About The Project

Face How You Feel: Stories on Mental Health is a graphic design thesis project created at SUNY New Paltz. This zine is a collection of personal stories from young adults, ages 18 to 23, retelling their experiences with their mental health. These stories were submitted to me in the Fall of 2022 via an online questionnaire.

This zine uses imagery of nature as a representation of the topics discussed in these stories. Using photo manipulation to engage the reader, my hope for this project is that these stories will remind readers that they are not the only one who has or is currently struggling with their mental health. There is something powerful in sharing your story, and I hope that this can be a small resource people can turn to when they are feeling alone.

What is Mental Health?

Mental health is our emotional, psychological, and social well‑being. It affects how we think, act, and feel. Taking care of our mental health is essential for better health and quality of life.

The World Health Organization provides a mental wellness definition: “A state of well being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

The key to mental wellness is rather than staying consistently happy, you should try to pass through life events and emotions with a sense of equilibrium. It is not necessarily about being happy, but being able to cope with the stresses of life and balance your emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental self.