May is Mental Health Month.
Each year, when I hear that a month is being devoted to mental health awareness, I’m reminded of the time when I was a young parent and was taught the appropriate response to the question that almost all children would get around to asking. When a child becomes old enough to figure these things out, s/he inevitably will ask, “If there is a Mother’s Day and a Father’s Day, when is Children’s Day?” The appropriate response, of course, is that, “Every day is Children’s Day.”
While there now are several “official” children’s days that have been designated by different countries and organizations, the concept hasn’t caught on that much yet commercially, and the answer that I was taught years ago is still appropriate.
I feel the same way about Mental Health Month. The fact that a month is officially designated for mental health awareness should not detract from the fact that mental fitness should command our attention every month and, in fact, every day.
The Mental Health Gym was born from the concept that the exercise of mental health activities should be part of every person’s active lifestyle. Our blogs, podcasts, newsletters, exercise cards, and other materials provide guidance and ideas to create more awareness of mental fitness activities, to make such activities more attainable, and to help more people become committed to ongoing emotional growth and development.
At the same time, I believe that there is value in having a Mental Health Month, just as there is value in having a Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and even a Children’s Day. While every day should be marked by a sharing of love and respect for those who are particularly close to us, it is good to take time out on occasion ensure that this is taking place. In these busy times when too much is taken for granted, it is particularly meaningful to take the time to make certain that our feelings are expressed and our commitments are reiterated.
Mental Health Month provides us with the opportunity to renew our commitment to ourselves and to ask meaningful questions such as: Am I working toward my goals with commitment? Am I being fair to myself? Have I been a good role model for those whom I influence? Am I leading a healthy lifestyle?
There are a lot of questions that each of us can ask, and Mental Health Month gives us an opportunity to do so. It also gives us an opportunity for make course corrections so that each of us can proceed to becoming the best person we can be.
Mental Health Month can thus be a useful supplement to the healthy activities that we should be practicing every month on the way to maximizing our mental fitness. So let’s celebrate with a mentally healthy lifestyle!