mental health america Archives

Supporting “May is Mental Health Month”

When I’m not working on a picture book or this blog, I am playing with my granddaughter, socializing with friends and family or participating in outdoor activities like kayaking and biking with my husband. Like many people, I have a “health” app on my phone that tracks the number of “steps” I take in a day. But it always frustrated me with its inability to track non-stepping activities like kayaking and bike riding.

Our kayaks on the Myakka River in Florida

A good tracking app with “challenges”

A few years ago, a friend and avid cyclist suggested I use Strava. Strava is an app that has the ability to track time and miles for just about any activity which, when I’m not taking steps like walking or jogging and doing non-stepping activities, I like. Strava also offers users “challenges.” These are opportunities for users to best their personal record while boosting motivation and goal attainment (a mental health skill)!

A great “May is Mental Health Month” partnership

So, it was nice for me as a mental health educator and a member of Mental Health America’s Advocacy Network to see that MHA is partnering with Strava for their May is Mental Health Month campaign. Mental Health America is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit addressing mental illness and promoting mental health. To raise awareness, MHA is partnering with L.L. Bean in the L.L. Bean Feel-Good Challenge on Strava. If all challenge takers spend a combined 500,000 hours participating in outdoor activities during the month of May, L.L. Bean will donate $50,000 to MHA for their advocacy efforts.

Strava challenges are fun and easy. The app takes care of all the tracking and lets you know when you have completed the challenge. It then provides an overview of your activity such as the number of miles and time spent.

For me, the L.L. Bean Feel-Good Challenge on Strava hits all the right buttons – promoting mental health, being active outdoors and participating in a Strava challenge!

There couldn’t be a better May is Mental Health Month activity for me! I hope it can be yours too!

aws Studios is proud to celebrate May as Mental Health Month! The following is an article from Mental Health America:

Mental Health Awareness

Since the start of the pandemic, more people are talking about mental health. An increasing number of folks are starting to see it for what it is: one important component of your overall health and well-being, just like your physical health. But mental health conditions, resources, and conversations can still feel complicated and out of reach.

An image of an applique of hikers resting and viewing the distant mountain landscape signifying the importance of self-care, rest and relaxation for mental health.

Be Informed

Are there common warning signs for mental health conditions or crises? Specific factors that can lead to mental health conditions or even crises? What resources are out there – and how do I know if they’re right for me?

another image signifying the importance of rest and relaxation with an abstract collage of a beach scene with sand, waves, beach chairs and umbrellas.

Many people are learning about mental health topics for the first time. Having a widespread understanding of the topic can help you be more informed if you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health condition or crisis. Around half of people in the U.S. will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition at some point in their life, so everyone should know what to look out for.

Everyone should have the support needed to thrive. Communities that have been historically and presently oppressed face a deeper mental health burden because of the added impact of trauma, oppression, and harm. There’s often no one single cause for a mental health condition. Instead, there are many possible risk factors that can influence how likely a person is to experience a mental health condition or how serious the symptoms may be.

Know the Risk Factors

Some risk factors for mental health conditions include: trauma, which can be a one-time event or ongoing; your environment and how it impacts your health and quality of life (also known as social determinants of health like financial stability and health care access); genetics; brain chemistry; and your habits and lifestyle such as a lack of sleep.

An image of pool water signifying importance of bringing calm and beauty into our lives for better mental health.

Questions to ask yourself

Of course, understanding the risk factors for a mental health condition can be more difficult when it’s your own mental health. Take time to ask yourself about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to see if this is part of a pattern that may be caused by a mental health condition. Here are some questions to get you started:

• Have things that used to feel easy started feeling difficult?
• Does the idea of doing daily tasks like making your bed now feel really, really hard?
• Have you lost interest in activities and hobbies you used to enjoy?
• Do you feel irritated, possibly to the point of lashing out at people you care about?

Our society focuses much more on physical health than mental health, but both are equally important. If you are concerned about your mental health, there are several options available. You are not alone – help is out there, and recovery is possible. It may be hard to talk about your concerns, but simply acknowledging to yourself that you’re struggling is a really big step.

Mental Health Awareness Resources

Taking a screen at mhascreening.org can help you to better understand what you are experiencing and get helpful resources. After that, consider talking to someone you trust about your results, and seek out a professional to find the support you need.

While you may not need this information today, knowing the basics about mental health will mean you’re prepared if you ever need it. Go to mhanational.org/may to learn more.