Courtneyy
05-05-2021, 04:50 AM
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the USA, and although the UK and Australia both raise awareness in October, we can take this time to raise awareness in MAY. You may not know this, but 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness at some point in their life. Whether this is anxiety, depression or a more serious mental illness... most of us will struggle at some point. Everyone faces challenges in life, whether it be stress due to schooling, being impacted by online bullying or the loss of a loved one: whatever the case may be, mental health issues and illnesses can affect anyone at any point.
There is still a stigma around mental health and mental illnesses, though. You may have experienced this stigma personally or may have been the one to pass judgement on someone struggling. Stigma is around us, and it impacts those struggling greatly! It is time to break the stigma and be more accepting and understanding to those around us. We are all human beings, after all. Just trying to live our lives to the fullest, and it is entirely normal to struggle from time to time.
One of my favourite quotes is:"No one would ever say that someone with a broken arm or a broken leg is less than a whole person, but people say that or imply that all the time about people with mental illness" - Saks (2007). It is so easy to judge something we do not understand. It is easier to judge an invisible illness such as anxiety compared to seeing someone who is visibly struggling with a broken leg. We can more easily judge things we can not see. There are social norms within our society, so when someone acts differently from what we are used to, we will notice it. The key, however though, is to treat everyone you encounter equally. You do not know their story, their illness or the stigma they experience daily, so you must not add to it but be the shining light that impacts them positively.
As a society, we have come a long way in terms of mental health awareness and the treatment of those who do struggle; however, we still have a long way to go. I want to encourage every one of you to not only look after your mental health but do not be afraid to reach out to someone you see struggling. There may have been times where you have walked past someone in public who appeared to be struggling. It is the norm to avoid and not to engage, but I encourage you to if it is safe to do so. You can ask them, "are you okay? can I do anything to help you?" Do not be a bystander! It has been reported that people who are struggling in some episode in public have just needed someone to tell them, "it is going to be okay, I am here with you!" you should also stay with them until emergency services come. (if they are needed.) Ensure they are safe! People too often walk past someone struggling, leaving the person not assisted and potentially in harm's way.
Mental Health Awareness Month 2021 theme is Tools 2 Thrive! Although you may be struggling or may know someone struggling, there is help out there that can assist YOU. Below I have attached a toolkit that you can easily access and go through at any time.
In this toolkit is the following:
* Helpful Articles
* Informative Fact Sheets
* Fun Work Sheets
* Engaging Posters
* Additional Resources
Mental Health Toolkit:
https://mhanational.org/mental-health-month-2021-toolkit-download
Global Mental Health numbers and websites: If you are in crisis, please do not struggle in silence. If you feel like you can not communicate with your family and friends, some people will listen and support you.
https://checkpointorg.com/global/
Thank you for taking the time to read about Mental Health Awareness!I wanted to be lovely and give you a chance to win something! So for your chance to win 20c on Habbo simply reply to this post letting all of us know ONE THING you do to maintain your mental health. This can be something as simple as, physical activity, listening to music, attending a counselor - it could be anything. Remember, 1 in 5 people struggle with a mental illness in their lifetime. If you have not personally struggled or are struggling right now, the odds are someone close to you is. Aim to not only maintain your mental health but assist those struggling around you.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the USA, and although the UK and Australia both raise awareness in October, we can take this time to raise awareness in MAY. You may not know this, but 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness at some point in their life. Whether this is anxiety, depression or a more serious mental illness... most of us will struggle at some point. Everyone faces challenges in life, whether it be stress due to schooling, being impacted by online bullying or the loss of a loved one: whatever the case may be, mental health issues and illnesses can affect anyone at any point.
There is still a stigma around mental health and mental illnesses, though. You may have experienced this stigma personally or may have been the one to pass judgement on someone struggling. Stigma is around us, and it impacts those struggling greatly! It is time to break the stigma and be more accepting and understanding to those around us. We are all human beings, after all. Just trying to live our lives to the fullest, and it is entirely normal to struggle from time to time.
One of my favourite quotes is:"No one would ever say that someone with a broken arm or a broken leg is less than a whole person, but people say that or imply that all the time about people with mental illness" - Saks (2007). It is so easy to judge something we do not understand. It is easier to judge an invisible illness such as anxiety compared to seeing someone who is visibly struggling with a broken leg. We can more easily judge things we can not see. There are social norms within our society, so when someone acts differently from what we are used to, we will notice it. The key, however though, is to treat everyone you encounter equally. You do not know their story, their illness or the stigma they experience daily, so you must not add to it but be the shining light that impacts them positively.
As a society, we have come a long way in terms of mental health awareness and the treatment of those who do struggle; however, we still have a long way to go. I want to encourage every one of you to not only look after your mental health but do not be afraid to reach out to someone you see struggling. There may have been times where you have walked past someone in public who appeared to be struggling. It is the norm to avoid and not to engage, but I encourage you to if it is safe to do so. You can ask them, "are you okay? can I do anything to help you?" Do not be a bystander! It has been reported that people who are struggling in some episode in public have just needed someone to tell them, "it is going to be okay, I am here with you!" you should also stay with them until emergency services come. (if they are needed.) Ensure they are safe! People too often walk past someone struggling, leaving the person not assisted and potentially in harm's way.
Mental Health Awareness Month 2021 theme is Tools 2 Thrive! Although you may be struggling or may know someone struggling, there is help out there that can assist YOU. Below I have attached a toolkit that you can easily access and go through at any time.
In this toolkit is the following:
* Helpful Articles
* Informative Fact Sheets
* Fun Work Sheets
* Engaging Posters
* Additional Resources
Mental Health Toolkit:
https://mhanational.org/mental-health-month-2021-toolkit-download
Global Mental Health numbers and websites: If you are in crisis, please do not struggle in silence. If you feel like you can not communicate with your family and friends, some people will listen and support you.
https://checkpointorg.com/global/
Thank you for taking the time to read about Mental Health Awareness!I wanted to be lovely and give you a chance to win something! So for your chance to win 20c on Habbo simply reply to this post letting all of us know ONE THING you do to maintain your mental health. This can be something as simple as, physical activity, listening to music, attending a counselor - it could be anything. Remember, 1 in 5 people struggle with a mental illness in their lifetime. If you have not personally struggled or are struggling right now, the odds are someone close to you is. Aim to not only maintain your mental health but assist those struggling around you.