Category: Awareness

There were so many artistic entries for the Mental Health Awareness Month “Bee Happy At Your Library” Coloring Contest, but we narrowed it down!

Daniella A., Beckett G., and Emberly K., you are the winners! Please come to the library to pick up your prize bag and to have your photo taken!

THANK YOU to all who entered! We will be displaying all of the entries at the library, so stop in and check out the creativity from this talented group of youngsters! A very special THANK YOU to the Pipestone Area Friends of the Library (PAFL) for sponsoring this month’s programs, providing prizes, and purchasing our Mental Health Awareness items and supplies!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! While mental health is important to address year-round, Mental Health Awareness Month provides a dedicated time for people, organizations, and communities to join their voices to broadcast the message that mental health matters!

The theme “You Matter” is intended to remind you that no matter who you are, where you are from, or what you are going through, you belong here and matter to the people in your life and community. Whether it is through advocacy, education, community engagement, or direct action in your own lives, “You Matter” reflects our commitment to creating a world where everyone’s mental health is valued and supported, no matter who they are.

Each week, I will use the Minnesota Department of Health’s Toolkit to raise awareness and provide actionable tips and resources around mental health and suicide prevention. It will include key messages for discussion, as well as images and additional web resources.

Week 2: Practicing Self-Care Matters. Self-Care is about finding practices that help you thrive, and it can include a wide range of things. It takes purposeful effort, but it can help you maintain or improve your daily mental well-being. It can be helpful to think of it as taking time to care for yourself as you would others. Prioritizing time for self-care doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive, and it is important for you to find out what works best for you. Below are a few different ways to nurture your well-being, from the Mental Health Coalition.

Physical: Notice and address the stress that shows up in your body. Notice what physical activities reduce or alleviate pain, tension, and mental stress for you. Some common activities are massages, fitness, dance, aromatherapy, rest, hugging loved ones (with their consent), and boundary setting. Emotional: Tend to your own internal emotional world, especially your mood and feelings. Ways to tend to your emotional self can include connecting with others, naming and acknowledging your emotions, psychotherapy, journaling or creative writing, art, and setting boundaries. Cognitive: Engage in activities that are intellectually rewarding and/or stimulating. This can include reading, writing, listening to books or podcasts, watching movies, and psychotherapy. Spiritual: This can take many different forms and does not have to be tied to formal religion. It means getting in touch with the less tangible aspects of yourself and the world around you. This can include meditation, breath work, prayer, connecting with a spiritual or religious community, and mantras.

Especially during times of stress and uncertainty, identifying a few small ways to take care of yourself can help maintain your mental health and well-being. Set aside the time you need to do it, give yourself permission to embrace it, and work towards adding these moments regularly into your life. Know that what taking care of yourself may look like can change over time, and it is okay to adapt to what activities you engage in to fits your needs.

• Just like you do things to take care of your body, there are things you can do regularly to tend to your mental well-being. This can and will look different for everyone. The JED Foundation has a variety of resources to help find ideas to add to your self-care practice.
• Learning to recognize and name your emotions and know how they show up for you mentally and physically will help you navigate life when your emotions are strong. The Mental Health Coalition has tools for identifying and dealing with feelings.
• Being well connected to other people promotes positive mental health and physical health and gives life meaning. Connecting with others is one of the 10 Tools for Resiliency that Mental Health America has put together to help you feel stronger and more hopeful.
• Finding movement that’s a good match for you physically and mentally can help you thrive. Be kind with yourself and your body in the process of learning to move. Explore these videos from the University of Minnesota’s Move + Thrive Project that features diverse bodies and a variety of movement and meditative practices.

Stay tuned for next week’s message, as I discuss reaching out and seeking help. Be sure to stop in the library and check out our book display that we have up and you can browse our Online Catalog for more selections. We also have some special programs and community presentations scheduled at the library for Mental Health Month. We hope you can join us!

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe! ~Sally~

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! While mental health is important to address year-round, Mental Health Awareness Month provides a dedicated time for people, organizations, and communities to join their voices to broadcast the message that mental health matters!

