Mental Health America has been supporting mental health since creating Mental Health Month in 1949. This year’s theme is Where to Start: Mental Health in a Changing World, and they have created a free toolkit full of resources you can use to educate, support, and advocate for mental health in your community. The chaos of daily life can sometimes be overwhelming to deal with, and this year’s toolkit can help those who are struggling as well as those who love them better understand what they are dealing with and how to get help.

The toolkit is loaded with resources that you can use, including:

  • Key messages on mental health
  • A drop-in news article you can share with your school community
  • A proclamation you can encourage your local governments to adopt declaring May is Mental Health Month
  • Posters you can print or share to educate PTA members on mental health
  • Fact sheets on aspects of mental health, including what to say when you’re not “fine” and what to say when someone says they’re fine but they are not
  • Coping tools resources (including coloring pages)
  • Outreach ideas for individuals, organizations like your PTA, schools, and businesses
  • Ready-to-use graphics, including Zoom backgrounds and social media items

While discussing mental health issues has become more common, it can still be difficult to know what to do when you or someone you love is struggling. Download this year’s free toolkit and share the resources with your community.