Mental Health Awareness Month!

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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-healt...olkit-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.

I like to lay in the grass or go for a drive and blast music.
Thank you for sharing!!

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Originally Posted by tbl

I like to lay in the grass or go for a drive and blast music.
Thank you for sharing!!

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YES! 100% YES on the driving with loud music! I recommend. Sometimes all it takes is a time out and some tunes.

It is also a safe space to also cry if needed haha although tears can effect vision! Been there done that, do it with care :P

Really good thread, some lovely things said here

I don't have any particularly wonderful ways of dealing with the worst of my mental health issues when they pop up, mostly just withdraw and cry and hope it passes. Certain people are good at making me feel better whether they know it or not but yeah for me it's definitely a case of breaking away before breaking down. I guess the main thing I do to help myself is try to eat well, that absolutely has an impact overall but obv munching a stick of celery doesn't bring me out of a crying fit or anything :P

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Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

Really good thread, some lovely things said here

I don't have any particularly wonderful ways of dealing with the worst of my mental health issues when they pop up, mostly just withdraw and cry and hope it passes. Certain people are good at making me feel better whether they know it or not but yeah for me it's definitely a case of breaking away before breaking down. I guess the main thing I do to help myself is try to eat well, that absolutely has an impact overall but obv munching a stick of celery doesn't bring me out of a crying fit or anything :P

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Hey, we all have our own ways of dealing with stuff so your methods are valid! I tend to also withdraw and deal with my mental health alone so I do understand why you do it. YES! Eating is very important so it is good you still do that even when you are struggling. There was a time where I didn't eat at all when I was in distress and now I am the opposite, I EAT a lot haha. Celery might not pull you out of crying but what about some KFC? :O unless you don't eat chicken of course haha

I’ll go outside in my backyard and work on my “garden” :}

Exercise and playing sports, it gets your mind off of lots of things. Followed by a Starbucks drink and a drive :)

I have been through a lot of bad things in my life knowing that my parents are dead now, going through a lot of challenges being a transgender woman in a not so accepting society, financial issues, even got to the point where I lived on the streets and ate restaurant leftovers but there is one thing that my parents thought me that made me strong and that is, I can surpass every challenge in life and that made me strong they made me strong. I am surrounded with family and friends that are willing to listen to me and they are my support when I have challenges, some would even go above and beyond to help me out. For me, I cope up with all these, by looking at a positive perspective of life. No matter how bad it is, always look for a silver lining. I remained strong despite of everything because I choose to be strong, I have faith in GOD, and I have a lot things I want to accomplish in life and experience and I don't want anything or anyone stop me from achieving it.

I like to take really long bubble baths whenever I feel bad

I don't know. A good deal of my mental-wise problems comes from not being, in the moment, able to rationalize my thoughts and having a real perspective of things (which, should I add, has been worsened given our current world situation & how things work will be effected once everything's "done") at all. Trying to get into a X task to get my mind off it ultimately results on me wondering what's the point of doing such task if, given my state, it's possible that nothing will effectively improve, and I end up not doing that, and as a bonus, feeling even worse by default — it's a snowball, you know! My solution is a combination of time and long walks

The stigma around mental health is still a big issue. Let's break that stigma and be more accepting and understanding of others. We're all just humans trying to live our lives to the fullest. Remember, you never know what someone is going through, so let's be a positive impact on their lives.
That quote about judging invisible illnesses really hits home. We should treat everyone equally and with kindness. We've made progress, but there's still a long way to go. Take care of your own mental health, and if you see someone struggling, don't be afraid to reach out. Sometimes a simple "Are you okay?" can make a huge difference.
That toolkit you mentioned sounds interesting. It's awesome to have resources available to help ourselves and others. I also came across an anxiety hotline, which could help someone.

Arts & craft, now in acrylic painting/crocheting/diamond painting, or drown myself in music with a lot of synthesizers.

You never know what someone's dealing with, so let's be kind and supportive!

That quote on judging invisible illnesses hits home! Let's treat everyone equally, showing empathy and compassion. Progress has been made, but we've still got a ways to go. Don't forget to care for your own mental health, and if you spot someone struggling, reach out! A simple "Are you okay?" can work wonders.

That toolkit and anxiety hotline sound awesome! Having resources to help ourselves and others is crucial. Speaking of which, have you checked out the "early signs of schizophrenia"? Understanding such signs can make a big difference in supporting others.

I have to say that mental illness, clinical depression in particular, is worse than any physical pain I have ever known of. Unless you've been to the deepest and darkest depths of a hole possible, it is hard to even fathom. It's truly horrific how our minds can turn in against ourselves. Everyone who has been through it is a survivor of a version of Hell.

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Originally Posted by -:Undertaker:-

I have to say that mental illness, clinical depression in particular, is worse than any physical pain I have ever known of. Unless you've been to the deepest and darkest depths of a hole possible, it is hard to even fathom. It's truly horrific how our minds can turn in against ourselves. Everyone who has been through it is a survivor of a version of Hell.

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That kind of depression pulls everything down with it, and unless someone’s been there, they really can’t understand what it’s like. I’ve been going through treatment for a while now and started medical cannabis in the UK after nothing else worked properly. It hasn’t fixed everything, but it gave me enough mental space to function again like my mind isn’t constantly attacking itself anymore