If you haven’t heard it yet – May is Mental Health Awareness Month! As a mental health company, this is basically our superbowl. In this article, we wanted to reflect on what this month means to us, what we’ve accomplished, and how we can continue to advocate for mental health.&nbsp;<h2>#WhatItFeelsLike Blog Posts</h2>This month, we committed to learning from each other and openly sharing our own experiences. To do this, we invited some of our teammates to share their personal stories on the blog. This was an incredible opportunity to hear a diverse set of stories, proving again and again you never know what someone is going through.&nbsp;Here are a few snippets of the things our friends had to say about their experiences:<blockquote>“I would try to go to bed early to be rested for the next day, but I would instead end up laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. My brain was like a washing machine, spinning around the thought that I would make a mistake on the next day’s workout… As I now look back on those days, instead of remembering the sleepless nights, I am reminded of how powerful sharing your mental health experiences can be.” – Hannah about her experience as a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.peers.net/2024/05/09/what-it-feels-like-student-athlete-mental-health/">student athlete with insomnia</a></blockquote><blockquote>“It started off with a random episode at a Walmart in Secaucus, NJ (so much cringe), where my mom had to take me to the ER because I was legitimately convinced that I was having a heart attack… I don’t know if it’s the fact that talking about mental health has been normalized in a post-COVID world, or maybe it’s the reality that up to 11% of people in the United States experience a panic attack each year. Either way, talking about it helps.” – Goldy about her <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.peers.net/2024/05/14/what-it-feels-like-experiencing-panic-attacks/">experience with panic attacks</a></blockquote><blockquote>“Loving someone with an addiction is complicated, and I’ve been met with confusion, judgments, and solutions from friends and extended family, which frankly hasn’t been helpful. Sometimes, I just need someone to understand, and it feels like the only ones who have are the peers who have stood in my shoes. The ones who have tried to hold onto hope not only for themselves but for their loved ones. Through connecting with others, I feel stronger to hold on just one more day.” – Sarah on<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.peers.net/2024/05/20/what-it-feels-like-loving-a-family-member-with-addiction/"> loving a family member with addiction</a></blockquote><blockquote>“For years, I viewed my depression and the trauma that contributed to it as sources of weakness and shame. I internalized the idea that a strong Asian woman would simply “get over it” and move on. But through therapy, self-work, and surrounding myself with a supportive community, I’ve come to realize that true strength doesn’t come from bottling up emotions or pretending everything is fine. Strength is being vulnerable, facing your demons head-on, and refusing to let your struggles define you.” – Kim on her experience with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.peers.net/2024/05/24/what-it-feels-like-my-journey-with-depression-as-an-asian-american-woman/">depression as an Asian American woman.&nbsp;</a></blockquote><blockquote>“I see the nuances of life where I had not seen them before. My feelings are never nearly as fierce as in 2018, and I can easily regulate them. I’m more mindful about my behaviors than ever and grateful for the little moments. I don’t feel as chronically empty. I rarely even have a single suicidal thought. I am in control of my life. How does it feel? Freeing. Alive. Empowering. Magical. It’s a relief and transformative.”- Blake on his experience with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.peers.net/2024/05/22/what-it-feels-like-recovering-from-borderline-personality-disorder/">Borderline Personality Disorder</a></blockquote>Hearing about all of these different experiences from our teammates has been incredible. We hope that by hearing about these experiences, others know that they are not alone in whatever they are going through. This is what “awareness” means to us – the awareness that you are not alone in whatever you are going through.&nbsp;<h2>Why We Need to Talk About Mental Health</h2>At <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://peers.net/">Peers.net</a>, we’re all about destigmatizing mental health and making it easier for people to get the support they need. That’s why we believe it’s so important to talk openly about mental health – it can make a real difference in people’s lives.For too long, mental health has been something of a taboo topic. Many people feel ashamed or embarrassed to admit they’re struggling, worried that they’ll be seen as “weak” or “crazy.” But the truth is, mental health challenges are incredibly common. In fact, 1 in 5 adults in the US experience mental illness each year. That means the odds are good that you or someone you know is dealing with something like depression, anxiety, PTSD, or another mental health condition.When we keep quiet about mental health, it reinforces the stigma and makes it even harder for people to reach out for help. But opening up the conversation can have the opposite effect. By talking about our experiences, educating ourselves and others, and normalizing mental health struggles, we can create a more supportive and empathetic environment.Sharing our stories can help others feel less alone. It can inspire hope and let people know that recovery is possible. Our friends, colleagues, and teammates who shared their stories this month are perfect examples of this. And it challenges the harmful stereotypes that have long surrounded mental illness. The more we talk about it, the more we realize that having a mental health condition doesn’t make you “abnormal” – it just makes you human.<h2>Awareness to Action</h2>Thanks to the amazing work of many mental health advocates, non profits, and personalities, mental health is being talked about more than ever. Young people are educated, well versed, and ready to share their internal struggles. So, with all of this available information, what’s the next step?The next step for mental health advocacy should be translating awareness to action. We need to take all of the available information about mental health and apply it to programs that will reduce the prevalence of mental health illness. So what can we do?<ul><li>Increasing Access to Care: A key focus for us is advocating for improved access to affordable, high-quality mental health services, including therapy, counseling, and medication management. We support initiatives that expand insurance coverage and reduce barriers to care, ensuring everyone can get the help they deserve.</li><li>Promoting Early Intervention: Early identification and intervention for mental health concerns, especially among young people, can make all the difference. That’s why we champion school-based mental health programs and training for teachers and parents to promote wellness from an early age.</li><li>Fostering Workplace Well-Being: Employers can prioritize employee mental health by offering robust mental health benefits, providing stress management resources, and cultivating a supportive work culture that prioritizes well-being.</li><li>Enhancing Community Support: Developing and promoting community-based mental health programs, support groups, and peer-to-peer networks is essential in providing ongoing social connection and support for those on their mental health journeys.</li><li>Supporting Research and Innovation: Advocating for increased funding and resources for mental health research is key to improving our understanding, treatment, and prevention of these important issues.</li><li>Advocating for Policy Change: Working closely with policymakers, we fight to enact legislation and policies that prioritize mental health, including parity in insurance coverage, workplace protections, and investment in community-based mental health services.</li><li>Collaborating Across Sectors: Fostering partnerships between healthcare providers, educators, employers, community organizations, and government agencies is essential to coordinating a comprehensive approach to mental health promotion and support.</li></ul>As one person, it is virtually impossible to contribute to all of the above initiatives. However, supporting them, championing them, and providing resources to them will help us all take a huge next step in the fight against mental health stigma.&nbsp;Our biggest learning this month? Together, we are unbreakable. Whether that be in the face of insomnia, panic attacks, or depression, connecting over our experiences and leaning on one another makes us stronger than we were before.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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