May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Langlade County Health Department is raising awareness of the important role mental health plays in our lives.

Langlade County Health Department

We live in a rapidly changing world that can be complex to navigate. About half of Americans can remember a time when we were not constantly connected and it was easier to tune out the noise of the world, while the younger half of the population can’t imagine life without the internet.

Modern life can have a significant impact on mental health — for better or for worse. And ironically, while our devices make us more connected than ever, loneliness is an increasingly serious public health concern. We are now able to have conversations with friends and family on the other side of the world in real time. However, constant connection also means that we will know if we weren’t invited to a friend’s party down the street. Recent survey data show that more than half of U.S. adults (58%) are lonely.

Finding a sense of calm and focusing on well-being when you are having mental health concerns can be daunting in our fast-paced society; it can be especially challenging to know where to start. We are encouraging members of the community to act toward protecting their mental health and overall well-being.

This May, the Langlade County Health Department will focus their efforts on helping members of the community to:

• LEARN how modern life affects mental health with new resources to navigate our changing world.

• ACT by building a coping toolbox to manage stress, difficult emotions, and challenging situations.

• ADVOCATE to improve mental health for themselves, the ones they love, and their community.

Langlade County has partnered with CredibleMind, an online platform, to connect people to resources. It is available free of charge, offers accessible, credible and confidential mental wellbeing resources to anyone 24/7. CredibleMind joins expert-rated videos, podcasts, apps, online programs, books, and articles into a user-friendly interface. Users find a wealth of information covering over 200 topics including stress, anxiety, mindfulness, nutrition and much more.

Individuals can access the site at: langlade.crediblemind.com

It’s important to remember that working on your mental health takes time. Change won’t happen overnight. Instead, by focusing on small changes, you can move through the stressors of modern life and develop long-term strategies to support yourself — and others — on an ongoing basis.