McKillop Library

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month! This year’s the theme is Pathways to Wellness: Leading Full and Productive Lives which is a call to action for Americans to identify strategies that work for themselves individually to attain better overall health status.

Wellness is more than an absence of disease. It involves complete general, mental and social well-being. And mental health is an essential component of overall health and well-being. The fact is our overall well-being is tied to the balance that exists between our emotional, physical, spiritual and mental health.

But there are steps that maintain well-being and help everyone achieve wellness. These involve a balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep, a sense of self-worth, development of coping skills that promote resiliency, emotional awareness, and connections to family, friends and the community.

Just as we check our blood pressure and get cancer screenings, it’s a good idea to take periodic stock of our emotional well-being. One recent study said everyone should get their mental health checked as often as they get a physical, and many doctors routinely screen for mental health, which typically include a series of questions about lifestyle, eating and drinking habits and mental wellness. But a checkup doesn’t necessarily require a special trip to the doctor. There are also online screening tools you can use. While conditions like depression are common (roughly 1 in 5 Americans have a mental health condition) they are extremely treatable.

May is Mental Health Month was started 64 years ago by Mental Health America to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for everyone. (Source: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/may)

Come see our Mental Health Awareness display in the library foyer!

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