May is Mental Health Awareness Month and a great opportunity to learn more about your mental health and what you can do to improve and maintain it. Use our free printable May calendar for ideas and activities to boost and promote good mental health.

Why is Managing Mental Health So Important?

Mental health encompasses your emotions, social life, and psychological well-being. The state of your mental wellness impacts how you relate to other people, how you cope with stress, and your behaviors and lifestyle choices.

Maintaining good mental health is important because it impacts so many areas of your life. Mental illness increases the risk for physical health problems, loneliness, and isolation. Even if you don’t have a diagnosed mental illness, your mental health can change over time and affect your life in many ways.

Mental Health Activities for May

Fortunately, mental health is something you can improve and maintain, just like with physical health. Self-care, positive social interactions, preventative measures, and effective treatment can all reduce your risk of mental health issues and help you overcome mental illness.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, take time to talk about mental health with people you care about. Check out this printable calendar for May's mental health activities and try some of them alone or with loved ones.

1. Prioritize your sleep. Many aspects of physical health affect mental health. It’s easy to compromise on sleep if you have a busy lifestyle, but getting enough shut-eye is essential for overall wellness. Try setting and sticking with a reasonable bedtime for one week and see how much better you feel.
2. Make plans with friends. Social connections are also vital for good mental health. As with sleep, friendships are often sacrificed due to busy schedules and work. Call or text a friend you haven’t seen in a while and make plans to meet up in person. Even if you only have 30 minutes to share a coffee, it will boost your mood and strengthen your connection.
3. Take a walk. One of the simplest things you can do for both mental and physical health is exercise. You don’t need a gym membership or an intense workout schedule to get the benefits. A walk outside will lift your mood and get your heart rate up a little. It provides the double mental health benefits of exercise and being outdoors in the fresh air.
4. Try a meditation. Meditation might seem intimidating, but anyone can do it. And the benefits are hard to beat. Research continues to find that regular meditation helps improve psychological wellness. It relieves the symptoms of anxiety and depression and helps you manage stress better. Start with just a minute a day and stick with it for the best results.

Check out BetterSleep for More Mental Health Tools

BetterSleep offers hundreds of guided meditations to help you with every aspect of your mental health, not just sleep. Use the printable May calendar for mental health activities and the app for meditations, bedtime stories, exercises, and more that will help you sleep better and feel better.