Posted April 8th, 2014
By Kris Powers
April is Stress Awareness Month and April 21-25th is Stress Less Week, a program of Active Minds in partnership with BeyondOCD and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL). According to the Active Minds website, the objective of Stress Less Week is to not only spread awareness about stress and anxiety disorders but also to work towards the creation of supportive communities where one is encouraged to speak up about struggles.
Active Minds supports a network of campus-based chapters across the United States and Canada comprised of students passionate about mental health advocacy and education. Active Minds chapters change the way students think and talk about mental health and help give a voice to this important issue. Chapters provide campuses with programming that educates about mental health, connects students to resources, and aims to change negative perceptions about mental health disorders. Student testimonials show that Active Minds is making a difference on campuses everywhere!
Take action today. Active Minds offers many suggestions for getting involved and starting a dialogue about mental health and anxiety.
1. Try to find out how someone is truly feeling.
Spring is a stressful time for many, particularly students. Active Minds suggests that the next time you meet up with someone and ask them, “How are you feeling?” don’t settle for “Okay.” Try to find out how they are really feeling about all they have going on in their lives right now, and, if possible, see if you can help them in any way.
2. Schedule a break.
Take a mental health day, or a few mental health moments throughout your day, and invite a stressed out friend or colleague to join you. Your break might include something as simple as watching a funny movie or taking a quick walk around the block.
3. Reach out to someone who needs help.
Do you know a student, friend or coworker who is easily distracted, excitable, or irritable? Reach out to them. Let them know that struggling is normal and encourage them to seek help on campus, in the community, or by calling 1-800-273-TALK.
I encourage you to read more about the important work being done by Active Minds and the Send Silence Packing traveling exhibition. Send Silence Packing® is a traveling exhibition of 1,100 donated backpacks representing the number of college students lost to suicide each year. Active Minds, Inc. collects backpacks and personal stories in memory or in honor of loved ones impacted by suicide. The Spring 2014 tour includes universities in Indiana, Kansas and Iowa and concludes in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Sponsor or volunteer at a display this month!
Please take a moment to view Ed4Career’s extensive Behavioral Health catalog for courses on stress, anxiety and mental health.
“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.”
― Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember
