Celebrating National Mental Health Awareness Month

Did you know that May is National Mental Health Awareness Month? Since 1949, this month has sought to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness, reduce stigma around mental illnesses, and encourage individuals to improve their own mental health.

With nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults living with a mental illness, this awareness month strives to encourage those suffering to seek solutions and take advantage of resources that can help improve their quality of life. Join us in learning more about how you can take an active role in improving your mental health.

The field of psychology, as a whole, focuses on the causes and symptoms of mental illnesses and how these emotional disturbances impact a person. However, the field of positive psychology differs slightly, placing a heavier focus on the traits, thought patterns, behaviors, and experiences that can improve a person’s well-being and quality of life.  Positive psychology is focused on approaches that allow individuals to thrive and achieve an overall happy, healthy life.

Adopting a positive psychology approach means placing a heavy focus on efforts that create a satisfying, meaningful, and fulfilled life. This approach can help individuals focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses, develop gratitude, and connect better with others. Many research studies also support the use of positive psychology in enhancing subjective and psychological well-being and reducing depressive symptoms in patients who suffer from mental illnesses.

Both mental health practitioners and individuals looking to improve their mental wellness can shift to a positive psychology approach. Not only can this approach help improve your overall mental wellness, but it can also help improve your physical health. Research has linked a positive mental state with overall improved factors of health, including lowered blood pressure, a decreased risk of heart disease, and more.

Adopting a positive psychology approach offers a myriad of benefits, including fostering higher-quality relationships, improving creativity, achieving better physical health, developing a greater ability to cope with challenges, and so much more. There are a variety of mental health practices that support a positive psychology approach, offering an effective way to positively improve mental health.

Practicing positive meditation can help you reshift focus and improve your mental health by releasing negative emotions and stress. Using a combination approach of mindfulness and meditation, positive meditation helps you shift to a sustained positive mindset, seeing the world in a new light.

Another way to incorporate a positive psychology approach is through positive affirmations. Positive affirmations can help you deal with negative thoughts or feelings, helping to rewire your brain. Practicing gratitude has been shown to affect the brain on a chemical level, promoting feelings of happiness and improving self-worth.

Practicing mindfulness focuses on encouraging acceptance and awareness of your surroundings, helping to combat negative thoughts or emotions. Mindfulness-based treatments have been shown to reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and even lower blood pressure.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is a great source to start to learn more about resources and mental health practices to help you learn how to take care of your mental health.

Taking proactive steps to improve your mental well-being doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Over the past few years, there has been an exciting emergence of apps and online tools that are growing in availability and diversity – offering even more beneficial resources to help individuals improve their mental health.

Using the Upliftly app, you can achieve inner peace and balance in your life and reframe your perspective. With heartfully crafted positive reframe meditations, Upliftly helps you achieve greater positivity, gratitude, and overall enhanced peace of mind. Our platform delivers a diverse range of topics to help you target all areas of your life and achieve your mental health goals.

Join the waitlist today to be first in-the-know when our web and app platforms are released! When you join the waitlist today, you’ll also receive 30 days of free access to Upliftly as our thank you for joining us in raising awareness of Mental Health Awareness Month!