May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Let us make every month a Mental Health Awareness Month!
Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in the United States since 1949 and was organized to bring attention to the societal impacts of mental health struggles. This attention is needed today. The theme this year, as advanced by Mental Health America, is “Back to Basics”, with the goal of providing “foundational knowledge about mental health […] and information about what people can do if their mental health is a cause for concern.”
At Kaafi Counseling, we hope to support this mission by raising awareness through our publications and providing mental health care to individuals, families, and communities when they need support.
We can all benefit from cultivating greater awareness of our mental health, even if we are not experiencing a mental health crisis or actively struggling with our mental health. Asking yourself reflective questions is an effective way to begin to cultivate this awareness.
Below are some questions that can help you take stock of your mental health. You can answer these questions in a journal, in conversation with a loved one, with your therapist, or on your own.
- How is my sleep?
- What is the quality of my self talk?
- Is there something weighing on me?
- Is there something that I can’t seem to stop thinking about?
- How often am I thinking about the future? The past? How often am I living in the present?
- Do I need a break from screens?
- Who do I talk to when I need to process my emotions? Who do I talk to when I need guidance?
- How do I respond to overwhelm?
- How am I feeling physically, psychologically?
- How often do I acknowledge my efforts?
- Am I able to keep promises to myself?
- How often do I engage in comparison?
- What is the quality of my social life?
- What hobbies do I enjoy? How often do I make time for them?
- Do my daily activities support the lifestyle I desire? How can I close the gap a bit between what I do and what I want?
We hope that through this reflection you can increase your awareness of your mental health and extend compassion to yourself and to those around you.
