May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
This year's theme for Riverside County is #HopeForChange. The past year has undoubtedly brought unanticipated changes for us as individuals, families, and communities--leaving us to face these challenges and transform. Change is not always planned. Growth can be powerful and empowering. It can also be uncomfortable. #HopeForChange reminds us to spread and rely on the hope that carried us through a year of change.
Here are some facts about mental health:
· Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental illnesses are common and treatable.
· While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health.
· The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound impacts on the mental health of people of all ages, and now more than ever, it is critical to reducing the stigma around mental health struggles that commonly prevent individuals from seeking help.
· There are practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase resiliency, regardless of the situations they are dealing with.
· It’s important to accept the situations in life that we cannot change, actively work to process the mental struggles associated with big changes, manage anger and frustration, recognize when trauma may be affecting your mental health, challenge negative thinking patterns, and make time to take care of yourself.
· Knowing when to turn to friends, family, and co-workers when you are struggling with life’s challenges can help improve your mental health.
· Living a healthy lifestyle and incorporating mental health tools to thrive may not be easy but can be achieved by gradually making small changes and building on those successes.
· Seeking professional help when self-help efforts to improve your mental health aren’t working is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Visit Up2Riverside.org to access more information, resources, and an activity calendar for the month here: https://up2riverside.org/mental-health-month/
Also, visit the following websites for more information regarding mental health to continue educating ourselves and to open up the opportunity to educate others:
National Alliance on Mental Health Illness (NAMI): https://www.nami.org/Home
Mental Health America here (MHA): https://mhanational.org/about
It’s Up to Us to make a difference. No matter how you contribute to Mental Health Awareness Month, you can make a difference by knowing that Each Mind Matters.
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