Pictured from left therapists Kirstiane Bilyeu, Janet Larson, support staff Melanie Knosalla, Gina Bursch, Tina Peel, therapists Johanna (JoJo) Orbeck, and Melissa Handt.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a dedicated time for people, organizations, and communities to join their voices to broadcast the message that mental health matters.
This year’s theme, “Turn Awareness into Action”, celebrates the progress we’ve made in recognizing the importance of mental health – and challenges us to turn understanding into meaningful steps toward change. Whether it’s through advocacy, education, community engagement, or direct action in our own lives, taking action reflects our commitment to creating a world where mental health is prioritized for all.
Mental health is our ability to engage with our emotions, thoughts, interactions with others, and the world around us. Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act every day. Just like with our physical health, we can do things that make us mentally healthier and happier. When you feel mentally well, you’re more able to enjoy life and the people in it, feel better about yourself, keep up with fulfilling relationships, and manage stress.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Janet Larson, PhD, of Riverwood’s Behavioral Health clinic comments, “Mental health problems do not define us. It is something we all experience. Own your experience and practice self-care.”
Consider these approaches to take action to improve your own mental health.
Explore your mental health
Exploring your mental health will help you better understand what you need to support your mental wellbeing.
Mental health plays a big role in overall wellbeing. We all have tough days and weeks, and everyone manages their mental health every day. The best way to protect mental health is to pay attention to it even when you’re feeling ok or even good. Becoming more aware of what disrupts your mental health will help you learn what actions, tools and resources may be useful to help you when you need it. There are many ways to take action – big and small – to improve mental health for yourself and for those around you. Taking proactive steps to understand and care for your mental well-being isn’t just self-care—it’s an investment in your future.
The opportunities and resources we have available in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and communities can help support our mental health and wellbeing.
Nurture your mental wellbeing
Self-connection, or self-care, is about finding practices that help you thrive, and it can include a range of things. It takes purposeful effort, but it can help you maintain or improve your daily mental wellbeing. It can be helpful to think of it as taking time to connect with yourself and care for yourself as you would others.
Prioritizing time to connect to yourself doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive, and it is important for you to find out what works best for you. For example, acknowledge your emotions and express them with creative writing, journaling or creating art. Engage in activities that are intellectually rewarding and/or stimulating, such as reading, writing, listening to books or podcasts, and watching films. To care for your spiritual self, try meditation, breathwork, prayer, or connecting with a religious community.
Identify a few ways you’d like to prioritize your own wellbeing. Set aside the time you need to do it, give yourself permission to embrace it if it is hard for you to prioritize yourself, and work toward adding these moments regularly into your life. Know that what taking care of yourself may look like can change over time, and it is okay to adapt to what activities you engage in to fit your needs.
Find mental health support in tough times
When your mental health is off, it is important to find the help that is right for you. Where you go for help will depend on what is happening within your life. Often the best place to start is to talk with those that you already have connections with, including your friends and family, you primary care doctor, spiritual advisor, or local mental health organizations.
Help can be found across many places and depends on what type of support that you may need. It can start with participating in some self-care, or engage with friends, family, or someone else to talk to help you process, find a distraction or problem solve. If the problems in your life are stopping you from functioning well or feeling good, professional help can make a big difference. Even if you’re not sure that you’d benefit from help, it can’t hurt to explore the possibility.
Warm lines and peer support can be helpful for those who are managing stress. Anyone seeking support may call the Minnesota Warm Line for Peer Support connection at 844-739-0369, from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.
Embrace your mental health journey
Learning about our mental health and what we need to support our wellbeing takes time. It’s important to make mental health an ongoing priority in our lives, take care of ourselves, know when to get help, and share our own stories about mental health when possible.
Prioritizing self-care and emotional wellbeing as part of your daily routine can help you learn more about your mental health and wellness, feel more comfortable talking about mental health, and access helpful resources that are available when you need them. As a result, your efforts will help you build connections, foster the feeling that you are not alone, and make space to gain perspective on the difficulty you’re experiencing.
“Mental Health is a lifelong journey that requires many different avenues and supports. Never be afraid to explore your emotions and connect with others,” adds Behavioral Health Therapist Kirstiane Bilyeu, MSW, LICSW.