Runners, here’s an idea for spreading mental health awareness during a race:
Create and wear a small sign on your pack or clothing that will stir up thought and conversation about mental health.
Use a popular hashtag and your social media handle.
You could also incorporate a statistic.
If you are raising funds, include that.
Here are example topics (keep it light!):
▪︎ What are you doing to support your mental health, besides running?
▪︎ Anxiety and worry
▪︎ Addiction recovery
▪︎ If you’ve had a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
▪︎ Ending the stigma
▪︎ Hope
▪︎ Sleep importance
▪︎ What’s your “get pumped up” song?
▪︎ Even before COVID-19, the prevalence of mental illness among adults was increasing. In 2017-2018, 19% of adults experienced a mental illness, an increase of 1.5 million people over last year’s dataset. – Mental Health America, 2021
Laminate the sign or be like me and use packing tape (if using tape, trim off the excess, it will look nice). Make sure it’s pinned on securely to not litter the trail.
Let’s have short, caring conversations. Let others know that they’re not alone. We need to keep working towards normalizing mental health issues because we all have our struggles at some point. Keep up the good efforts of increasing awareness.
What are your creative sign ideas?
Mindset and Mental Wellness Coaching 