Mental Health Awareness Month





Several factors contribute to our overall mental health and well-being. One factor that is close to home is our physical environments. In honor of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, ANTHC will promote weekly activities to enhance our emotional and physical spaces. 

Complete the activity and fill out a survey for a chance to win $100 in Amazon gift cards! Prize winners will be selected at random. One entry per person, per week.  Must be a resident of Alaska to be eligible.


Week 4, May 22-31: Healthy, Safe Spaces With Loved Ones

What we will learn:

  • How to create a safe space for others

Activity: Creating healthy, safe spaces with loved ones

5 tips to create healthy, safe spaces with loved ones:

  1. For loved ones, create a space to engage their senses, practice identifying their feelings or physical needs.
  2. Practice listening to others and how to meet their needs. This will strengthen your skills to listen, and show that you care and respect them.
  3. Examine your strengths, culture, likes/dislikes, and think about the identities of others you are unfamiliar with.
  4. Create a list of resources for yourself and others that may be experiencing a crisis or going through a challenging time. Add the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.
  5. Practice self-care to help reduce stress and improve your emotional state. Examples include:
    • Exercise
    • Go outside, be in nature
    • Eat a healthy and balanced diet
    • Aim for 8 hours of sleep
    • Practice gratitude and positivity
    • Practice traditional activities
    • Stay connected with loved ones

Reflection

There are ways we can create a safe space  with others that shows a person that they are safe, valued and respected. Creating space enhances mental health and well-being.

Fill out our survey below or here for a chance to win a prize. 

Create your own user feedback survey 

Week 3, May 15-21: Healthy Physical Safe Space

What we will learn:

  • Importance to think through safety hazards
  • How to create physical safe space

Activity: Creating physical safe space

5 tips to make a safer physical space:

  1. Remove hazards from your space.
  2. Lock medication and use safe medication disposal bags for expired or unused medication.
  3. Install drapes to help sleep during sunny summer nights.
  4. Install gun safes, trigger locks, and lock ammo boxes to reduce access.
  5. Take an Opioid Overdose Response training and receive life-saving medication Naloxone.

Reflection

There are many ways to create physical safe space. We all deserve to feel safe in our physical and mental health spaces.

Fill out our survey here for a chance to win a prize. 


Week 2, May 8-14: Healthy Emotional Safe Space

What we will learn:

  • Defining emotional safe space
  • How to build an emotional safe space

Focusing on emotional spaces can help our mental health. An emotional safe space allows you to feel safe to express your emotions, overcome challenges, and to try new things. 

Activity: Creating emotional safe space

5 tips to practice when you experience difficult emotions:

  1. Invite loved ones to help you declutter space.
  2. Create a music playlist.
  3. Find a candle, plant, or soap that is soothing. 
  4. Create a list of activities for challenging days.
  5. Create a list of people you can reach out to.

Reflection

There are many ways to create an emotional safe space. We all deserve to express our emotions, and the confidence to take on new challenges.

Fill out our survey here for a chance to win a prize. 


Week 1, May 1-7: Personal Safe Space

What we will learn:

  • How daily practices helps us become aware of our feelings and connection to oneself
  • How to create a visual safe space

Becoming aware of our feelings builds connections to oneself. This can assist us with creating a visual safe space from physical and emotional harm. Our goal is to reduce stress and improve mental health.

Activity: Visualize a safe space

5 Steps to Create a Safe Place In Your Mind

  1. Find a comfortable space free of distractions to settle down and close your eyes.
  2. Focus on your breath, breathing slowly and deeply.
  3. Think of a place that makes you feel safe.
  4. Focus on the details of the safe place.
  5. Slowly return back to the present moment and acknowledge that you can return there again when you would like.

Reflection

Connections to oneself assists with creating a visual safe space that helps reduce stress and enhance your mental health and well-being.

Fill out our survey here for a chance to win a prize. 


Resources

Feeling stressed? Out of balance? Changes in thoughts and behaviors? Resources are available to help you assess your mental health, increase your well-being and practice mindfulness.

The ANTHC Behavioral Health Wellness Clinic offers telehealth counseling, assessments and referral support to adult beneficiaries anywhere in Alaska. You can access our care from your personal cell phone or computer. To learn more or become a client, visit www.anthc.org/bhwc or call (907) 729-2492 Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.


988 is more than just a number – it is a direct connection to compassionate, accessible support for people experiencing mental health related distress. Call or text 988, or chat 988lifeline.org, if you or someone you know needs crisis support.