World Mental Health Day is a reminder to check in on yourself, and others
NEW YORK - We continue to break the stigma when it comes to mental illness.
October 10 is World Mental Health Day. It's an important time to check in with yourself and with others.
CBS2's Cindy Hsu has more on how to to take action.
It has been a tough couple of years, dealing with everything from the pandemic to inflation. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI:
- 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
- 1 in 20 U.S. adults suffer "serious" mental illness every year
- 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a "mental health disorder" each year
Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation is a huge driving force in raising awareness and providing resources to support mental health in youth. Executive Director of the foundation Maya Smith says now's the time to talk about our stories openly.
"The opportunity to share your story helps people feel less alone. It might make you feel less alone. And it's an invitation for other folks to talk to you about what they may be going through," Smith said.
This is the perfect time to reach out to anyone you may be concerned about.
"Saying hey, Cindy, you've been a little quieter than usual. Is there anything going on, is there anything I can do to support you? Or hey Dave, my husband, right, I've noticed that you're under a lot of stress lately. So just leaning in and noticing things about people and letting them know that they matter to you," Smith said.
On the Born This Way Foundation website, you can also earn your "Be There Certificate." It's a free online course that teaches you how to recognize when someone is struggling and how to safely support them while maintaining your own mental health.
A recent guide was just released on the best ways to deal with problems like anxiety and depression offering 11 tips to boosting mental health, including connecting with nature, exercising, talking to someone, getting more sleep, not using alcohol and drugs to cope and managing money and debt.
These are good habits we can focus on all year long.
Some other tips experts say could improve your mental health include: Being kind, open minded to new experiences, and planning things to look forward to.
Additionally, CLICK HERE for more on Boyer's STEAM Connection project.