Mental Health Awareness
Not Just One Day
November the 10th is a day to highlight mental health awareness. Which is great and all, but does it become another token day to tick off the list and put away in a drawer until next year? What does it actually mean — for those of us who are afflicted at the very least? Instead of throwing terms around let's get a definition. According to the NHS it is,
a positive state of mind and body, feeling safe and able to cope, with a sense of connection with people, communities and the wider environment
WHO says it is,
Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.
It’s the simplest thing in the world to assume that we know what depression is like. Perhaps, “We have all been sad at some point,” is the most unhelpful phrase it could be said. Though anyone who has the slightest bit of knowledge knows it is not that at all. Feeling sad would be a step in the right…
