NAMI Basics

Friday and Saturday I'm helping to sponsor a NAMI Basics class in our community.  Hopefully we have a good turnout for our "Cram and Jam" session!  We are offering six weeks of classes in two packed days.

NAMI Basics is the signature education program for parents and other caregivers of children and adolescents living with mental illnesses.  The NAMI Basics course is taught by trained teachers who are the parent or other caregivers of individuals who developed the symptoms of mental illness prior to the age of 13 years.

It's free and taught peer-to-peer because those who have been there understand the best.  NAMI is a great community resource if it's available.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

"When you are in your heart of hearts, you can see beyond appearances." -Carlos Santana

What do you know about mental health?  

The World Health Organization defines mental health as a "state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community."  

I think the feeling of well-being is the key to mental health. Mental health also requires resilience, balance, flexibility, and the ability to express who you really are inside.

Part of my work is to help remove the stigma from mental illness.  It's a brain disorder, a medical illness that affects one in every four people.  It's important to fight against hurtful representations of mental illness. The National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) does just that. Get yourself educated, or get help if you need it, it's ok.

This week I will be participating in the Mental Health Blog Party.  Check it out!

And that's what's going on in My World this week.