May is Mental Health Awareness month!

One of the biggest barriers to accessing professional support is this strong defensive idea of "I am not crazy."  And it is understandable why there is this association of mental health with crazy. As a community, we are surrounded by negative images in the media where mental health is often to be blamed for an act of crime.  Although it is understandable why there is this negative belief, it does not mean it is the truth.

What if we thought of mental health wellness like physical health?  After all, mental health is a part of our daily living.  For physical health, you may go to a doctor when you are feeling under the weather.  You may seek out specialists when you are seeking an expertise on a specific ailment.  And then you may also take a preventive role of exercising daily, eating healthy and consulting with a dietitian, personal trainer and other professionals.

So what if we take that same attitude of physical health and redirect it toward our mental health wellness.  Wellness is not about being void of unpleasant feelings and aiming for constant happiness.  Wellness is a spectrum just like physical health.  So if we are able to consult with a specialist to keep our physical health up; then why not consult with a specialist to do the same for our mental health? If we prioritize our mental health wellness; then, we may be able to better deal with the balls that are thrown to us from the left field.  How do you prioritize your mental health wellness?  What are some things you can do daily to take care of your mental health wellness.

Below is a short video from Rural and Remote Mental Health in Australia providing a great and simple visual of how physical and mental health are similar to each other.