The theme “You Matter” is intended to remind you that no matter who you are, where you are from, or what you are going through, you belong here and matter to the people in your life and community. Whether it is through advocacy, education, community engagement, or direct action in your own lives, “You Matter” reflects our commitment to creating a world where everyone’s mental health is valued and supported, no matter who they are.

Each week, I will use the Minnesota Department of Health’s Toolkit to raise awareness and provide actionable tips and resources around mental health and suicide prevention. It will include key messages for discussion, as well as images and additional web resources.

Week 1: Your Mental Health Matters. We all have mental health. It affects how we think, feel, and act every day. Just like with our physical health, we can do things that make us mentally healthier. When you feel mentally well, you’re more able to manage the stress and challenges you face in life, feel better about yourself, and engage in fulfilling activities and relationships.

Exploring your mental health will help you better understand what you need to support your mental well-being. Mental health plays a big role in your overall well-being. We all have tough days and weeks, and everyone manages their mental health every day. The best way to protect mental health is to pay attention to it, even when you are feeling okay or even good. Becoming more aware of what disrupts your mental health will help you learn what actions, tools, and resources may be useful to help you when you need it. Taking proactive steps to understand and care for your mental well-being isn’t just self-care, it is an investment in your future.

Experiencing poor mental health is not the same as having a mental health condition. “Mental illness” refers to a set of symptoms that have been identified by a health provider. People with mental health conditions experience change in emotions, thinking, and/or behavior. For some, this means extreme and unexpected changes in mood, like feeling more sad than normal. For others, it means not thinking clearly, pulling away from friends and activities you used to enjoy, or hearing voices that others do not. Mental illness is treatable and is not always a permanent state of being.

The opportunities and resources we have available in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and communities can help support our mental health and well-being. Mental health is about what we do as individuals and how we are supported in our communities. For example, neighborhoods and organizations can provide resources that support your sense of belonging, connectedness, and mental well-being.

• Taking steps to explore your mental health will help you learn what you need to support your mental well-being. Take action by checking on your mental health with a free, quick, anonymous test at Take a Mental Health Test – Mental Health America.
• Research has found several ways that you can keep yourself healthy. Check out these Keys to Mental Wellbeing from Berkeley University Greater Good Magazine.
• Mental Health is around us, but is often misunderstood. The Roadmap to Mental Health by the Mental Health Coalition can explain what we mean when we say “mental health.”
• Every individual, family, organization and community can promote mental health and well-being. Practicing gratitude and savoring are two individual exercises that can enhance our positive experiences in life. See Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program for practical ideas to help you.

Stay tuned for next week’s message, as I discuss practicing and prioritizing self-care. Be sure to stop in the library and check out our book display that we have up and you can browse our Online Catalog for more selections. We also have some special programs and community presentations scheduled at the library for Mental Health Month. We hope you can join us!

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe! ~Sally~

If you’ve been following my journey through these updates and check ins, you will know that I have a passion for mental health and suicide prevention and advocacy.  I want to speak out and educate others, while also normalizing conversations and reducing the stigma.  By sharing my personal experience, I encourage others to do the same, and to not be afraid to speak up.  Mental wellness isn’t a solo journey, it’s built through community.  And when we support each other, our mental wellness thrives. Suicidal thoughts are common. Suicide threats and attempts are less common, but much more frequent than most people realize. Suicide is the most common psychiatric emergency and is a leading cause of death in America and around the world.

While researching an upcoming project, I came across a suicide prevention training that caught my eye.  On a whim, I decided to sign up.  It was a virtual training, happening on a Thursday evening from 7-8pm.  And since the library is open until 7pm, I still wasn’t sure I would actually join the Zoom.  The more I researched the subject, the more I knew I needed to attend this training.  With a suicide attempt in my past, I want to do whatever I can to get others who are struggling the help that they need.

