Our April showers certainly brought the May flowers this year! Everywhere around the city you can see an explosion of color in our local flora. The well-needed rains have brought nourishment to our urban nature. The colorful flowers represent a healthy and accommodating environment that supports the plants. It’s not always the easiest to flower or bloom because it requires the right amount of sunlight, rain, and nutrients. The plants need to be in the right environment to reach their full potential. Just like plants, we need to nurture and care for ourselves to reach our full potential.
With mental health entering more and more of our daily conversations, it’s critical that everyone has a solid foundation of knowledge about mental health. This is important to remember as we embark upon Mental Health Awareness month.
Mental health plays a monumental role in our overall wellbeing. When we are mentally healthy, we are able to enjoy an actively engaged life and feel good about ourselves. This has become more prominent in our social discourse since the start of the pandemic, which shone a light on our deficiencies as a society in dealing with our mental health.
This complex topic has no silver bullets and that is why North Park Main Street is working with Mental Health America to encourage individuals to look around and look within. From your neighborhood to genetics, many factors come into play when it comes to mental health conditions. We encourage everyone to consider how the world around them effects their mental health. Your surroundings can impact if, how, and when your needs are met, which in turn affects your mental health.
North Park is a great micro example of macro variables from the built environment that impact our mental health. The main variables at play are access to quality resources, gentrification, social connections, and community safety. North Park Main Street is hard at work to provide equitable solutions for our neighborhood that help address these issues. We are working to achieve this by getting to know our neighbors, supporting local businesses, staying connected, and connecting others with the resources they need. Building these connections within our community makes us more resilient towards what curveballs life has in store for us. It is strongly recommended to get involved in your community by attending public meetings, volunteering, or even simply shopping locally. There are many great organizations, like North Park Main Street, that can provide those connections while also letting you have a say on your built environment. Some organizations that I recommend learning more about are North Park Business & Neighborhood Foundation, North Park Planning Committee, North Park Community Maintenance Assessment District, and the North Park Community Association. Getting involved is a great way to look around and look within our community.
Additionally, North Park Main Street & Mental Health America will be hosting a free class for our community on Mental Health First Aid Training. This training will take place over two Tuesdays, June 6 and June 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The training is free and open to the public. Our goal is to better equip our community with the resources and knowledge we need to make mental health a priority in how we approach life.
We encourage your participation in this, or similar training provided by mental health professionals. If you are interested, please RSVP at bit.ly/3HAqZOi so we can properly prepare for the number of people attending our class. We also encourage you to check out Mental Health of America San Diego’s website to learn more about who they are and what resources are available to you!
Remember to take some time to look around and to look within during Mental Health Awareness Month.
