By Angelina Hinojosa

Every year when May rolls around and people “observe” Mental Health Awareness Month, it hits differently for me. Up until a few years ago, I wasn’t comfortable talking about mental health or ever asking for help if I was going through a tough time. I come from a strong Native family that has carried a lot of generational trauma. What some don’t understand is my parents weren’t even able to identify mental health struggles—let alone understand their own–because they weren’t taught that by their parents. In our communities, this struggle is common—not talking about mental health either because it’s shamed or because we simply don’t know.

Today, I feel more comfortable being open about my mental health because the support systems and cultural foundations that helped my parents heal also gave them the tools to understand their struggles. This knowledge was passed down to me, teaching me that it’s okay to accept support and love from friends and community, and to reach out if I ever feel down. It also helped me finally name that bad gut feeling I used to tell my mom about but never understood—anxiety! Mental health still isn’t easy to navigate, but knowing what I’m feeling and how to cope is so much better than constantly wondering if something was just wrong with me. The truth is, we  are still living in a world that’s figuring it out too. That’s why I’m so thankful to be one of the youth who is helping advise Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative-a five-year, multi-billion dollar initiative that is transforming behavioral health care for children, youth, and families in California.

I have been advising the Live Beyond campaign,  a statewide effort focused on raising awareness about mental health, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress. As part of the work, we took the campaign’s materials and indigenized them, making sure they truly reflect that culture is an important part of healing in our community. That’s so important because Live Beyond challenges the stigma around mental health and encourages open conversations that many of us were never taught to have. Live Beyond reminds us that mental health is just as important as physical health, and it’s okay to ask for support. The campaign connects young people like me with resources, shares real stories, and builds a community, so we can uplift each other instead of suffering in silence. By normalizing these conversations now, we’re creating a future where the next generation won’t have to unlearn the silence. They already know that healing is possible. 

Through all of this work, I’ve learned that no matter how different our backgrounds or experiences are, we are all impacted by our mental health—it’s a key component of our overall health. It just might even be something that brings people together.

For me, it’s been an opportunity to grow personally and professionally and a reminder that no one has to suffer alone. 

If you or someone you know is struggling, there are resources, support, and people who care. Visit CYBHI to learn more about services available and discover ways to be part of the solution: https://cybhi.chhs.ca.gov.

Angelina Hinojosa is an enrolled member of the Pinoleville Pomo Nation and a Native youth advisor for the Live Beyond campaign, part of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative. She resides on traditional Miwok land in Sacramento, CA.