Mental health month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time when people come together to raise awareness about mental health and the importance of taking care of our social-emotional well-being. This month, the Hot Springs County Prevention Coalition is raising awareness of the important role mental health plays in our lives, and we are encouraging members of our community to take action toward protecting their mental health and overall well-being.

We live in a rapidly changing world that can be complex to navigate. About half of Americans can remember a time when we were not constantly connected and it was easier to tune out the noise of the world, while the younger half of the population can't imagine life without the internet.

Modern life can have a significant impact on mental health - for better or for worse. Some of the imagery in the media we are exposed to today can be deeply unsettling. At the same time, our current technology also allows us to mobilize and provide collective support more efficiently in times of natural disasters or injustice.

And ironically, while our devices make us more connected than ever, loneliness is an increasingly serious public health concern. We are now able to have conversations with friends and family on the other side of the world in real time. However, constant connection also means that we will know if we weren't invited to a friend's party down the street. Recent survey data show that more than half of U.S. adults (58%) are lonely.

This May, the Hot Springs County Prevention Coalition is focusing their efforts on helping members of the community to:

• LEARN how modern life affects mental health and share resources to navigate our changing world, including steps we can take to improve our overall well-being.

• ACT by building coping skills and learning how to manage stress, difficult emotions, and challenging situations. There are many ways to take action – big and small – to improve our mental health and increase resiliency.

• ADVOCATE to improve mental health for yourselves, the ones you love, and for our entire community. "Advocacy" doesn't always mean talking to a government official or local leader. There are things everyone can do to improve the way mental health conditions are perceived and treated.

The Hot Springs County Prevention Coalition will be sharing information about mental health throughout the month on social media (follow them on facebook http://www.facebook.com/hotspringscountyprevention/), on their website: http://www.hotspringscountyprevention.org, and throughout the community. You can find printed resources at Public Health, the local library, Department of Family Services, and the Senior Center.

Mental Health America has created a toolkit to help individuals figure out where to start. The toolkit provides free, practical resources for addressing mental health. Go to https://mhanational.org/mental-health-month to learn more. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) also offers a mental health awareness month toolkit and free resources at https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/mental-health-awareness-month/.

It's important to remember that working on your mental health takes time. Change won't happen overnight. Instead, by focusing on small changes, you can move through the stressors of modern life and develop long-term strategies to support yourself - and others - on an ongoing basis. Sometimes trying to manage your mental health by yourself is too much. Seeking professional help shows strength and can provide you with the support you need to manage life's stressors. Talking to your doctor, a counselor or therapist, can help you identify what might be affecting your mental health and how to best cope.

If you are struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting HELLO to 741741.