Recognizing World Mental Health Day

Did you know that Tuesday, October 10th, is World Mental Health Day? How do you plan to recognize, honor, or celebrate this important event? How does your employer plan to recognize it? I wonder if they even know it's a thing?!

The objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. The day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.

This week on Instagram I shared a post with a quote by Freud: "Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways." From my own experiences, I know that this is so true. And I'm sure you all have similar examples of this, too. That's why it's important to not make mental health a stigma. It's become so much more common nowadays to even hear "It's okay to not be okay!"

Mental health is essential because it influences virtually every aspect of a person's life, from physical health to relationships, productivity, and overall quality of life. Promoting and maintaining good mental health is a shared responsibility for individuals, communities, healthcare systems, and governments.

I was reading an article in Harvard Business Review, "How to Support New Workers' Mental Health" and they shared this:

For new entrants to the workforce, mental health is not only a priority — it’s a necessity. Ninety-two percent of new and upcoming graduates say it’s important that they feel comfortable discussing mental health at work. 61% would leave a current role for better mental health benefits, and 54% would turn down a job offer if it didn’t come with work-life balance.

I sure hope that companies are paying attention to this! Consider this data: 

How do you plan to honor World Mental Health Day?