HUMAN SERVICES NEWSLETTER
MAY 22, 2024
MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH MONTH
As part of Mental Health Month, the Mercer County Division of Mental Health is pleased to share helpful resources from Mental Health America. This year’s Mental Health Month theme, “Where to Start: Mental Health in a Changing World,” reminds us that dealing with life’s pressures can be overwhelming, and everyone deserves to be supported and empowered to seek the help they need.
 No one is immune to negative thoughts, and there are many things that can have an impact on our mental health, including relationships and pressure at work or school. Sometimes, however, there are less obvious things that influence our mental health.
 Current events may impact you whether you have personal ties or no ties to them. Mental Health America cites a 2022 study that found 73 percent of American adults reported being overwhelmed by the number of worldwide crises.
According to a recent survey, 58 percent of U.S. adults are lonely. Loneliness increases the risk of developing anxiety and depression and has been associated with psychosis and dementia. A low level of social interaction was found to have an impact on lifespan equivalent to smoking almost a pack of cigarettes a day or alcoholism and was twice as harmful as being obese.
Social drivers, including economic status, education, your neighborhood, access to resources, and social inclusion can have a far-reaching impact not just on your physical health but on your mental health as well. One social driver that seems to impact many these days is the economy. Research shows a strong connection between worrying about money and mental distress, with salaries failing to keep up with rising inflation and cost-of-living expenses. According to a 2023 Gallup poll, 42 percent of Americans are worried they do not have enough money to pay their regular monthly bills.
The internet also can be a cause of stress. Despite having the world at our fingertips, exposure to constant bad news coverage and other contentious news can cause anyone anxiety about the present and the future. Almost 60 percent of people age 18 to 25 have expressed considerable worry about the future of the planet. Social media may cause fear of missing out (FOMO), depression, and reduced self-esteem as a result of comparison. And the lines between work and personal time are often blurred by working from home and after-hours emails, which can increase the likelihood of burnout.
 If you feel like the world is weighing on you, there are several things you can do to help manage your mental health. Experts at Mental Health America have offered some tips to help.
One way to manage your mental health is to take action and advocate for causes that are important to you. Advocacy and action as a form of healing can be powerful, as knowing that you are doing what you can to make a difference can provide you with hope.
Finding a support system is another way you can positively impact your mental health, as having people around you to support your mental and emotional health can make all the difference. There are many places you can seek support, including with family and/or friends, in online support groups, in community spaces, in groups where you share similar interests, and/or in therapy or counseling. Ultimately, you want a support system that suits your needs and provides a safe space for healing.
You also can create space for healthier relationships with technology by setting boundaries. Limiting screen time, blocking social media use between certain hours, putting time limits on apps, downloading a website/app blocker, and/or signing off when you've finished what you've intended to do are some ways to set technology boundaries.
Investing time into figuring out what works best to help you manage your feelings is worth the effort. It can be tempting to ignore your feelings or numb them with substances, but this does not help in the long run. Finding what coping tools work for you is important. Coping tools are skills, techniques, items, and other suggestions that you can turn to as soon as you start to feel anxious or distressed. No one thing works for every person, and there may not be a single coping tool that works for you 100% of the time, but these tools are a great way to be prepared for when your mental well-being starts to slip and it is worth the trial and error that may be necessary to figure out what works best for you. Creating a coping toolbox can be as simple as writing a list of what helps, so when you start struggling with your mental health, you can easily find tips and strategies that will work. You can also have a physical toolbox filled with things like a stress ball, bubbles, notes to yourself, and photos that make you happy.
 Above are some coping tips provided by Mental Health America that you can use when times get tough.
If you have any questions about mental health or coping tools, or concerns about your mental health or that of someone you know, please contact Michele Madiou, Mental Health Administrator, of the Division of Mental Health at mmadiou@mercercounty.org or 609-989-6529.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS SURVEY
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