May is Mental Health Awareness Month: Building Understanding, Resilience, and Healthy Habits

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to pause, learn, and talk more openly about mental wellness. Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act each day. It influences how we handle stress, relate to others, make choices, and cope with life’s challenges. Just like physical health, mental health deserves attention, support, and care.

In Crow Wing County, many people are already working to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Crow Wing Energized supports that mission by helping connect our community to resources, conversations, and tools that promote healthy living and strong relationships. During Mental Health Awareness Month, two important topics worth highlighting are Make it OK and Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, both of which can help us better understand mental health and build stronger, more supportive communities.

Make it OK is a stigma-reduction campaign designed to increase understanding and compassion around mental illness. Too often, people struggling with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, or other mental health conditions feel isolated or ashamed. Stigma can make it harder for someone to ask for help, talk honestly about what they are going through, or access treatment.

That is where Make it OK comes in.

The goal of the Make it OK message is simple: it’s okay to talk about mental health, and it’s okay to ask for help. The campaign encourages people to become more comfortable using respectful language, listening without judgment, and showing support to those living with mental health challenges. Sometimes, a few kind words can make a big difference. A person who feels seen and accepted is more likely to reach out, connect, and continue moving toward healing.

Crow Wing Energized has trained presenters who can share Make it OK with local groups, workplaces, and community organizations. These presentations help people recognize how stigma shows up in everyday conversations and provide practical ways to respond with empathy. When communities normalize mental health conversations, they help create safer, healthier spaces for everyone.

Another important topic related to mental wellness is ACEs, which stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences. ACEs are potentially traumatic events that happen during childhood. These can include experiences such as abuse, neglect, household substance misuse, mental illness in the home, parental separation or incarceration, and other forms of instability or trauma.

The ACEs framework, developed through research and shared widely by organizations like FamilyWise, helps us understand how childhood stress and trauma can affect health later in life. ACEs can influence physical health, mental health, relationships, and the ability to manage stress as an adult. The more ACEs a person experiences, the greater the risk for long-term challenges.

But ACEs do not define a person’s future.

This is a very important message. While adverse experiences can have lasting effects, protective relationships, supportive communities, and healthy coping skills can make a meaningful difference. Understanding ACEs helps us become more compassionate with ourselves and others. It reminds us that behavior often has a history, and that healing is possible.

Crow Wing Energized has trained presenters who can explain ACEs and share how communities can help reduce the impact of trauma through awareness, connection, and support. When we understand the connection between childhood experiences and lifelong well-being, we are better prepared to support resilience in children, families, and adults.

Mental Health Awareness Month is a great time to reflect on the habits that support emotional balance and resilience. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, small healthy choices can add up over time and make a real difference.

1. Practice gratitude.

Take a few moments each day to notice what is going well. This could be writing down three things you are grateful for, thanking someone who has helped you, or simply noticing something good in your day. Gratitude can help shift our focus and support a more positive mindset.

2. Stay connected.

Make time for friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, or community groups. Social connection is a protective factor for mental wellness. A quick phone call, walk with a friend, or coffee with a neighbor can help reduce feelings of isolation.

3. Move your body.

Physical activity supports both mental and physical health. You do not need an intense workout to get benefits. A walk, bike ride, stretching, gardening, or dancing in the kitchen all count.

4. Prioritize rest.

Sleep plays a major role in mood, energy, focus, and stress management. Try to keep a regular sleep schedule and create a calming bedtime routine when possible.

5. Ask for help when needed.

Reaching out is a strength, not a weakness. Whether you are struggling yourself or concerned about someone else, support is available. Talking with a trusted friend, counselor, medical provider, or community resource can be an important step.

As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s continue building a community where people feel supported, understood, and valued. By reducing stigma, learning about ACEs, and practicing healthy habits like gratitude and connection, we can help make mental wellness a shared priority.

This May, let’s keep working together to make the healthy choice the easy choice, for our minds, our families, and our community.