Mental Health Awareness Month

#mentalhealthawarenessmonth #susanstrasser #susanstrasserblog #amwriting

Let’s talk about stress! As in, May is National Mental Health Awareness Month! Let’s de-stress…

Here are a few great resources:

1. 29 Ways to Celebrate Mental Health at:

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/how-to-celebrate-mental-health-awareness-month

I suggest scrolling through the red subheadings, for intriguing fun such as tattoo ideas celebrating mental health! A ton of fun photos, with touching captions as to why designs were chosen. I found the bits about semicolons particularly intriguing and moving.

2. I knew about the recent, 988 national suicide hotline, but had not heard of this resource:

https://www.crisistextline.org/

… it sounds like it operates similarly. Simply call, or have your loved one in crisis, call or text to communicate with a health care professional

3. Podcasts! I am not into these, but I know a lot of my friends are. Google Mental Health Awareness Month and several popped up in the middle of my 1st page of scrolling.

Or how about these Successes!? Perhaps you know a few yourself…

• There are many great stories about celebrities who have triumphed over, or perhaps more accurately have achieved some success and treatment with their mental health issues. My recent favorites include Prince Harry’s tale as detailed in the new memoir Spare and Pennsylvania politician John Fetterman’s (you remember him— the only one in a hoodie!) tale as captured here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/28/us/politics/john-fetterman-pennsylvania-interview.html
• You know how so often children’s books and movies say more eloquently what adults cannot? If you enjoy a great little Disney Pixar animation and have never seen Inside Out, featuring the voices of Amy Poehler as Joy and Lewis Black as Anger, please indulge. (Plus Inside Out 2 is coming out this summer! So get caught up lol) Emotional landscapes explained! And a new love of clowns was instilled within me! Grab that child or grandchild and enjoy.