May is Mental Health Month – Patch.com

While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. The good news is there are practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase resiliency – and there are ways that everyone can be supportive of friends, family, and co-workers who are struggling with life’s challenges or their mental health.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is very important to pay attention to our mental health as well as our physical health.

This is Mental Health Month and the Mental Health Association in New Jersey is highlighting #Tools2Thrive – what individuals can do daily to prioritize their mental health, build resiliency in the face of trauma and obstacles, support those who are struggling, and work toward a path of recovery.

One of the easiest tools anyone can use is taking a mental health screen at mhascreening.org when they need answers. It’s a quick, free, and private way for people to assess their mental health and recognize signs of mental health problems.

This May, we are also exploring topics that can help you build your own set of #Tools2Thrive – recognizing and owning your feelings; finding the positive after loss; connecting with others; creating healthy routines; and supporting others – all as ways to boost the mental health and general wellness of you and your loved ones.

Many people don’t think about what emotions they are dealing with but taking the time to really identify what you’re feeling can help you to better cope with challenging situations. It’s ok to give yourself permission to feel. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, we are reminded that life can throw us curveballs, like the need to practice social distancing. Now, and at other points in our lives, we may experience a variety of losses, such as the death of a loved one, being let go from a job, or the inability to celebrate milestones in the traditional way. It is natural to go through a grieving process. By looking for opportunity in adversity or finding ways to remember the good things about who or what we’ve lost, we can help ourselves to recover mentally and emotionally.

For each of us, the tools we use to keep us mentally healthy will be unique.

The Mental Health Association in New Jersey wants everyone to know that mental illnesses are real, and recovery is possible. Finding what works for you may not be easy but can be achieved by gradually making small changes and building on those successes. By developing your own #Tools2Thrive, it is possible to find balance between work and play, the ups and downs of life, and physical health and mental health – and set yourself on the path to recovery. For more information, visit mhanj.org.

If you are having trouble coping with stress and anxiety related to the COVID-19 Pandemic or other issues, please call the New Jersey Mental Health Cares HelpLine at 866-202-HELP(4357).

The Mental Health Association in New Jersey is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to strive for children and adults to achieve victory over mental illness and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training and services. The organization’s state headquarters is in Springfield; it has additional locations in Atlantic, Hudson and Ocean Counties, and affiliates in Essex, Monmouth, Morris, and Passaic Counties and Southwestern New Jersey.

The NJ Human Services’ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services

provides support to the Mental Health Association of New Jersey to
operate the NJ Mental Health Cares line.