By Christina Arlt, AICP
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a national event to bring attention to the importance of mental health. Sociologist and psychologist Corey Keyes described the mental health continuum, which is a spectrum that includes flourishing (e.g., “feeling good about and functioning well in life”), moderate mental health, languishing, and mental illness. Everyone occasionally feels a little down or has trouble sleeping. If your symptoms last for less that two weeks and you’re still able to take care of yourself or others (e.g., going to work/school, taking care of housework, etc.), then you can probably manage your symptoms with self-care activities, like exercising, contacting friends or family, getting adequate sleep, or engaging in relaxation, mindfulness, or meditation.
The good news is that as planners, we know a lot of resources out there about exercise and active transportation! Check out APAPA’s Healthy Communities in PA committee. DCNR offers Explore PA Trails, which allows you to search for trails by name, county, ZIP code, or use (e.g., biking, hiking, cross country skiing, equestrian, etc.). Visit PA profiled 16 trails across the Commonwealth, from the Great Allegheny Passage in the west to the Schuylkill River Trail in the east. May also happens to be National Bike Month, with National Ride a Bike Day on May 5th, Bike to Work week on May 13-19, and Bike to Work Day on May 17th!
If you or someone you know is feeling great guilt or shame; feeling extremely hopeless, trapped, anxious, agitated, or full of rage; or talking about wanting to die, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org or text “HELLO” to 741741.
#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #MentalHealthMonth