So what exactly was the subject of this training?  QPR.  Question.  Persuade.  Refer.  And let me preface this by saying…QPR is not a form of counseling or treatment.  It is intended to offer hope through positive action.  By learning QPR, you will come to recognize the clues and warning signs of people in trouble, and gain the skills to act quickly to prevent a possible tragedy.  Much like CPR, the fundamentals of QPR are easily learned, and the use may save a life.  There are several types of QPR training available.  I completed the one hour Gatekeeper training, which was offered through the LIVIN Foundation out of Anoka, MN.  A Gatekeeper is anyone in a position to recognize a crisis and warning signs that someone may be contemplating suicide. The LIVIN Foundation offers free QPR suicide prevention training quarterly.  Please visit the LIVIN Foundation website for more information and training dates.  The following information is from my training and was published by the QPR Institute.

STEP 1: QUESTION – How to Question the Person about Suicidal Thoughts.

Because suicide has a stigma and is such a taboo subject, asking the “S” question may seem awkward or difficult at first.  Perhaps you feel only a professional person should ask such a delicate question.  Not so.  Suicide prevention is everyone’s business.  Feeling some reluctance to ask the question is natural and for good reason.  Plan a time and place, preferably a private setting, to start asking questions.  An intervention may take time, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time with this person.  A “yes” to the “S” question puts the subject of suicide on the table for discussion.  Once you ask someone if they are thinking of suicide and they say yes, you now must act.  You have an obligation you didn’t have only moments ago.  This is good, not bad.  Research has shown that once people are asked if they are suicidal, they feel relief, not distress.  Until now, they have been bearing their pain in solitude.  Anxiety decreases, while hope increases.  A chance to go on living has been offered.  It is almost as if by asking the “S” question, you provide a ray of light where there has been darkness.

STEP 2: PERSUADE – How to Persuade Someone to Get Help.

Once the question has been asked, most people want to talk.  Your role is to listen first.  Give your full attention, do not interrupt, and do not rush to judgement.  Speak only when the person has finished talking.  Make a safe plan for the person to get some help.  Sometimes suicidal people will agree to get help, but fail to follow through.  Or they will resist the idea of getting help, even though they seem to recognize that they need it.  The more hopeless and helpless they feel, the more difficult it may be for them to act on their own behalf.  A promise not to hurt oneself and to go on living until help is gotten is most frequently met with relief and an agreement to stay alive.  Refusal to accept help does not mean QPR failed.  Another course of action is available.  Persuasion works best when you do the following:  Persist in statements that suicide is not a good solution and suggest that better alternatives can be found.  Focus on healthy solutions to problems.  Accept the reality of the person’s pain, but offer alternatives.  Collaborate with the person and assure them of your ongoing support.  Offer hope in any form and in any way.  Show respect.

STEP 3: Referral – How to Refer Someone for Help.

The last step in QPR is making the referral, or connecting the person with a mental health professional.  This means doing your research.  You should have names and phone numbers of local resources that are available to help.  Use these guidelines for an effective referral:  The best referrals are when you personally make an appointment and take the person you are worried about to a mental health provider or other appropriate professional.  The next best referral is when the person agrees to see a professional and you help them make an appointment, so that you can follow up later to learn that they actually kept the appointment.  The third best referral is getting the person to agree to accept help, even if in the future, and providing them with specific referral information.  Most suicidal people who agree to get help, will act in good faith and get the help they need.  However, because of the stigma associated with accepting counseling or professional help for disorders of the brain or emotional problems, some people may not follow through.  This is why they recommend that, if possible, you physically take the person to someone who can help.

Treatment will likely be needed to make some fundamental changes in the way the person is living life, but much can be accomplished in a relatively short time.  In our role as QPR-trained gatekeepers, we can buy them some time to get some rest, get professional help, and pass beyond this rough patch on the long road of life.  To help you act with courage, here are three things to remember.  1) Don’t worry about being disloyal.  2) Don’t worry about breaking a trust.  3) Don’t worry about not having sufficient information to call for help.  If in doubt, act!  Reach out!  Don’t wait!  Take all signs seriously!  Suicide is preventable and recovery is possible.

