Today is World Mental Health Day!

Today October 10, 2018 is World Mental Health Day. The commitment of this day is to raise Mental Health Awareness. Each year one in four adults and each year one child of ten suffers from a mental health issue.  Please re-read that last sentence…1 in 4 Adults & 1 in 10 children. Our society has stigmatized mental health in such an adverse way it is hard to get anyone to talk about it.  Most everyone has no problem announcing if they have a cold or bad knee joint and yet so many of us also suffer from various forms of mental health challenges in silence. Why?

Our emotions are a significant part of our human makeup, yet we often hide or conceal or ignore these feelings all together. We all mostly want to be happy productive people. We go to the gym to be physically fit, eat a sensible diet, head to the dentist to keep our teeth white, the chiropractor to keep our back in alignment but rarely seek professional help to keep our mental health or general well being balanced.  I believe in order to be the best version of ones self we need to connect and channel our emotional requirements, not let them control us.  When our emotions are not controlled and we are feeling anxious, depressed, or angry and beyond, we have a hard time being content, happy and productive.  This only exacerbates and potentially intensifies our troubled mindsets. Since we have such a hard time talking about our emotional well being, we hold it in or let it go, only to find later it gets even more difficult… and yes, it consistently gets worse.  Lets try to make talking about our mental health as routine as discussing our physical health.

Like I mentioned earlier, every year one adult in four, along with one child in ten, will have a mental health concern. These conditions can profoundly impact literally millions of lives, affecting capabilities of these individuals to make it through the day, sustain relationships and remain productive at work and home. The stigma attached to mental health causes a damaging, albeit wrongly informed attitude, making it more difficult for those affected to pursue help. According to some estimates, only about one-fourth of those with mental health problems undergo ongoing treatment. By stark contrast, the vast majority of those affected with these problems are faced with a variety of issues, ranging from isolation to uncertainty on where to get help or information, to relying on the informal support of family, friends or colleagues.

Raising Awareness helps!

One way to decrease this stigma is through facts and a better understanding of mental health problems in general. Another powerful way is through media and general awareness, which Lady Gaga has tried to bring attention to co-writing a powerful essay published in the Guardian on the topic. There are some startling statistics in her essay. Additionally, I feel there is a lack of education surrounding Mental Health issues and lack of sufficiently funded resources in our communities. Most of us are unfamiliar about the various types of issues so prevalent and likely so close to us. Now, this short blog is not going to answer all of the questions or provide every resource but I hope it inspires you to talk to someone, ask a question, seek answers and potentially reach out to a professional if necessary.  Having a day dedicated to the emotional well being of human beings is a positive step in the right direction.  We have all heard of mental health Anxiety however, do you realize there is a difference between ‘normal anxiety’ and ‘anxiety disorder’? We will cover each of these in a separate post at a later time. I simply wanted illustrate even a term we a familiar with like anxiety might be something beyond what we believe it is. 

Please help spread the news about World Mental Health Day 2018.

We really like this website: Mental Health First Aid is an online education portal for mental health awareness. 

This is why everyday should be mental health day.