May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which provides an opportunity for people to reevaluate their mental health, learn more about mental disorders, and share helpful resources. There are many ways to participate in Mental Health Awareness Month but here are just a few to get started. 

What Is Mental Health Awareness Month?

Mental Health Awareness Month has been recognized since 1949 and is a way to show and offer support for those who struggle with mental health. Events, screenings, activities, social media posts, and fundraisers are all available from many sources during the month of May. 

Finding some ways to take extra care of your mental health is a great way to participate. Taking care of your mental state or taking some time off work are great options if you feel you don’t have a lot to give. Below are some fun and educational ideas. 

1- Send A Mindfulness Care Package

The act of being mindful has become much more visible in recent years. Meditation and mindfulness can be helpful for those who struggle with mental health but it can be difficult to know where to start. If you know someone who has been stressed or someone who has crossed your mind lately, send them a care package for Mental Health Awareness Month. 

Mindfulness care packages can include healthy snacks, calming scents, towels or blankets with comfortable textures, or house plants. All of these things can help limit decision fatigue and overstimulation, and help give someone something to look forward to. 

2- Share Reliable Resources About Mental Health

With more and more people on the internet, information can get shared instantly. Social media is filled with people sharing information, news, opinions, and more. During Mental Health Awareness Month it is important to share truthful and reliable resources. Sharing quotes or information that is offensive or untrue will do more harm than good. 

If you are going to share posts on social media, make sure you check the credentials of the account or include links to scientific articles. 

3- Find Yourself A Therapist

Taking charge of your mental health is important for overall wellness. A therapist is an important part of taking care of your mental health. Finding one that is right for you and specializes in your specific needs will help you gain better control of your life. 

Therapy will give you coping skills, provide support and a listening ear, help you face challenges, and more. Finding a therapist that fits your needs can be difficult, but take some action steps to find a good one during the month of May. 

4- Attend A Mental Health Event

Spreading awareness about mental health means attending events or fundraisers. It not only helps support a good cause but also helps show others that there are people who support them. Many organizations host walks, presentations, or a Q&A to help share mental health resources. 

Mental Health Action Day is celebrated on May 18th on a National scale. This national event gives businesses an opportunity to promote therapy and take charge of their mental health. If you can’t find an event that speaks to you, try hosting your own! 

5- Get Certified In Mental Health First Aid

Another way to take action is to prepare yourself with tools to help those with mental illness. Mental Health First Aid will help you learn to identify a mental health crisis and respond in the appropriate way. Both in-person and digital certifications are available from places like Born This Way Foundation and Jack.org. 

6- Share Your Story

If you struggle with mental illness a way to spread awareness is to share your story with others. Sharing vulnerable moments can be difficult, but posting a story or post on social media may help someone else feel less alone. 

Stigma and questions still surround mental health, so sharing your struggles can be a window to help others understand that it is nothing to be ashamed of. Spreading awareness is often more powerful when it comes from someone you love and trust. 

7- Use Your Time Off Or Mental Health Days

If your work offers mental health days, May is a good time to take them (or just one). If they don’t, Mental Health Awareness Month is a good time to advocate for your company to implement them. Taking some time off work to enjoy the weather, spend time with family, or just relax can be refreshing for your mental state. 

Mental Health Resources From Red Willow

Our therapists, addiction specialists, and social workers provide patients with the tools they need to handle stressful situations. Red Willow Counseling and Recovery offer individual, family, and couples therapy. We specialize in many different areas and want to help patients of all backgrounds. Contact us to schedule your first therapy appointment today.

There are many benefits to exercising our mental health. Some benefits include improving our memory, attention, brain speed, sharpening response times and attention, people skills, intelligence, and navigation. Just like our bodies need physical activity to perform at our best, our brains also need the brain activity to build brain power and be able to work it’s best. The more we work hard at something, the easier it becomes.

There are many things we can do to exercise our brain such as playing board games, reading book and meditation. Another great way to strengthen our mental health is by getting in touch with our senses. We can strengthen the brain by focusing on smell, touch, taste, seeing and hearing. One example is trying a new recipe or dining at a new restaurant.

What is something that interests you but have never explored? Perhaps you would like to explore art, or maybe you have always wanted to play an instrument. Pushing our limits can help us learn new skills, boost self-confidence, and improve concentration. Try something new and make mistakes!

Below is a delicious and easy spaghetti salad recipe to help get in touch with the 5 senses. ENJOY!

Lack of access and coverage for healthcare needs is an issue most folks face in the U.S. every day, including trans and gender non-conforming individuals.

A transgender person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their biological sex assigned at birth.

According to federal and state laws in the United States, discrimination in health care and insurance coverage based on having a transgender identity is prohibited. In theory, this means that it would be illegal for a health insurance plan to deny coverage for medically necessary transition related care. The reality is that up to 46% of transgender individuals report having a health insurer deny them gender-affirming care.

While a law of protection exists, it was created within the Affordable Care Act, therefore only extending this protection to those utilizing programs or activities administered by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or any entity instituted under the ACA. States are permitted to make their own laws surrounding inclusion and exclusion where health insurance coverage is concerned, and while 20 states have adopted the protections afforded in the ACA, there are 30 states in the U.S. that allow health insurance plans to exclude gender affirming care.

Many myths about making transgender healthcare more accessible through insurance coverage exist. One of the most popular being that if health insurance companies adopted transgender inclusive policies then premiums and deductibles for all insured individuals would increase as a result. This has been proven false in multiple studies, including the very first government-sponsored economic impact assessment conducted in the state of California in 2012.

According to the American Medical Association transgender patients who receive gender-affirming care, including surgical care, feel more aligned in their bodies and this results in improved overall mental and physical health – lower rates of depression and anxiety, reduction in substance use rates, higher rates of adherence to HIV care and reduction in self-medication, and fewer risks of death by suicide.

Transgender people deserve equal access to life-saving, medically necessary care. To help in the fight for justice for transgender individuals in Utah, consider supporting local organizations like Genderbands, who use grant money and other funds to help transgender people in Utah pay for medically necessary transition related care.

Education is also a great first step, and you can find all your LGBTQIA2S+ literary needs at Under the Umbrella Bookstore in downtown Salt Lake City!