Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but what does mental health awareness really mean? If you are reading this, then you are probably ahead of the curve and pretty aware what mental health is. If you are reading this, then you have taken a big step in your journey or a big step for your child. If you are reading this, you should be proud of yourself.
Recently, “mental health literacy” has been a hot topic and I can see why. Mental health literacy translates to understanding mental health. Seems simple enough. And of course, EVERYONE has mental health and therefore EVERYONE is affected by mental health - no different than physical health. But as we know, there is a difference due to the stigma around mental health.
According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, 1 in 5 adults in the US experience a mental health condition. That is 20% of the population and that only covers people who seek help and can be reported in these numbers. So as you can imagine, there are many more. In reality, we all have stress in our lives, we all go through difficult or sad times at one point or another and we all experience joy. Because everyone has emotions, EVERYONE has mental health.
So if you are reading this, you are ahead of the game. And if you are reading this, you are not alone. If you have chosen for you or your child to learn more about your mental health, learn tools, understand the reasoning behind emotions or actions or simply have a place to share your thoughts and feelings from time to time, you are doing it! So what can Mental Health Awareness Month mean to you? It could mean whatever you want it to mean AND it could also just mean that you are not alone and doing great things to take care of you and your family!
