Mental Health Action Day is Here
Today is the third annual Mental Health Action Day, an international effort to empower everyone to take action on mental health. Whether for yourself or your community, use these images to join the movement.
Make a Real Difference for Mental Health
The Into Action Lab is partnering with MTV again for the Mental Health Day of Action, joining over 2,000 organizations, brands, and influential leaders in erasing stigmas and shifting from awareness to action.
The call to action for this year drives people to dedicate at least one hour to themself, their loved ones, or their community. From guided meditation to music festivals, there are tons of great events happening online and in cities near you.
Mental Health Action Day 2023
Events scheduled from May 18-28
RSVP for events near you
For our partners, the Into Action Lab has already generated a ton of new content around mental health, wellness, and building a stigma-free world. Check out the new MentalHealthActionDay.art toolkit to get started.
Be sure to use the tags #MentalHealthAction and #MentalHealthIsHealth across your socials to share how you’re taking action.
Self-Care Isn’t Selfish
With all of the chaos happening around us every day, self-care should be a regular practice. Taking just one hour to focus on ourselves has a tremendous effect on our wellbeing. Use these images to promote healthy mindsets and boundaries now and always.
We Deserve Better Mental Health Infrastructure
Barriers to access and stigma around asking for help are actively harming our communities. Now is the time to challenge the system and demand better resources and more providers. Use these images to show that mental health is health, and we aren’t backing down.
How to effectively advocate for change on Mental Health Action Day 2023
Mental health has been so heavily stigmatized throughout society, it can be difficult to know exactly how to reach your audience. With messaging guidance from the Mental Health Action Day toolkit, you can feel confident in your posts and empower your readers to make a change.
Below is a snippet of the best practices when sharing our free mental health content across your platform.
When encouraging your audience to take action, DO:
Encourage and empower your community to take #MentalHealthAction in whatever way feels right for them. That can mean taking time to connect with themselves and loved ones, or it can mean advocating for systemic change that improves mental health access and equity.
Highlight free and easily accessible resources. Remember that therapy and support groups are not easily accessible to everyone. Focus on actions that are free to all or direct them to a Mental Health Action Network partner that provides free resources.
When encouraging your audience to take action, DON’T:
Don’t focus only on specific mental health conditions. Focus instead on the full spectrum of mental health journeys and that everyone has mental health that they need to take care of. Be mindful of stereotypes and aim for authenticity over tropes.
Don’t reinforce or overstate stigma. Watch out for narratives that overemphasize stigma, judgment, or mistreatment toward people with mental health challenges, which can prevent others from speaking up if they are struggling.
Visit the Mental Health Action Network to get access to even more resources, sample social media copy, and eye-catching GIFs to engage your audience.
