Make Your Mental Health Matter
(Image Credit: Deniz Altindas on Unsplash)
Good mental health is important to a healthy lifestyle, so taking care of your mental health should always be a top priority in your life. This Mental Health Awareness Month, we offer you some steps that you can take to help raise awareness on mental health in your work and personal life.
Creating good mental health practices can benefit your body in many ways along with decreasing anxiety and stress overall. According to The Centre For Addiction and Mental Health, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the stress levels and anxiety of the public. Along with this, the dramatic shift in the environment for such a prolonged period can really take a toll on your mental health as well as your routines.
The Community Mental Health Action Plan states that today, more than 6.7 million people in Canada are living with a mental health problem or illness and in comparison to this, 2.2 million people living in Canada have type 2 diabetes. Additionally, mental health illnesses tend to affect people early on in their lives and more than 28% of people aged 20-29 experience mental illness in a given year. By the time people reach 40 years of age, 1 in 2 people in Canada have had or have a mental illness.
But there are several ways that you can help to raise awareness on mental health and give back to the community and in the workplace.
Here are 3 ways that you and your teams can help break the stigma around mental health and raise awareness:
1. Volunteer or Donate to the cause
Volunteering your time to raise awareness on mental health can be beneficial for all. According to the World Health Organization, there is no health without mental health. Promoting mental health includes actions to strengthen the policy environment and the use of strategic communication for network building, stakeholder engagement, enhanced mental health literacy, and behaviour change.
When you focus on mental health promotion interventions, it improves the overall well-being of people in various locations like in the workplace or school. Promoting mental health activities can help those around you to engage in education, labour, justice, as well as environments related to mental health. Spending your time to raise awareness on the importance of mental health is important because it allows people to talk about mental illness and what they are feeling.
Donating to a cause that supports mental health can also raise awareness. By donating you can give back to the community and help those who are living with mental illness. Giving back is a big part of HR and when you give back to the community, you not only help those who are in need, but you can help to raise awareness as well. Your corporate social responsibility strategy is aligned to employee well-being - giving feels great!
Some causes for mental illness you can give back and donate to are:
To read more from the World Health Organization on Prevention and Promotion in Mental Health click here!
2. Be Kind and Respect Others
One of the best ways to raise awareness on mental health is by encouraging kindness in all of your interactions. Mental illness is common however it goes unnoticed because the majority of the time it remains unseen. You never know what people are going through, so always remember to treat everyone you meet with kindness. Many people who are dealing with mental illness don’t feel comfortable openly expressing what they are feeling, so creating an open and understanding space for all is necessary for creating an inclusive environment.
Understanding mental illness starts with treating everyone well. Respecting others and creating an environment where everyone is treated as equal, regardless of their mental health, should be the goal in any situation. This means eliminating any stereotypes and breaking the stigma around what it means to have a mental illness. It might seem hard to understand at first for some, but breaking the stigma ensures that those living with mental illness will not have to deal with it alone.
Respecting and understanding those with mental illness will not only help to change the attitude surrounding what mental illness is but will also raise awareness and create more ways to help accommodate those with mental illness. We are all humans, so remembering that people with mental illnesses should be treated as equal and free of prejudice is a must.
For a first-person perspective, Patrick Schnerch’s article from Here to Help called “I Want a Little Respect” outlines his experiences living with mental illness. You can read the full article here.
3. Keep the Conversation on Mental Health Alive
Keeping the conversation alive on mental health and awareness will help others to be informed and ensure it remains relevant. Talking about mental illness is beneficial to educating others and showing people with mental illness that they matter. Many people with mental illness face obstacles such as stigma and discrimination due to ignorance, but by offering opportunities for people to engage in dialogue about mental illnesses and become educated you can create an open and comfortable space.
Talking openly about mental health and mental illness eliminates the taboo surrounding it and will make more people comfortable in talking about it as well. While opening the conversation about mental health, it is also important not to leave children out of this conversation as well.
The Canadian Mental Health Association says that approximately 1 in 5 children and youth in Ontario has a mental health challenge and about 70% of mental health challenges have their onset in childhood or youth. Educating children on the importance of taking care of mental health can help them to understand why they should look after their mental health along with their physical health too.
By educating children and starting the conversation with them, you can change the conversation for future generations and keep the conversation going. Not only will this encourage children to talk about what they are feeling, but it will also teach them how to respond to how they are feeling as well.
Creating an ongoing conversation for mental health will help to create a space where everyone can feel comfortable and live equally. Additionally, raising awareness and giving back to the community for Mental Health Awareness Month can be as simple as making the decision to always treat others with kindness. By choosing to make these small changes in your life and at work will create awareness and help others. You can create safe spaces for those facing mental illness and encourage good mental health practices for yourself and others.
To read our blog on how to practice good self-care click here or sign up for our free HR Health Check.
Throughout the month of May, we have also been posting other ways on how to raise awareness for Mental Health Awareness Month. To read more on the other ways to raise awareness, check out our Instagram!