Look Closer: Mental Health Awareness Month
There is a gambit of important topics May marks the month of:
- Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage
- Brain Tumor awareness
- National Women’s Health week
- Arthritis awareness, and much more!
For me and others it’s Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s our month to spotlight the issues close to us and hopefully bring more understanding to the importance of mental health. Speaking from personal experience, prioritizing mental health drastically changes individuals’ quality of life. I’m sure most people are aware, there’s definitely been a big surge in ‘self-care’ culturally speaking. But honestly how does one do ‘self-care’ or prioritize mental health? Apparently, it’s pretty easy and cheaper than usually advertised.
Why not try taking a break from screens and walk through nature? According to the National Park Service, “Physical activity in a green space can reduce stress and lower cortisol levels by 15%.” To help with this: check out the Wisconsin state parks kit with a daily pass; explore your local scenery with our Bird Watching Kit; or take your family to Beaver Creek Reserve with our kit including a family membership card, maps and field guides. You can also try sleeping more. (I’m very excited about this one!) Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep and teens need 8-10 hours. Columbia Psychiatry News reported, “Poor or insufficient sleep has been found to increase negative emotional responses to stressors and to decrease positive emotions.” Through the library, you can research multiple titles with tips and information on sleeping better (see the book list below). And to wake up even more refreshed, try our Sunlight Simulating Kit or Weighted Blanket Kit.
Another great way to prioritize mental health is to try a new hobby! It sounds a tad cheesy but according to more qualified people than myself, new hobbies help reduce stress, enhance well-being and improve mental health. To test out a few, look into some of our available kits to be checked out: crochet or knitting, sewing machine, stained glass making, needle felting, disc golf set, reiki touch and more! This is my favorite tool for keeping myself mentally healthy, and for an added bonus, it keeps me from spending all my money at Joann’s or Michael’s!
Most people tend to stray away from mental health services due to cost or not knowing where to find services. This is why the library is perfect for keeping our minds healthy. First off, we offer public computers with free Wi-Fi, a basic starting point for finding local resources, thousands of books on these and other topics, and on top of that, everything is free to check out! You can absolutely try everything I’ve listed by using (or signing up for!) your library card. So hopefully we’ll see you soon, either exploring new ways to keep your mind healthy or just trying a new thing!
