What You Need to Know About Mental Health Awareness Month 2023

Mental Health Awareness Month is coming up soon. While many people may overlook this month, I believe it’s vital that we all take the time to consider the role mental health plays in our lives this May.

Whether you realize it or not, mental health has a huge impact on your well-being and overall quality of life. However, if we can’t raise awareness about mental health or have honest discussions about this topic, it becomes more difficult to seek the help we need or help those who are struggling.

As someone who has dealt with anxiety throughout my life, I understand just how crucial it is to bring attention to mental health and spread the word. By writing this blog, I hope I can shed light on this important issue and help you find resources and information that will be useful for you and your loved ones.

Overview of Mental Health in America

Unfortunately, a lot of people still don’t realize the importance of mental health and the real impact it is having on Americans. A staggering 1 in 5 Americans suffers from mental health issues. So, even if you aren’t personally dealing with this issue, it’s likely that your friends, family, and other loved ones are struggling.

Really, mental health conditions are more common than you would think. That’s why this month of awareness needs to be talked about. We all need to educate ourselves and learn how to be compassionate and empathetic. More people than ever suffer from mental health conditions and this problem is only growing in America and around the world. This includes mental illnesses like:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Bipolar

• Borderline Personality Disorder

• Eating Disorders

Mental health disorders are one of the most common medical conditions in the country. Not only do they cause mental and emotional stress, but poor mental health can lead to many different chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart problems, and even strokes.

That’s why we need to talk about this topic and take real steps to help people treat and even prevent mental illness. I’ll talk a little more about how you can help yourself or the people in your life in the next section of this post.

Tips and Advice For People Struggling With Mental Health Issues

Writing about this topic is important to me and other people suffering from anxiety and mental health issues. There is no cure-all solution and each person will have to find activities and coping strategies that will help them. There are a few things that helped me when I was really struggling with my anxiety. I’ll go over that a bit here:

1. Talk to a Therapist

First and foremost, I highly suggest going to a therapist if you are dealing with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. While changing your lifestyle can have a big impact, having the help of a mental health professional is crucial to your treatment.

2. Deep Breathing and Meditation

There are plenty of techniques that can help you reduce stress and anxiety. Deep breathing is one proven method that many therapists teach their clients and this exercise really helped me while I was dealing with anxiety. You can also try out meditation and other calming techniques that will make it easier to cope with mental health symptoms.

3. Physical Activity and Eating Healthy

Physical activity such as cycling, lifting weights, and walking is another activity that is proven to help those with mental health problems. The last thing you want to do when you are anxious or depressed is work out, but moving your body can make a huge difference.

Not only will you trigger feel-good chemicals like dopamine but you will feel more energetic and healthy. Eating good nutritious foods can also help improve your mood and make it easier to manage your mental health.

4. Reach Out to Loved Ones

Finally, know that help is available and you don’t have to face this alone. Many of us don’t want to discuss our mental health, but this can be one of the best ways to get the help you need. Talking to people you trust can take some of the emotional weight off your mind and help you heal. Getting a therapist is still crucial, but having people to confide in about your mental health is also important for your recovery.

Resources For Mental Health

There are tons of great resources for mental health that I’d like to include in this post. With so much information out there, it's hard to fit everything you need to know into one blog. That’s why you should visit some of these websites and learn more about specific mental health conditions and their treatment.

The following organizations provide knowledge, help for those who need it and advice for anyone dealing with mental health symptoms.

• CDC: Center for Disease Control is a leader in the field of mental health advocacy. They have tools, quizzes, and other resources to help people find therapists and other mental health professionals. If you want to learn about coping strategies and other signs and symptoms of mental health visit their website.

• SAMHSA: SAMHSA is funded by the government and helps people find treatment and information. Their hotline is completely confidential and free to the public. They also have suicide hotlines and crisis hotlines for anyone that needs immediate help.

• NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness is a grassroots organization that provides education and support for those dealing with mental health issues. This is another great resource

• NIH: The National Institute of Mental Health is another leading source of information and education. They do important research on mental health and have some of the latest studies and facts about this pressing issue.

Final Thoughts on Mental Health Awareness Month

Whether you are dealing with mental health issues or know someone that struggles with their mental health, realize that help is available. Many of us don’t know how to bring up this conversation, but during Mental Health Awareness Month this is the best time to start up a discussion and start helping yourself or the people in your life.

Educating yourself on mental health is the first step toward recovery. You also want to take action if mental illness is affecting your daily life. I know just how hard it is to reach out and get the help you need, but I highly recommend talking to family and friends. If you aren’t comfortable doing that use the resources I listed as they can get you in contact with a mental health professional.

Update - May 7, 2023

Since publishing this post, Jacob Bryant, PR Consultant for Lanier Law Firm reached out to me about mental health as it involves social media addiction. For more info, please see the following link: https://www.lanierlawfirm.com/social-media-addiction/.