Mayor Jeff Williams has proclaimed May 15, 2020, as Mental Health Day for Arlington. May has been celebrated as Mental Health Awareness Month throughout the United States dating back to 1949.

Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being. One of the easiest tools anyone can use is to take a depression and anxiety mental health screening offered through Positive Actions International in collaboration with Mending Clinic. It is a quick, free, and private way for people to assess their mental health and recognize signs of anxiety and depression.

One of Mayor Williams’s goal with the Mental Health Proclamation this year is for everyone to know that mental health challenges are real, but recovery and restoration are possible. Positive Actions International’s mission is to bring awareness and understanding of the challenges we now face. We know that life can throw us curveballs - and with this coronavirus crisis we will all experience losses in some form or another. It may be the end of a relationship, being let go from a job, or the death of a loved one. It is natural to go through a grieving process but by looking for opportunity in adversity or finding ways to remember the good things about who or what we have lost, we can help ourselves to recover mentally and emotionally. Recognizing and finding the positive after loss and supporting others are essential tools to boost our mental health and general wellness.

And we know that work, paying bills, cleaning, getting enough sleep, and taking care of children are just some of the things we do each day—it is easy to be overwhelmed. 

 By creating routines, we can organize our days in such a way that taking care of tasks and taking care of ourselves becomes a pattern that makes it easier to get it all done without having to think hard about them.

While one in five people will experience a mental condition during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. The good news is there are practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase resiliency—and there are ways that everyone can be supportive of friends, family, and co-workers who are struggling with life’s challenges.” says Esther Scott, licensed professional mental health provider and director for Positive Actions International. She also recommends simple practical steps that can help improve mental and overall health including laughing, going for a walk, meditating and playing with a pet. “Whatever you do, checking in with yourself is important to find that mind-body connection that will help improve your resiliency,” she said.

For each of us, the tools we use to keep us mentally healthy will be unique. But Positive Actions International wants everyone to know that recovery is possible. Finding what works for you may not be easy but can be achieved by gradually making small changes and building on those successes. By developing your own Tools to Thrive, it is possible to find balance between the ups and downs of life, and your physical health and mental health. Together, we can set our Arlington community on the path towards a more meaningful, well-balanced, successful life for everyone.

For more information, visit www.positiveactionsinternational.com, www.mendingclinic.com and www.mha.org