Breaking the Stigma Around Mental Health
The month of May is a great month for many individuals. For those still in school, it usually entails the end of the second semester and the end of the school year. For everyone else, it may not include the actual first day of summer, but it will usually bring that summer weather. This means sunnier days, more cookouts, more family time, and overall more social activity.
This month also brings up the topic of mental health as it is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health has become a prominent topic over recent years and has led to stigmas being broken around the subject. Although negative stigmas still exist around these topics, this month is the perfect time to bring awareness to them and do your part in helping break them!
Now is the time to raise awareness of mental health and allow society to understand the impact that it can have on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of individuals, families, and communities as a whole. Allowing everyone to understand the importance of mental health and how essential it is to a person’s overall well-being can change the way that society looks at the topic. Efforts have been put in place to support those that have been suffering from mental illness and focus on promoting acceptance, providing support, prevention, and recovery.
During the month of May, there are things that everyone can do to break the stigma. One of these things consists of educating yourself and those around you about mental illnesses. Those can also be more aware of the judgments that may have been instilled within them through their upbringing or society. Understanding that the way people speak can have certain effects on those around us. Also focusing on the positives of those who may have mental illnesses is effective, as their mental illness is only a portion of who they are. One more thing is to include and support those that may have mental illnesses.
Utilize this awareness month to socialize with those around you while also understanding that there are factors in everyone’s lives that may include a mental illness. Taking steps to educate yourself and those around you while also being more understanding of those who may have mental illnesses will allow the stigma to decline.
To learn more about mental health and some of the illnesses some people face, click here.
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