May is Mental Health Month

May is Mental Health Month by Elan Slavin, MSW

May is here and change is all around us.  The weather is beginning to feel more like Spring, the wild flowers are bold and bright and the school year for some is beginning to wind down.  May is also Mental Health Awareness month.  This month (and hopefully year ‘round) we can continue to increase awareness about all of our mental health needs as individuals and as a country.

The following three websites are resources for various kinds of important information and help when it comes to our own mental health and those we love.  Please note: as always, if you are concerned about yourself or someone you love, please reach out to your doctor or a mental health clinician.

www.thenationalcouncil.org
www.nami.org
www.adaa.org

May is here and change is all around us.  I think the poet, Mary Oliver expresses a depth of gratitude for change and new beginnings in a most elegant way.

Why I Wake Early, by Mary Oliver

 

Hello, sun in my face

Hello, you who make the morning.

And spread it over the fields

And into the faces of the tulips

And the nodding morning glories,

And into the windows of, even, the

Miserable and crotchety-

 

Best preacher that ever was-

Dear star, that just happens

To be where you are in the universe

To keep us from ever-darkness,

To ease us with warm touching,

To hold us in the great hands of light-

Good morning, good morning, good morning

 

Watch, now, how I start the day

In happiness, in kindness

Taking a moment to acknowledge your need for help is the ultimate act of kindness we can give to ourselves.