💭 Did you know? Communities of color with mental health conditions are less likely to receive mental health services than their white counterparts. Swipe through for some fast facts.
When discussing mental health, we need to inform from an equity lens so that all our communities can thrive. Keep the conversation going, and share one of your cultural wellness practices.
To access the graphics in English and Spanish visit our social media page here.
The San Mateo County Suicide Prevention Committee is hosting below event that is free and open to the public. Please help us spread the word about this opportunity!
MESSAGING MATTERS ANNUAL WEBINAR
Learn safe and effective messaging about suicide prevention
Details: Please join us for this annual webinar “Messaging Matters” to learn more about safe and effective messaging about suicide prevention. Participants will learn about responsible media reporting, how to engage the news media as partners in suicide prevention, and how to create effective suicide prevention materials and talking points. Presentation will be by subject matter expert Stan Collins, Suicide Prevention Specialist with California Mental Health Services Authority Technical Assistance Team. Flyer: View here and attached.
Please help us outreach to all members of our community, especially those who communicate publicly about suicide and suicide prevention. Examples include
Public information officers
Social media managers or influencers
Print media professionals (newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters)
Broadcast media professionals (television, radio)
Journalists and student journalists
Presenters/trainers who present on suicide and suicide prevention
We are quickly approaching that lime green time of the year again! 💚 Every May is Mental Health Month and California’s theme this year is #Share4MH! To promote engagement across communities in California and San Mateo County, we are asking everyone to find opportunities to share throughout the month. Sharing for mental health can look like:
Sharing how you practice self-care.
Sharing how you practice mental wellness.
Sharing how you get support for your mental health.
Sharing how you overcame stigma.
Sharing your journey towards wellness
Sharing mental health resources
Check out our attached flyer to spark some other ideas! Also use ourvirtual background at your next virtual meeting to spark conversation.
For our full list of free and public events, ways to get involved, and mental health resources, visit SMCHealth.org/MHM.
Please share this email with your clients/consumers, colleagues, friends and community!
¡Nos acercamos rápidamente a esa época verde lima del año! ¡Cada mayo es el Mes de la Salud Mental y el tema de California este año es #Share4MH! Para promover la participación en las comunidades de California y el condado de San Mateo, les pedimos a todos que encuentren oportunidades para compartir durante todo el mes. Compartir para la salud mental puede verse como:
Compartir cómo practica el autocuidado.
Compartir cómo practica el bienestar mental.
Compartir cómo obtiene apoyo para su salud mental.
Compartir cómo superó el estigma.
Compartiendo su experiencia hacia el bienestar
Compartir recursos de salud mental
¡Vea nuestro folleto adjunto para generar otras ideas! También use nuestro fondo virtual en su próxima reunión virtual para iniciar la conversación.
Para ver nuestra lista completa de eventos públicos y gratuitos, formas de participar y recursos de salud mental, visite SMCHealth.org/MHM.
¡Comparta este correo electrónico con sus clientes/consumidores, colegas, amigos y comunidad!
Join Heart & Soul in celebrating the holiday season! Learn about their programs, meet their team member, and gather in community. Their holiday open house is Wednesday, December 21st from 3pm to 6pm at 1633 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 258, Burlingame.
Heart & Soul is also offering an in-person Holiday Wellness Project: 2023 Vision Boards. How will you nurture your wellness in 2023? Vision boards are creative tools to hep you focus your awareness and intentions for the new year. Materials will be provided to create a 15 x 11 inch Vision Board. An image bank of hundreds of clippings, quotes and pictures will be available for you to use in your collage. If you have favorite imagery or meaningful wording to incorporate in your Vision Board, bring them with you!
The holiday season is full of many colors, from cheerful reds and golds, to more calming tones, and somber hues. It is the multitude of colors that creates the special beauty of the season. This time of the year is an opportunity to celebrate and to acknowledge that not everyone feels festive. We can demonstrate the spirit of the season with kindness, generosity, and love by checking in with ourselves and others.
