Turning Awareness into Action

This Mental Health Month, take the first step to improving your lifelong mental wellbeing.

As the stigmas surrounding mental health care in the United States decline, the awareness, acceptance and practice of treating mental health with the same importance as physical health increases. There has not been a time before now when mental health awareness has been as high nor has there been easier access to mental health resources.

“Knowledge is the forerunner of awareness and awareness is the forerunner of action,” said Dr. Wanda Holloway, PsyD. “I believe that every individual has the capacity to change and become whole in both body and mind, given the right desire, conditions and support.”

Dr. Holloway has worked in the field of psychology and counseling for more than 40 years and specializes in trauma, eating disorders, health psychology, pain and stress management, biofeedback, neurofeedback and grief and loss.

“But I also think when we have too much information, it can be overwhelming,” Holloway said. “Our brains can feel inundated with so much that it makes it hard to sort it all out. We want to simplify it.”

According to KFF, an independent organization for health policy research, treatment for and interest in mental health related issues has increased year over year. (Exploring the Rise in Mental Health Care Use by Demographics and Insurance Status | KFF). Mental Health America reported 60 million Americans experienced a mental illness in 2024 and that there are 340 people for every one mental health provider in the United States (2024-State-of-Mental-Health-in-America-Report.pdf). Americans are looking for more ways to improve their mental health both with a provider and on their own.

Focusing on one at a time

Dr. Holloway suggests looking at all of the different factors that impact your mental health, such as diet, exercise, boundaries, engaging creativity, seeking treatment or rest and prioritizing the one that feels the most important to you right now.

If it’s hard to narrow down the No. 1 priority, that’s okay and normal. Take a moment to reflect. To guide yourself, try asking the questions below:

What am I willing to do now?
What am I able to do now?
What is going to be the most beneficial to my life?
Do I have resources available to me to be successful?
Do I have a support system to help me in this goal?
What is the first step for me to reach this goal? Does the first step feel easy or difficult?

Navigating barriers

While answering these questions, it may be revealed that achieving each category for mental health isn’t realistic right now. That’s okay. It's common for barriers such as childcare, schedules, affordability, food access or other factors to impact our abilities to hit all of our goals at once. That’s why it’s suggested to focus on one category at a time and grow from there.

“An important part of developing a new habit is to know what may support in or create a barrier to success,” Dr. Holloway said.

Tracking Progress

When attempting to reach a physical goal, there are often clear metrics such as numbers on a scale to track efforts.

Dr. Holloway explains that taking time to examine ourselves and track the changes happening is essential. Tracking progress and feedback is essential to know if efforts are working and to help maintain momentum.

“That feedback is really critical for us to measure and to compare not to others, but where you may want to be in the next three months or six months," Dr. Holloway said

Taking care of yourself to take action

Holloway emphasizes the importance of doing one or two things a day to step towards your goal. There is greater value and reward in doing than thinking.

“If we have never developed these skills before it may take time to reach where we want to go. It’s vital to stop thinking about it and get doing it. One step forward is one step closer,” said Dr. Holloway.

Mental Health America (Mental Health 101 – Mental Health America) has created a Mental Health Awareness Month Action Plan (Mental Health Month Action Guide | Mental Health America) to help individuals take the first steps towards creating a daily routine that supports mental health. The resources include worksheets to plan your routine (Planning your routine), tips on boosting your mental health (31 Tips to Boost Your Mental Health | Mental Health America), and a full library of DYI tools (DIY Tools – Mental Health America).

There is always help available. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or experiencing a crisis, you can get help immediately. Call, text or chat with professionals on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline. They will work with you to not only address the immediate challenges but also to connect you with available resources.

Turning Awareness into Action

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