Beginning in 1992, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated October 10th as “World Mental Health Day.” As with many prevention efforts, they choose a theme or focus each year. In the past, themes have ranged from broader measures like inclusion and equality to more focused topics such as young people and mental health, mental health […]
As I shared in my earlier post, recovery can be a challenging journey, but it will be one of the most rewarding journeys that someone will find themselves on. Recovery does not only open life up to one that is free of substances, but it opens life up to the many joys, gifts, and victories […]
Suicide Prevention Month comes with a lot of public health information on suicide prevention as well as statistics and education about new resources aimed at reducing the incidence of suicide. However, despite best efforts, sometimes we still lose people. As the twelfth leading cause of death in the general population, the second for people aged […]
The beginning of September marks Suicide Prevention Week, giving us a focused opportunity to learn and think compassionately about suicidal ideation (thoughts of suicide), suicide attempts, and those we have lost. In the spirit of compassion, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some numbers and then, move in for a close-up view of […]
National Recovery Month is a special opportunity to recognize and celebrate the many victories that individuals in recovery have overcome. As a society, we take this month to recognize individuals in recovery from a place of compassion, validation, and acceptance, rather than a place of judgment and stigmatizing beliefs; something which we should be doing […]
With Suicide Prevention month coming up in September, we are excited to discuss a public policy advancement in suicide and crisis intervention. In April, at Meeting of the Minds, many of us had the privilege of attending a discussion around the national change from the previous 1-800 number for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This change […]
The biggest challenges in any person’s life often happen under the heading of one word: change. Many of us find comfort in being creatures of habit, finding routine, and knowing what to expect. Even the experience of “positive stress” can come with welcome changes such as starting a new exciting job, getting married, or even […]
Here’s a fun fact many may not know: July 17th is World Emoji Day! As silly as this day might seem, it points to how much our communication has changed since the late 1990s when emojis became part of our regular, digital communication. With as many fun, creative, unique, and potentially subjective ways we have […]
Sleep is a daily, foundational part of our health routine, and yet, so many people struggle to get the right kind and amount, of consistent, uninterrupted snooze hours. We understand the impact poor sleep has on our physical health. We can literally feel it when we wake up and still feel tired, sluggish, have trouble […]
June is a fantastic month. It is the host to many weddings, outdoor events, and summer nights before things get too sweltering in July and August. For this reason, June is also a great month to talk about exercise. Given how comfortable it is outside, maybe we’ll all get a few more steps in! The […]