It’s OK to not be happy. The holiday season is full of sights and sounds that can trigger symptoms of trauma, feelings of sadness, guilt, and shame because they are reminders of loss or vital things we do not have. When it seems like everyone else is swimming in joyful abundance, the contrast with how we are feeling can sharpen the pain. Even if we are fortunate enough to live in a comfortable home and be surrounded by helpful family, the increased presence of more intense socializing can cause anxiety.
If you are feeling sadness or anger, ask yourself “what helps and what hurts”? Give a name to the things that trigger hard feelings and some thought to what makes you feel better. Simple things that can be found in everyday life are best, like taking a walk or ride outside, reading a favorite book, watching a beloved movie, or practicing deep breathing. If your feelings are overwhelming, you are not alone. It’s OK to reach out to someone you trust.
It’s also OK to be happy. Rejoice in these feelings and cultivate gratitude that you can feel them. Whatever you may have been through this year, you do deserve to celebrate and feel good. However, practicing balance and self-care is just as important when you are happy. Nothing will spoil feelings of happiness like overdoing it. Incorporate movement every day, and get enough rest. If possible, reserve some quiet time for mindfulness practices, like deep breathing, and reflection.
Anonymous Gun Buyback | Saturday, December 11 10am-2pm | 1000 Skyway Road, San Carlos
Get cash for your unused or unwanted guns. No questions asked, we do not run ballistics, and you can remain completely anonymous. Receive up to $100 cash for a handgun/shotgun/rifle, and up to $200 cash for an assault rifle. You can find more details in this event flyer and website.
These events are important in advancing San Mateo County’s Suicide Prevention Roadmap. To help educate the community, the Suicide Prevention Committee has also contributed suicide prevention outreach materials (listed below) for this event.
San Mateo County Health’s Tobacco Prevention Program is conducting a survey to gather feedback on a Cessation Services educational material. Participants can enter a raffle to win a $20 gift card to REI.
This survey is open to San Mateo County residents that use tobacco. This anonymous survey is available in English and Spanish. Take the survey.
The holiday season is full of many colors, from cheerful reds and golds, to more calming tones, and somber hues. It is the multitude of colors that creates the special beauty of the season. This time of the year is an opportunity to celebrate and to acknowledge that not everyone feels festive. Following an intense year with the ongoing pandemic, we can demonstrate the spirit of the season with kindness, generosity, and love by checking in with ourselves and others.
It’s OK to not be happy.
The holiday season is full of sights and sounds that can trigger symptoms of trauma, feelings of sadness, guilt, and shame because they are reminders of loss or vital things we do not have. When it seems like everyone else is swimming in joyful abundance, the contrast with how we are feeling can sharpen the pain. Even if we are fortunate enough to live in a comfortable home and be surrounded by helpful family, the increased presence of alcohol, rich foods, and more intense socializing can cause anxiety.
If you are feeling sadness or anger, ask yourself “what helps and what hurts”? Give a name to the things that trigger hard feelings and some thought to what makes you feel better. Simple things that can be found in everyday life are best, like taking a walk or ride outside, reading a favorite book, watching a beloved movie, or practicing deep breathing. If your feelings are overwhelming, you are not alone. It’s OK to reach out to someone you trust.
It’s also OK to be happy.
Rejoice in these feelings and cultivate gratitude that you can feel them. Whatever you may have been through this year, you do deserve to celebrate and feel good. However, practicing balance and self-care is just as important when you are happy. Nothing will spoil feelings of happiness like overdoing it. Be sure to moderate intake of alcohol and food, incorporate movement every day, and get enough rest. If possible, reserve some quiet time for mindfulness practices, like deep breathing, and reflection.
How can you check-in with others who are having a tough time during the holiday season?
Expectations of festivity and togetherness make this time of year especially hard for those who may be alone, have lost a loved one, or are without a home or livelihood. In most cases these are not problems you can solve for them, but you can go out of your way with a small act of kindness. Acknowledge the unhoused person you meet on the street, ask them if you can buy them a coffee or a sandwich. In social gatherings or when checking in with friends and family be alert to signs that the person may be sad and open the door for them to share their feelings.
For 24/7 emotional support for you or your loved one, reach out to these resources:
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