Prince Harry has encouraged Lightway Academy pupils in Abuja to open up about their mental health difficulties.
On Friday morning, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Lightway Academy, a primary and secondary school in the capital city.
During their tour, the couple stopped by a kindergarten class where youngsters aged five and up performed dances and songs.
At the school, the couple launched the first mental health summit.
In a conversation with the youngsters, the 39-year-old Duke of Sussex discussed the stigma around mental health and how it is a global concern.
According to Harry, many people avoid discussing mental health since it is “invisible.” It is something in our minds that we cannot see.”
The prince emphasized that mental health is a global concern.
Harry also recommended the students to speak up about it rather than remaining silent, saying that “that is the only way that one can fight against it”.
“In some places around the world, more than you would believe, there is a stigma when it comes to mental health. Too many people do not want to talk about it because it is invisible, it is in our minds and we cannot see it. It is not like a broken leg or broken wrist, it is something we are still relatively unsure of,” he said.
“But guess what? Every single person in this room, youngest to the oldest, has mental health. So therefore, you have to look after yourself to be able to look after other people and other people have to be able to look after themselves to look after you. That is the way it works and there is no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day.
“That you woke up this morning feeling sad, that you left school feeling stressed, that you have lost a loved in your family and you do not know who to turn to or who to speak to. All of these things you may have been led to believe, are not for conversation. We are here to tell you today that it is not the case. Every single one of those things is completely normal, it is a human reaction.
“Whether it is grief, stress, whatever the feeling is, it comes from experience that you have had. Every single one of us is likely to have it on any given day. So if you take anything away from today, just know that mental health affects every single person in the entire world and the more you talk about it, the more you kick the stigma far far away into the long grass.
“Then everybody would have the opportunity to share how they are feeling, how they are coping and you can help other people because of the experience you have been through yourself.”
Meghan encouraged students to share their stories, saying “I believe in you”.
The couple is visiting Nigeria to promote mental health for young people affected by conflict, as well as to raise awareness of the Invictus Games, which the prince launched to help wounded and sick service members and veterans.