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe!  ~Sally~

This month, we recognize Mental Wellness Month.  It’s the perfect time to shift your focus from the holidays to your own personal well-being.  While Mental Health Awareness Month in May concentrates on awareness, advocacy, reducing stigma, and supporting those with mental illness, January emphasizes individual strategies like mindfulness, self-care, proactive self-improvement, and building positive habits.  The goal is to start the new year by prioritizing your personal well-being and mental fitness.

Key Themes for January Mental Wellness:

Reset and Recharge.  Transition from holiday stress to personal well-being, with a focus on calming the nervous system. This can include sleep, disconnecting from digital devices, and engaging your senses. This is essential to avoid burnout, replenish your battery, and feel more purposeful.

Self-Care and Habits. Develop sustainable routines for emotional balance, such as mindfulness, healthy eating, and regular movement. Exercise, nutrition, and hydration are equally important to your mental health as it is to your physical health. Start the new year by including a new hobby or journaling.

Stress Management. Learn to cope with daily pressures and the impact of shorter, darker days. Limit triggers and include relaxation, meditation, and music in your day. Use apps or quiet time to center yourself. Focus on your breathing and develop inner peace. Repeat a mantra to help interrupt negative thought patterns.

Resilience Building and Connections. Proactively work on coping with life’s difficulties and finding purpose. Strengthen relationships and build a supportive social network with family, friends, and community members. Look for meaning in your daily life and take action. This could be done by volunteering or helping others.

Stigma Reduction. Normalize conversations around mental health and seek support when needed. Provide education and awareness about symptoms and treatment, and dispel myths and misconceptions. Emphasize that these are often treatable health conditions, and not signs of weakness or failure. Encourage open conversations and share personal experiences. Show compassion and support for individuals who are struggling. Be a role model in understanding your own behavior.

So, whether you set resolutions or goals for 2026, please include setting healthy mental health habits for the year! The start of the new year provides a natural opportunity for reflection and fresh starts, making it an ideal time to prioritize mental health as much as physical health. Emotional well-being is just as crucial as physical well-being because they are deeply interconnected. Poor mental health impacts the body, like increased risk of heart disease, and physical issues effect emotions. Neglecting emotional health disrupts the body’s systems, while nurturing it improves physical outcomes through better coping, sleep, nutrition, and reduced stress.

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, safe, and focusing on our mental wellness! ~Sally~

The holidays are upon us and not everyone is holly and jolly this time of year.  It can be hard to navigate the rough waters of your mental health, especially during the holidays.  Some may face loneliness while missing their loved ones.  Others may feel stressed about finances or providing for their family.  If you’re feeling a mix of emotions, you are not alone.  Struggling during the holidays is not uncommon.  Here are some things you can do to cope with the “Holiday Blues” and focus on what really matters.

• Acknowledge Your Feelings and Set Boundaries.  Give yourself permission to feel sad, lonely, or stressed.  It’s normal.  Prioritize what’s important and learn to say “NO” to overwhelming activities.
• Prioritize Self Care.  Spend time outdoors, build in time to take breaks and explore a hobby, do some meditation or deep breathing, celebrate large and small successes, get enough sleep, and avoid excessive alcohol and food.
• Maintain Routine and Stay Connected.  Keep up with sleep, meals, and exercise.  Spend time with friends and family.  Share your feelings with them and seek help when needed.

The CredibleMind website is a wonderful mental health resource.  It offers hundreds of topics to browse and also has assessments you can take.  December 3rd – 31st, you can take the “Are the Holidays Causing You Stress” assessment for a chance to win a $50 gift card!  All you have to do is create an account and sign in to be entered.  (Your responses are confidential and no individual assessment results will be shared.)  By creating an account, you can save completed assessments and also mark your favorite content to look back at later.  It is a great place to connect with resources when you need them. Below are some additional resources that you can reach out to if you are ever struggling with your mental health.

