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May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, a dedicated time for people, organizations, and communities to join their voices in broadcasting the message that mental health matters. During this month, various resources and toolkits are made available to support awareness initiatives, provide guidance on safe messaging, and encourage individuals to engage with their own mental wellbeing and support others in their communities.
The Minnesota Department of Health offers a comprehensive toolkit for Mental Health Awareness Month. This toolkit contains ideas, resources, and messages to share in order to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and suicide prevention. The toolkit has been specifically designed to serve individuals, organizations, and communities, providing a foundation for awareness campaigns that can be tailored to specific needs and audiences.
Similarly, The National Council provides resources to support Mental Health Awareness Month, including a "Mindful Moments Checklist" designed to help individuals take the first step toward more mindful, balanced days. These resources are freely available and can be shared with friends, coworkers, or loved ones who may benefit from additional support for their mental wellbeing.
The Minnesota Mental Health Awareness Month toolkit suggests specific key messages that can be used for each week of the month to create a structured approach to mental health awareness:
- Week 1: Explore your mental health
- Week 2: Nurture your mental wellbeing
- Week 3: Find mental health support in tough times
- Week 4: Embrace your mental health journey
These themes provide a framework for organizations and individuals to develop content that addresses different aspects of mental health throughout the month. Users are encouraged to develop content for emails, newsletters, or to share with friends, work colleagues, and other groups they are engaged with.
Effective community engagement is a key component of Mental Health Awareness Month. The Minnesota toolkit suggests that users should add #YouMatterMN to their social media posts so others can learn from what they are doing. Additionally, users are encouraged to utilize graphics created specifically for Mental Health Awareness Month Shareables to enhance the visual appeal and recognition of their messages.
The toolkit emphasizes that while it provides a starting point, individuals, organizations, and communities should tailor the message for their specific communities and add their own images and graphics to boost visibility and engagement. This customization helps ensure that messaging is relevant and resonant with diverse audiences.
An important component of the Minnesota toolkit is the "Safe Messaging Around Mental Health and Suicide" guidance, available as a PDF. This resource provides critical direction on how to safely talk about mental health and suicide, which is particularly important for organizations and individuals who may be communicating sensitive topics to the public. Following safe messaging practices helps reduce stigma while ensuring that communication is supportive and does not inadvertently cause harm.
Beyond community-focused resources, Mental Health Awareness Month also emphasizes the importance of personal mental wellbeing. The National Council's "Mindful Moments Checklist" is designed to support individuals in taking care of their own mental health. The organization notes that when people lead by example in prioritizing their mental health, they show others that it's okay to slow down, check in with themselves, and make mental health a priority.
This checklist provides practical tools for self-care that can be incorporated into daily routines, helping individuals develop habits that support long-term mental wellbeing. Such resources are particularly valuable as they offer actionable steps that anyone can take to improve their mental health.
Both organizations recognize the importance of user feedback in refining their resources. The Minnesota Department of Health encourages users to fill out a mental health awareness month feedback survey to share their experiences and suggestions. This feedback helps shape future toolkits and ensures that resources remain relevant and effective.
Similarly, The National Council expresses openness to hearing from individuals who have used their resources, indicating a commitment to continuous improvement based on user needs and experiences.