May is Mental Health Awareness Month, established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Despite this bold campaign that began 73 years ago, there is still difficulty in talking about and seeking help to address mental health issues.

Living during a global pandemic has resulted in the need for even more and widespread mental health awareness.

The month is represented by a green ribbon, with Brown County Public Health coordinating local efforts. Green ribbons will be on display throughout the month at the Community Services building located at 1117 Center St. in New Ulm and in front of the Brown County drop-in center, Bridge on Center, located at 1113 Center St.

Most of us can benefit from some simple tips to promote mental health:

• Take care of yourself: Make self-care and addressing your mental health a priority. Go for a walk, meditate, sleep in on the weekend, unplug from social media, color/draw/paint, do yoga, get out in the garden, dance.

• If you need more professional intervention, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with a therapist, or start with your medical doctor — just start somewhere.

• Take care of your loved ones: Check in with family and friends. Offer a shoulder to cry on, listen to their concerns. Avoid being judgmental. Encourage them to take care of their mental health with the same attention as physical health.

• Talk about mental health: The more you talk about it the more normalized the topic of mental health becomes. The stigma of mental health is what prevents most people from seeking help. Stigma rises from lack of awareness, lack of education, and lack of understanding.

• If you don’t understand, do research. Make sure your information is coming from reliable sources like government agencies and health organizations.