How To Celebrate World Mental Health Day 2022

October 10th is World Mental Health Day. This annual holiday was first celebrated in 1992, making 2022 the 30th anniversary of this important event. 

This day is centered on raising awareness about mental health issues. It encourages people to take action and contribute to positive change. 

By celebrating World Mental Health Day, you can reassure the people with mental illnesses in your life that you care and are committed to their well-being. You can also inspire others to do the same by sharing your experience online or with your community. 

There are different themes every year. The 2022 edition will focus on how to make mental health and well-being for all a global priority. There are a few things you can do to make a difference. 

Host A Social Event

If you are a student or employer, you might be in a good position to host a social event to raise awareness about mental health disorders. 

If you’re an employer, you can gather some refreshments and round up your employees to talk to them about the importance of mental health in the workplace. 

This is a great time to remind your employees to use their sick days when needed for mental health conditions and to provide them with a safe space to feel supported by management. 

It’s a good idea to bring in a mental health expert to discuss some topics with your employees. They may feel more comfortable receiving information from someone who isn’t their boss.

If you’re a student, you can work with your school to create a range of events on campus. It can be anything from a holding fundraiser for a mental health nonprofit to hosting a Q&A with mental health professionals.

Some other event ideas include organizing a walk or run or creating petitions to send to elected officials. 

Use Social Media To Your Advantage

Social media is a complex topic in mental health circles, but it’s undoubtedly important in modern-day society and gives us the ability to inform young people about mental health.

There are several ways you can use social media to get the word out. You can use the hashtag #worldmentalhealthday to share posts educating your followers, friends, and subscribers about mental illness.

Some organizations, such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness, collect stories from followers to share on their public feeds. You can follow suit by sharing your story or gathering friends’ stories and posting them to your own feed.

By sharing personal experiences, we can help to destigmatize mental health problems and show how common they are. 

Social media presents a great opportunity to connect with other people and swap trials and tribulations. It can be greatly beneficial in helping people feel less alone with their illnesses. 

Get A Certification 

There are several courses you can take and certifications you can receive to help people in your community with mental health, suicide prevention, and relapse prevention. 

One such course, Mental Health First Aid, instructs on how to identify and react to someone having a mental health crisis. You’ll also learn about the warning signs of a range of disorders. 

The Be There Certificate is a free online course that can educate you on mental illnesses and help you learn to provide support to people experiencing them. 

Through either of these courses, you can learn how to seek out professional and community resources to better assist those around you with finding mental health care. 

Volunteer Your Time Or Money

There are countless nonprofits, community health centers, and mutual aid funds that need physical and financial help in their support of mental health. 

Even if you don’t have funds to spare, volunteering your time can be invaluable. 

You could volunteer at a homeless shelter, mentor at-risk children, or help older adults in your town with everyday tasks. 

If you choose to donate money, use this time to research some organizations focused on mental health advocacy to find one that is doing work that aligns with your values. 

Not only can volunteering help those in need directly, but giving back to others has been shown to also contribute to the better mental health of the volunteers. 

Practice Self Care

You can’t take care of others if you don’t first take care of yourself. Use this day as an opportunity to concentrate on your own needs. 

This can take a few different forms. Maybe you use this time to finally research and find your own therapist, or maybe you decide to finally start that meditation practice you’ve been putting off. 

Some other ways to practice self-care include: 

  • exercise 
  • starting a new hobby or revisiting an old one
  • journaling 
  • spending time with family and friends 
  • getting into nature

Good self-care also includes properly tending to your physical health with healthy foods, water, and plenty of sleep. 

Seeking Treatment For Mental Disorders 

If you or a loved one need help with a mental health or substance use disorder, our team at Bedrock Recovery Center in Massachusetts can help. 

We offer a variety of addiction therapies and treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and group therapy. 

Call our helpline today to speak to a specialist about our substance abuse and mental health services.

  1. National Today - World Mental Health Day https://nationaltoday.com/world-mental-health-day/
  2. United Nations Population Fund - World Mental Health Day https://www.unfpa.org/events/world-mental-health-day
  3. World Federation For Mental Health - World Mental Health Day Theme https://wfmh.global/news/2022.22-05-01_world-federation-for-mental-health-world-mental-health-day-theme
  4. World Health Organization - World Mental Health Day https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day

Written by Bedrock Recovery Center Editorial Team

Published on: October 7, 2022

© 2024 Bedrock Recovery Center | All Rights Reserved

* This page does not provide medical advice.

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