Monday kicked off Mental Health Month (MHM) 2023. Every year Senior Life Solutions programs across the country work diligently to stop the stigma and raise awareness of mental illness, and mental health treatments, in May.
Join Excelsior Springs Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions this month as we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to spread awareness and help break down the stigma surrounding mental illness.
This Mental Health Awareness Month, we invite you to Look Around and Look Within to learn about how your surroundings can impact your mental health. Take a moment to consider where you live. Do you feel safe? Do you have access to health care and grocery stores? Does your environment support you both physically and mentally?
Where a person is born, lives, learns, works, plays, and gathers, as well as their economic stability and social determinants of health (SDOH). The more those factors work in your favor means you are more likely to have better mental well-being. However, when it seems like the world is working against you, your mental health can suffer.
Even though many aspects of your environment are beyond your control, there are steps you can take to improve your environment and perfect your well-being. Mental Health America has a few suggestions to help get you started on your journey of improved mental health.
- Work toward securing safe and stable housing: This can be challenging due to finances, age, and other reasons, but there are a few things you can try, such as reaching out to state/local agencies to secure housing, removing safety hazards in the home, or finding another space (such as a community center or friend’s home) where you can get the comfort you are missing at home (MHAM, 2023).
- Focus on your home: Consider keeping your space tidy, sleep-friendly, and well-ventilated. Surround yourself with items that help you feel calm and positive.
- Create bonds with your neighborhood and community: Get to know the people living around you, join or start neighbors-helping-neighbors groups, and support local businesses to challenge gentrification.
- Connect with nature: Hike in a forest, sit in a city park, bring a plant inside, or keep the shades open to absorb natural light.
The world around us can be both positive and negative – bringing joy and sadness, hope, and anxiety. Learn more with Mental Health America’s 2023 Mental Health Month toolkit, which provides free, practical resources, such as how an individual’s environment impacts their mental health, suggestions for making changes to improve and maintain mental well-being, and how to seek help for mental health challenges. Go to www.mhanational.org/may to learn more.
If you’re taking steps to improve your surroundings but are still struggling with your mental health, you may be experiencing signs of a mental health condition. We encourage you to connect with your healthcare provider or reach out to a member of our team today. There is no shame in asking for advice, and we want to give a helping hand so every person can receive the guidance they deserve. Our team is ready to provide any assistance you may need on your journey toward well-being!
As you connect with your neighborhood and community this month, if you notice anyone struggling with their mental health, consider making a referral to our program. Referring someone to our program is easy – simply give us a call at 816-629-2629. No diagnosis is needed. Our care team will speak with the referred individual, introduce ourselves, and discuss the services we provide. We will then set up a confidential appointment to assess them for care. Whether through our program or another service within the community, we will work diligently to identify and address any unmet mental health needs.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please feel free to give us a call: 816-629-2629
Excelsior Springs’s Hospital Senior Life Solutions looks forward to working with you in the fight for better mental health!
