While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health.
This past year presented many challenges and obstacles that tested our strength and resiliency. The global pandemic forced us to cope with situations we never even imagined, and a lot of us struggled with our mental health as a result. The good news is that there are tools and resources available that can support the well-being of individuals and communities.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Now, more than ever, we need to combat the stigma surrounding mental health concerns.
Throughout the pandemic, many people who had never experienced mental health challenges found themselves struggling for the first time. We know that the past year forced many to accept tough situations that they had little to no control over. If you found that it impacted your mental health, you aren’t alone. In fact, of the almost half a million individuals that took the Mental Health America anxiety screening, 79-percent showed symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety. However, there are practical tools that can help improve your mental health.
Steps to improving mental health might include:
- Managing anger and frustration
- Recognizing when trauma may be affecting your mental health
- Challenging negative thinking patterns
- Making time to take care of yourself
It’s important to remember that working on your mental health and finding tools that help you thrive takes time. Change won’t happen overnight. Instead, by focusing on small changes, you can move through stressors and develop long-term strategies to support yourself on an ongoing basis. A great starting point for anyone who is ready to start prioritizing their mental health is to take a mental health screening at MHAscreening.org. It’s a quick, free, and confidential way to assess your mental health and begin finding hope and healing.
During this month of May, Angela Hospice wants to remind everyone that mental illnesses are real, and recovery is possible. It is possible to find balance between life’s ups and downs and continue to cope with the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Tips on Mental Health:
- There are practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase resiliency, regardless of the situations they are dealing with.
- It’s important to accept the situations in life that we cannot change, and actively work to process the mental struggles associated with big changes.
- Knowing when to turn to friends, family, and co-workers when you are struggling with life’s challenges can help improve your mental health.
- Seeking professional help when self-help efforts to improve your mental health aren’t working is a sign of strength, not weakness.
- The tools and strategies that work best for one person may not work for another. Recovery is a unique and personal journey that requires trial and error to determine what works best for each individual.
For more information, visit www.mhanational.org/may.
