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As you may know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This month shines light on mental health issues, and reminds us that those battling with poor mental health deserve to be loved and cared for too.
Last year was the first time we spoke about this topic on our platform. Here's a brief insight:
Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health. Poor health is more common than you may think, where every 1 in 5 persons suffer from some form of mental health issue.
Mental Health is treatable, and is more than the simple self care routine we may do weekly.
We can challenge negative thinking patterns and actively process the mental struggles associated with trauma.
We also shared a few tips on how we can better our own mental health, which included:
Accept life for what it is | Challenge every negative thought with 2 positive thoughts |
Create time for yourself | Take time for your body |
Focus on the things you can control | Give yourself time |
Do not compare your experience to others | Ask for help when needed |
(We'll focus on this some more in our next blog.)
This month, Safe Haven Transitional Centre, under the Ministry of Health and Social Development had a showcase, Bridge the Gap, to promote mental health. This community outreach event was packed with a full schedule of events like yoga, massage therapy, and different booths that strived to promote mental health.
It is important that the community understands that anyone can be affected by mental health issues, with depression and anxiety being the top 2 among Virgin Islanders, according to Dr. Rubaine. Reluctantly, these issues can be treated and we have facilities and services in place to do so.
At Red Sun Aromatherapy, we wanted to do more. As great as candles can be to help our moods, we wanted to push ourselves and lend a helping hand. So on May 1st 2021, we pledged to rise above the mental health stigma and educate our community. This included advocating for those struggling with their mental health, sharing resources that can be useful, and starting a TherapyFund.
Our TherapyFund is used to supplement payment for those interested in seeking professional help. To date we have raised a little over $100 and although we are having a slow start, we are determined to educate and assist our community.
We can all do our part to help those around us and in our community. We all need a push here and there, a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on at some point. Mental health is essential to our overall health and it's time we put a bit more effort into it.
To learn more about our TherapyFund, assist or access services, please visit us at https://www.redsunaromas.com/donate.