May is my favorite spring month. The rain is starting to taper off and there’s a whisper of summer in the air. This time of sunshine and renewal is perfect for thinking about what’s going well in our lives and figuring out how to improve those things that still cause us stress. That’s why I was excited to see that the theme for Mental Health Month this year is Live Your Life Well. What better mantra for all of us to adopt at this time of year.
Mental Health Month is an annual event in May started by Mental Health America in 1949. Mental Health America is a non-profit organization dedicated to mental health education and advocacy. There initiative each year in May is part of an overall campaign to change our perception of mental health and increase the use of mental health care as a preventive part of every person’s healthcare routine. If you read this blog at all, you know that is exactly what I’m all about. Mental health care to help you thrive, not just survive!
At Group Therapy Associates we believe that mental healthcare is about offering people compassion and support for all the challenges that come with life not just specific mental illnesses. Why struggle alone when there are resources available to help you live your best life? As Dr. Shern, president of Mental Health America, points out, “good mental health is much more than just the absence of illness – it’s about being able to handle life’s challenges and even flourish.”
With this goal in mind, I am dedicating my column at I Am Modern each week in the month of May to providing you with mental health resources that can help you to live your life well. Starting next week I will be reviewing at least one mental health related book in addition to my regular posts. Rather than focus heavily on specific mental illnesses I am going to highlight the ways that mental health care can become part of an overall wellness plan for you and your family.
Of course issues such as depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, and other more serious illnesses also have a very important role in mental health care. So, check back next week for tips on recognizing the symptoms of common mental illnesses and ways to find the help you need when you need it.
You can find the articles by clicking here and I will re-post them here on the blog within a week of the original posting at I Am Modern. Worried you might miss something? Subscribe to the blog (see button below or go to the Subscribe tab) and get all the latest news directly in your inbox! And if you don’t want to miss any of it- sign up for our e-newsletter or follow me on twitter to catch my daily tweets on mental health!