Did you know that May is Mental Health Month? It’s okay if you didn’t… I wasn’t aware of it until yesterday. But I think it’s a great cause and it’s important that we dedicate not just a month to mental health, but keep it in mind (no pun intended) all year round. Mental Health Month has been celebrated in May dating all the way back to 1949! Mental health isn’t something we should only be concerned about when it gets bad. It’s something that we should always focus on. Please note, as always, that these links aren’t meant to take the place of a doctor or mental health provider. If you’re feeling suicidal or need help RIGHT NOW, please call your doctor, go to the hospital, call Crisis Services or 911. To help kick off Mental Health Month, here’s a hoard of links I’ve gathered in regards to resources, reading materials and more.

• 25 Actions to Boost Self Confidence – although there’s no shortcut to self-esteem, here’s a list of 25 suggested things you can do to help improve your self-confidence.
• 7 Cups of Tea, an online emotional support service. It’ll connect you with an active listener for free, but please note: this isn’t meant to take the place of a doctor or counselor, and if you are feeling suicidal, please call your local Crisis Services.
• Alternatives to Self-Harm – all sorts of things you can do rather than self-harm.
• Bell Let’s Talk, a Canadian initiative which aims to end the stigma surrounding mental health& encourages those who need help to seek it without fear of judgment.
• Calendar from Mental Health America for May 2014. Print it out – every day has a new tip on how to keep your mental health in tip-top shape! (PDF)
• Exercise’s other benefits – a piece from the American Psychological Association on the mental health benefits of exercise.
• Going to Therapy for the First Time? A Huffington Post guide on getting set up for counseling and what to expect at your first appointment.
• How to Protect Your Mental Health: some handy tips on protecting your emotional and mental health as well as some tips you can use to keep yourself in shape mentally.
• Meditation Tips for Beginners – one great tool to help relieve stress and keep your mind in check can be meditation. Why not give it a try and check out some of these tips?
• MentalHealth.gov, a site run by the United States Department of Health & Human Services.
• Mind Check, a Canadian organization designed to help young adults in British Columbia connect to mental health resources. Even if you’re not Canadian (or in BC), you may still find some of the resources here useful.
• NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, a grassroots organization dedicated to building better lives for Americans with mental illnesses.
• NIMH, the National Institute of Mental Health, a government organization designed to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.
• Screening tools from Mental Health America. Please note that these are not meant to be substitutions for physicians or healthcare providers and are not diagnostic instruments.
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center, the US’ only federally-supported resource center devoted to advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
• Ten Things You Can Do for Your Mental Health, a guide from the University of Michigan.
• The Body Positive, an organization working since 1996 to encourage youth and adults alike to experience self-love.
• Top Ten Mental Health Apps – from PsychCentral, here’s some apps you can download for your devices to do everything from keeping track of your moods to providing calming tools and relaxation techniques.
• ULifeLine, an online resource designed largely for college students to aid them in finding mental health resources.