Look Around and Look Within

About Mental Health Month

Since 1949, Mental Health America has observed May as Mental Health Month by reaching out to millions of people to spread the word.

This year, Mental Health America is encouraging the public to “Look Around and Look Within” by considering how the world around them affects their mental health.

TC STRONG is sharing tips and practical resources here (and on our Facebook and Instagram accounts) about how an individual’s environment impacts their mental health, along with suggestions for making changes to improve and maintain mental well-being, and how to seek help for mental health challenges.

Need Help?

If you’re taking steps to improve your surroundings but are still struggling with your mental health, you may be experiencing signs of a mental health condition.

Take a free, private screening at www.mhascreening.org to help you figure out what is going on and determine next steps.

Or CLICK HERE for more information and support.

Your surroundings say a lot about your mental health

Take a moment to consider your surroundings. Do you feel safe? Do you have access to health care and grocery stores? Does your home support you, both physically and mentally?

This Mental Health Month, challenge yourself to look at your world and how different factors can affect your mental health.

The places where a person is born, lives, learns, works, plays and gathers have an impact on your physical and emotional wellbeing. Along with economic stability and social connections, these factors are called social determinants of health, and account for up to half or more of health outcomes.

While many parts of your environment can be out of your control, there are steps you can take to change your space and protect your well-being.

Work toward securing safe and stable housing: 

Focus on your home

Create bonds with your neighborhood and community

Connect with nature

MHM 2023 Poster - Calendar.pdf

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA

Reports and Tools

State of Mental Health in America Report 2023: The State of Mental Health in America report is intended to provide up-to-date data and information about disparities faced by individuals with mental health challenges and serve as a tool for change. Learn more about disparities in mental health treatment for youth of color by downloading the report.

 MHA’s Workplace Mental Health Toolkit: Creating a Culture of Support and Well-being: The Workplace Mental Health Toolkit provides information on how employers and people leaders can develop or improve workplace policies that uplift workers, ensure they are valued and heard, and improve an organization’s overall culture of well-being. Download the report.

 Mapping the Mental Health of Our Communities: For years, Mental Health America has provided free, anonymous, clinically validated mental health screens on our website, MHAScreening.org. Now, for the first time, our researchers and corporate partners at Lundbeck are geographically analyzing the results from millions of those mental health screens and showing you the data in near real time. This is the largest dataset of its kind, and now you can explore it at the state and county level on our powerful dashboard and in four comprehensive briefs.

 Our Future in Mind Toolkit: If you want to become an advocate for mental health, the “How to become a mental health advocate in 7 steps” guide is for you. This toolkit is born from Our Future in Mind, a two-day mental health summit hosted by Mental Health America and IDONTMIND, featuring conversations from mental health experts and advocates highlighting their work and pathways to activism.