It’s never the wrong time to look after your mental health and be aware of the mental health of the people around you.
October is Mental Health Month, and Mental Health Week Australia starts on World Mental Day, this Saturday, October 10.
As part of the 2020 World Mental Health Day campaign, Mental Health Australia is encouraging everyone to make a promise to ‘Look after your mental health, Australia.’
It is a call to action for the one in five Australians affected by mental illness annually, and for the many more impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic, and the increased uncertainty and anxiety that has ensued.
The more individuals and organisations who commit to promoting mental health awareness this month and support the campaign, the more we reduce the stigma surrounding mental ill health and play our part in creating a mentally healthy community.
Mental Health Australia CEO Dr Leanne Beagley said there are a host of activities planned to celebrate the month, and World Mental Health Day on Saturday 10 October, starting with a calendar with something to do each day to look after your mental health and wellbeing.
Breaking down stigma by talking about mental health
‘This year we have seen an increased focus on the mental health of our communities, and rightly so. We are continually breaking down stigma by talking about our mental health, and focussing on it during these uncertain times, but as well as talking about it, we need to act, and that action can start with making a promise to yourself to look after your mental health.
‘Looking after your mental health can mean different things for different people, but the whole idea of the World Mental Health Day campaign is to raise awareness around some of the more common things that can work, as well as encouraging people to seek help if they need it.’
Dr Beagley said that the October Mental Health Month calendar is a great way to start, and includes an action each day around looking after your mental health. ‘It might be taking time out, eating well, sleeping well, showing gratitude, connecting with a friend or family member, or simply watching your favourite movie or getting dressed in your Sunday best… on a Monday.’
To join in the campaign to reduce stigma you can download the Mental Health Month calendar for October or make, and share, a #MentalHealthPromise at www.lookafteryourmentalhealthaustralia.org.au.
—-Breaking down stigma by talking about mental health.
Curiously, we used that same technique to impose it: We talked ourselves into it.
Interesting. Could this be why there’s such an explosion of cases? Psychologists are booked out!