Wear Lime for Mental Health Awareness
May is mental health awareness month and here at STAND we want to do everything we can to help the children and teens in our lives so this month we’re going to STAND and help spread awareness about mental health!
During the pandemic, mental health has become increasingly in the forefront of everyone’s minds. People are starting to realize that being physically healthy but mentally unhealthy isn’t really being healthy at all.
According to Mental Health America, 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lives.
There is evidence that bullying can not only affect your mental health but it can also affect your physical health. The stress response your body goes through when you’re being bullied causes depression, among other things, which can affect every part of your physical and mental health and can last throughout your life.
We can’t turn a blind eye to bullying anymore.
So, what can we do this month to raise awareness for mental health?
First, lime green is the official awareness color for mental health, so look in your closet and see what lime green things you can wear this month.
Help spread the word about Mental Health America’s screening test for mental illness. People often go 11 years between the onset of symptoms and getting help for their mental illnesses. This screening test can shorten that time so they don’t have to suffer in silence. You can find it at: http://www.mhascreening.org/
Share the fact this May is mental health awareness month on social media to get the word out.
Talk to your children or teens about mental illness and ask them if they have any questions.
Encourage the school to have an Ask Me Anything style chat about mental illness this month with a mental health expert.
Our mental health is just as important as our physical health so encourage those around you to be upstanders when it comes to bullying. If they see something, they should tell someone.
If you have any more questions about Mental Health Awareness month, go to https://mhanational.org/ to learn more about what you can do and what to watch for.
You’re not in this alone anymore! Let’s STAND together.
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