May 1st marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to acknowledge mental health, its struggles, and break the stigma surrounding mental illness. Mental and emotional wellbeing are an integral part of leading a satisfying life but have been overlooked in the past. When someone is mentally healthy, they can more easily manage stress, maintain friendships, and have a positive outlook. Meanwhile, those struggling with mental health may not practice self care, overload themselves at work, let friendships slip to the wayside, or crumble under the weight of stress.
In order to help improve the mental health of the overall population, it’s important to combat the stigma surrounding it and make healthy coping skills more well known.
So, What Is Mental Health?
Mental health consists of a person’s social, psychological, and emotional wellbeing. Maintaining one’s mental health can be challenging as we experience change, difficulties, and genetic predispositions to mental illness. Being mentally healthy means you have the ability and resources to face these challenges and overcome them.
Finding Healthy Coping Skills
One important part of improving and maintaining mental wellbeing is finding effective coping skills for when you are struggling. These vary depending on the person and what they find comforting or stress relieving. A few examples of healthy coping skills include exercising, journalling, going to therapy, spending time in nature, and even participating in a hobby. All of these and more enable you to move through the challenges you face in a way that isn’t harmful or inducing further stress. Try picking one that speaks to you and testing it out next time you feel yourself struggling.
The Importance of Mental Health Advocacy
With the recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month comes other ways we can work to be mental health advocates. From openly talking about your feelings with friends to sharing with someone that you see a therapist, being an advocate comes in many shapes and sizes. Sharing your mental health struggles and how it affected your life also helps to destigmatize mental illness. Acknowledging both the good times and the bad helps people know that mental health is something that may not only be affecting them, but those around them as well. Using the month of May to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month reminds everyone to be kind to one another because you never know what someone may be going through.
At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada, we use mentoring as an avenue to check-in on and support the young people in our community. If you are interested in becoming a mentor or finding one for a child, find more information here. Creating social connections like these are an amazing opportunity to find community and support.