988Lifeline. The 988 Lifeline is available 24/7/365 to call, text, or chat online. Your conversations are free and confidential. Whether you’re facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, the caring counselors are there for you. You are not alone.

Mental Health Minnesota Warmline. The Minnesota Warmline provides peer support and a connection with others. For many people, the Warmline is an important tool that helps them avoid mental health crisis and use of crisis services, 911 and hospital emergency departments. Calls are answered by peer support staff who have first-hand experience living with a mental health condition and are available to listen to you, provide support, and connect you with resources. And if you’re in need of more help, they can directly connect you to the nearest crisis services. Open Seven Days a Week, 9 AM to 9 PM. Call toll free 1-855-927-6546, or text “Support” to 85511.

Wellness in the Woods: Peer Support Connection MN Warmline. It’s a safe and supportive place for people to call and speak with peers who are there to listen and support adults experiencing emotional distress. Open 7 days a week from 5:00 PM to 9:00 AM. Call 1-844-739-6369.

So, whether you are celebrating alone, or gathering with family and friends, I do hope your holidays are holly and jolly and full of cheer! Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe! ~Sally~

This month, I’m going to talk about mental health victories and milestones.  Acknowledging and celebrating these successes, both big and small, can boost confidence, increase motivation, and reinforce positive behavior.  These could be significant achievements, like therapy completion or time without self harm, or small, every day achievements, like getting out of bed, completing daily tasks, or practicing self care.

There are several ways to acknowledge and celebrate the different milestones and victories related to your mental health and well-being.  You can keep a journal: Write down your thoughts, feelings, and daily wins to track your progress.  Share the joy with others: Tell a trusted friend, a family member, or your counselor about your victory.  Reward yourself: Use positive reinforcement, like a small treat or fun activity to celebrate your progress.  Focus on the positive: Actively recognize your abilities and celebrate your progress, which can help combat negative thought patterns and build your self-esteem.

As I cruise through my mental health journey, it doesn’t come without winding roads, wrong turns, dead ends and detours.  That’s why I make it a priority to celebrate achievements along the way.  This month, I will recognize three successes in my journey.  The first being six months free of self harm.  It’s not something I am proud to admit, but I am definitely proud to have made it half a year without cutting.  The second being survival.  Six years ago, I was severely depressed and tried to end my life.  I have LIVED six years after wanting not to.  And even though I am thriving now, it isn’t always easy.  I fight like crazy every single day to stay functioning and to make it another day.  And that brings me to my third success.  Counseling.  Three years strong with appointments to help me along the way.  What started out as a weekly session, is now a monthly check in.  I am strong enough to know, that if something feels off or if I start to regress, I make my appointments closer together.  Had I known years ago that talking to a complete stranger and taking some medication could make me feel better, I would have done it much sooner!  That is what makes everyone’s mental health journey very different and very unpredictable.  Ebbs and flows.  Ups and downs.  Wrong turns and detours.

So, how do I celebrate these achievements during my journey?  That depends on the individual success.  I’ve come far enough in my journey to acknowledge yearly events.  But with my self harm starting from zero on May 1st, I acknowledge one month at a time until I reach one year, and then yearly after that.  It’s kind of like those workplace signs that say “It has been X amount of days since our last accident” that hang by the timeclock.  I’ve learned that taking things one day at a time is all I can do to achieve forward progress.  And if I regress or have a relapse, I pick myself up and start over again.  Yearly treats to celebrate my victories are a must!  Whether it be a sweet treat or a self-care outing, it is well deserved for my achievement!

Journaling is also a big part of my celebrations and healing.  Good or bad, I try to write a couple sentences about my day in a notebook.  This also helps me when I see my counselor and I can fill them in on my ups and downs since our previous session.  It can establish patterns of emotions and the what, when, and why it was happening.  That way, I can look back and work on different coping skills and figure out what works best for me when it happens again.

