Reducing Stigma And Raising Awareness On Mental Health Action Day

The key purpose of Mental Health Action Day is to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and to improve the quality and availability of resources. This day takes place on the second Tuesday of May each year. Learning how you can take action to support mental wellness in yourself and your community can be one positive way to observe this day.

The history of Mental Health Day

Mental Health Action Day was first observed on May 20, 2021. Its main purposes include: 

• Educating people on how to recognize symptoms of common mental health conditions
• Raising awareness of available mental health services
• Reducing stigma around mental health care
• Encouraging people to come together to support each other in this way

Since this day was first recognized, a growing coalition of over 1,750 nonprofits, brands, government agencies, influential leaders, diverse cross-sector leaders, cultural leaders, and other partners from more than 32 countries have teamed up with Mental Health Is Health and the Mental Health Action Network to offer their communities support and free resources. 

The founding organization of this inaugural day hopes to change public perceptions, championing the concept that it is as important as physical health—that it’s worth talking about and taking care of. A few official partners of this day include The Trevor Project, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), MTV Entertainment Group, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). In the past year, the vice president of MTV Entertainment Studies partnered with Our Minds Matter (OMM) to encourage schools to take action through movement and dance with music. 

World Mental Health Action Day was started due to the pandemic, showcasing how mental health crises can be seen as a “twin pandemic” or “other half” of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing silent challenges to arise. Spreading awareness can be crucial to ensuring people get the support they require. 

How to improve your mental health 

Many techniques can be used to shift your mindset and improve mental health. For example, a meditation practice or one hour of mindfulness a day can be a way to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Meditation can be practiced with a guided meditation app or on your own. Focus on breathing and spend an hour with yourself to notice what sensations, thoughts, or feelings arise. Don’t judge or try to change what you notice during your meditation. Other tools you might use can include self-care, exercise, and therapy. 

Ways to take action 

Talking about mental health issues can be challenging when pervasive stigmas exist surrounding social and emotional well-being. To get the conversation started, it may be helpful to share graphics on social media from organizations like the Chopra Foundation or NAMI. You can also stand up against stigma when you notice it. Reducing stigma can be a continuing fight for systemic changes, but studies show destigmatization is necessary for emotional well-being and societal benefits. 

The Mental Health Is Health organization suggests using the social media hashtags #MentalHealthAction on Instagram and Facebook and the tag #LetsTalkMentalHealth on TikTok to encourage and empower people to take part. Using these tags on your photos, videos, or posts can help get the message out about the movement and help decrease the stigma. You can also celebrate this day by taking one or more of the following actions.

Practice self-care

Self-care doesn’t only mean “treating yourself”. It can also mean making actionable choices that make a difference in your life and promote your own wellness and overall health.  Taking care of your well-being in whatever ways are best for you can help you maintain a high level of mental health. This practice might include doing activities you love, surrounding yourself with supportive people, and setting boundaries, for example. Research also backs up the benefits of exercise, like practicing yoga, mindfulness meditation, and good sleep hygiene. In other words, self-care is the set of coping skills and activities that you personally need to maintain your own health and wellness. 

Support the prevention of mental illness in youth 

Youths are often at risk for mental illness. To support them on their mental health journeys, it may be helpful to get children into therapy or supportive services from a young age and to normalize talking about emotions and coping tools. Understanding intersectionality, discrimination, and bullying can also be essential, as the youth who are most impacted are often those of marginalized groups like black girls and children in the LGBTQ+ community. 

Check-in on others 

There are many myths and stigmas about mental health that can prevent people from recognizing and/or taking action when they need to seek care. In reality, mental health is incredibly important to overall well-being, and some conditions can carry real risks. That’s why checking in on your loved ones regularly can be so important. Letting them know that they’re not alone if they are struggling and encouraging them to seek professional support if needed can be powerful and even lifesaving.  

Mental Health Is Health offers a list of ways you can support a friend who seems to be going through a hard time. They also suggest looking out for signs that someone may be experiencing challenges so that you can offer them support, such as: 

• Sudden isolation or distancing
• Significant changes in habits
• Risk-taking behaviors
• Expressions of hopelessness 

Educate yourself on mental health 

Mental Health Action Day can also be a good opportunity to educate yourself and take some first steps toward better mental health. Even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms of a condition now, you may in the future—or you may have a friend or loved one who could benefit from this information. 

There are a few statistics you can get familiar with to get started, including the following: 

• 41.4 million US adults see a therapist each year. 
• One in five Americans has a diagnosable mental health condition.
• Social connection is essential for mental well-being. 
• Lack of healthy sleep is thought to be a leading cause of depression worldwide. 
• A prolonged stress response (fight-or-flight) can cause physical illness. 
• 77% of Americans have symptoms of chronic stress.
• Mental health counseling can help relieve chronic pain in some individuals.

Take a class

If you want to learn more about these challenges and their impact on individuals and society, many online and in-person classes teach about specific conditions, symptoms, and situations. For example, you might find it useful and informative to take a class on handling stress, anger management, healing from trauma, or strengthening interpersonal relationship skills. 

If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.

Some therapy modalities are also offered in a class format. One example is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which can be done in a group, with family members, or in an individual setting. During or between sessions, you may be asked to do exercises in a workbook or track your moods as you learn more about managing thoughts and emotions. Once you’ve learned these helpful skills, you may be better equipped to manage your own mental health and encourage people to better manage theirs.

Participate in an event 

On this day and throughout the year, there are a variety of in-person and virtual events that you can participate in to raise awareness about mental health in general. Some of these include:

• Suicide Prevention Month
• Volunteer opportunities with The Trevor Project for LGBTQIA+ youth 
• Local mental health marches or parades for systemic change
• Fundraisers for mental health organizations in your community 

Donate to an organization 

There are a wide variety of organizations that are dedicated to educating people about mental health and providing important resources. By making a donation to one of these, you can help make care and information more widely available. The following are examples of organizations that do this type of important work: 

• The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) 
• Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) 
• The Center for Workplace Mental Health
• The YWCA for domestic violence support for women and families
• The JED Foundation for emotional health and suicide prevention

Local organizations in your area may also be looking for donations, volunteer time, or other forms of support. 

Remember those who have been lost 

In 2020, there were over 1.2 million suicide attempts. Of those, over 1.1 million survived, and many went on to receive support from professionals. These statistics show that reaching out for support can be powerful.

Remembering those who did not survive a suicide attempt is another way to observe Mental Health Action Day. If you have lost someone to suicide, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has resources for you. You might also participate in a memorial event, march, or parade for both survivors and those who have been lost to suicide. 

Reach out for mental health support 

Caring for your own mental health can be an important and impactful way to observe this day. If you’re experiencing distressing symptoms, have been diagnosed with a condition, or would like support in finding out how to improve your mental health overall, know that help is available. A therapist can assist you in understanding your feelings and any symptoms and can develop a treatment plan unique to your needs. 

Many people face barriers to seeking out care, including availability and cost. One modern solution that can help reduce these obstacles is online therapy. It can be done from anywhere you have an internet connection and a working device, as sessions take place via video, phone, or live chat. Studies suggest that online and in-person therapy can offer similar benefits in many cases, so you can typically choose the format that feels most comfortable for you. If you’re interested in trying online therapy, you might consider a service like BetterHelp as an easy way to get matched with a licensed provider.