

Bullying & Resilience

A college student discusses their experience with bullying while growing up and how it's made them a more resilient person and better friend.

Anonymous

Feb 13, 20252 min read

A light pink journal is lying on a white desk framed by the green leaves of a plant, a gold pen, and a black paper with small gold hearts on it. The journal reads, "Today I am grateful."

Gratitude: A Tool for Boosting Self-esteem

A college student discusses our culture's obsession with body image and the mental health benefits of practicing gratitude.

Madison Jaffe

May 29, 20242 min read

A young person wearing ripped jeans and red Converse sneakers is standing on grey stone steps and picking up a very full backpack. We can see an iPad, notebook, and other school supplies coming out of the backpack.

An Educated School Girl

A high school student discusses her experience growing up dealing with the expectations that are placed upon her.

Lucy

May 1, 20242 min read

A black and white image of a pair of hands tightly grasping the bars of a prison cell.

Help for the Chained Hands, Minds, and Hearts

A high school student discusses the harms of incarceration and why we need more mental health support instead of prisons.

Lucy

Mar 15, 20242 min read

A pair of hands are coming together in the shape of a heart. The background is a beautiful sunny picture of green hills and blue water.

Adri's Mind

A college student discusses her journey of self-love and acceptance as a way to find peace.

Anonymous

Jan 16, 20242 min read

A person is standing in the foreground of the photo holding a heart made of string lights and smiling. They are surrounded by lights and their face is lit up.

How to Build a Self-love Mindset

A college student discusses ways to practice self-love.

Madison Jaffe

Jan 10, 20245 min read

A young woman in a gold yellow shirt is facing the camera, with a joyful smile is holding up her hands in the shape of a heart.

Self-love

A college student discusses self-love, self-acceptance, and why it's important to take care of our mental and physical health.

Anonymous

Dec 26, 20232 min read

A young woman sits on a chair in a white room with her legs folded up against her body, one arm crossed over her legs and the other arm holding her head. She appears to be in distress.

Numb and Spaced Out

A Ventura County young adult discusses her experience with domestic violence and using cannabis concentrate to numb out rather than cope with her challenges.

Anonymous

Nov 22, 20232 min read