Celebrate Mental Wellness Month In January 2023

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 43.8 million, or 1 in 5 adults in the U.S., suffer from mental health issues annually. However, the effects of mental illness are spread throughout society and affect us all directly or indirectly. That’s why Mental Wellness Month is celebrated annually from January 1 to 31 to combat mental illness and spread awareness.

Why Is Mental Wellness Month Celebrated?

We feel a merry cheer while celebrating Christmas and welcoming the new year. However, for many people, these events are an indicator of the struggles about to come. The rates of seasonal depression, loneliness, and post-celebration blues are at an all-time high following new year’s eve.

Men­tal Well­ness Month serves as a reminder to main­tain and sus­tain your men­tal health, despite the ups and downs in life. One exam­ple of this is hon­or­ing the con­nec­tion between your body and mind. For instance, many peo­ple make new year’s res­o­lu­tions that include exer­cise, weight loss, and diet­ing. How­ev­er, men­tal health and well­ness are just as impor­tant as phys­i­cal health.

How To Participate In Mental Wellness Month?

Following is our list of activities that can help you improve your mental health and start the year in better spirits. You can also participate in the pursuit of mental wellness by taking any of the following steps.

1. Spend more time with your loved ones

Spend­ing time with your loved ones can improve your mood and hap­pi­ness, not just around the hol­i­days. Mul­ti­ple stud­ies show that social inter­ac­tion that includes face-to-face talk­ing and eye con­tact can enhance the qual­i­ty of your relationships.

2. Show gratitude for the good things in life

We tend to ignore the pos­i­tive things while focus­ing on the neg­a­tives. Grat­i­tude is a prac­tice that can help you reverse this ten­den­cy. For instance, you can start by being grate­ful for your phys­i­cal and men­tal health, fol­lowed by your rela­tion­ships, pos­ses­sions, achieve­ments, etc.

3. Plan a trip(solo or with your friends)
Traveling and spending time with nature can improve your mood, help you step out of your comfort zone, and provide you with lifetime memories.

4. Take better care of yourself

Self-care is a necessary skill that can help you regulate your physical and mental health in periods of immense stress. Some ways to take care of yourself are decreasing screen time, meditating and doing nothing, and spending time with people you love.

5. Opt for therapy

Contrary to popular belief, therapy is not just for the mentally ill or those suffering from mental health issues. Therapy teaches essential life skills that can help you become more emotionally intelligent, improve the quality of your work and relationships, and live a more relaxed, stress-free life.