So, whether you journal, share your joy, or reward yourself, every achievement is a victory and should be celebrated!  It is kind of like having more than one birthday a year!  Six years ago I started over and I mark the yearly milestone by sharing my joy and accomplishments with others, and also enjoying a sweet treat. I also have a rockstar library squad that cheers me on along the way!

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe!  ~Sally~

World Mental Health Day brings our community together to break the silence around mental health. On October 10, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) invites you to be part of a global conversation to raise awareness and advocate for mental health care worldwide. It’s our moment to share stories, advocate for change, and ensure quality mental health care reaches everyone.

When communities unite—advocates, providers, families, and individuals—we create real change. Together, we spotlight progress, address gaps, and build the support systems our world needs. Because mental health is health. And in community, everyone finds hope.

Strong communities create strong mental health support networks. Encourage grassroots participation and community-driven solutions. Get involved locally: host an awareness event, collaborate with schools or faith communities, or partner with local leaders. Contact your elected officials to advocate for policies that expand access to care, improve crisis response systems, and support early intervention. Remind community members that advocacy is for everyone — small actions together make a big difference.

Never be afraid to ask the question “Are You OK?” if you think someone is struggling or in crisis. If someone confides in you, always do what you can to help. We need to support each other and make the connections needed to be mentally healthy. If there’s one thing to take away from today, please know that the world needs you here. Behind every statistic is a person, a family, and a community.

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe! ~Sally~

Suicide Prevention Month is coming to an end. But that doesn’t mean the awareness has to stop until next year. Mental Health and Suicide Prevention are important to address year-round, and you can help by starting the conversation! This year’s theme was Creating Hope Through Action. Research has shown that people are less likely to attempt suicide or to die by suicide in communities that support, care for, and affirm all their members. To make change happen, we need to take action to shift our culture from silence and stigma to encouragement and understanding.

Let me summarize the key points that I talked about this month. Week 1: Learn the Warning Signs – Hope Begins With Awareness. We all have mental health and it’s as essential to a person’s life as physical health.  Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing.  It affects how we think, feel, and act, and shapes how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Week 2: Reach Out – Help Is Within Reach. It is important to find the help that is right for you when your mental health feels off. Hope and healing can come from many places and in many forms to get the support that you need. Talking about the resources available across Minnesota and in your community can help remove stigma and normalize talking about mental health and focusing on hope and healing. Week 3: Connect To Protect – Relationships Save Lives. Often our first points of contact when we are struggling are our friends, family or colleagues. If someone you know is struggling emotionally or having a hard time, talking with them can be the difference in getting them the help they need. Talking with a loved one about mental health and suicide can be an uncomfortable and an uncertain topic, but it is also one of the best ways to prevent it. We can all take action to have these conversations with someone who may be suicidal by using the five action steps from #BeThe1To. Week 4: Advocate For Change – Your Voice Matters. Talking about mental health and suicide on a community level can help raise awareness and support of suicide prevention efforts and encourage those who need extra support to connect to services. Surrounding people and families with supportive neighborhoods, businesses, schools, faith communities, and services is a critical way to support every person. Communities that work together in an intentional and proactive way is vital to providing needed mental health and suicide prevention support and resources.

I will leave you with this: We can remember, and we can remind each other, that there is no finish line when it comes to mental illness. It’s a journey, and sometimes we can see the path we’re on all the way to the horizon, while other times we can’t even see five feet in front of us because the fog is so thick. But the path is always there, and if we can’t locate it on our own, we have loved ones and doctors and medications to help us find it again, as long as we don’t give up trying to see it. -Wil Wheaton. I came across an article by Wil Wheaton during a support group session while I was navigating the rough waters of my deep depression. He had spoken at a NAMI statewide conference in Ohio back in 2018. Here is the link to his full speech, if you would like to read the whole thing: My name is Wil Wheaton. I Live With Chronic Depression and Generalized Anxiety. I Am Not Ashamed.

As I close out another prevention month, just remember, if you or someone you know is struggling, PLEASE DO NOT GIVE UP! Unseen battles are the hardest fought battles. You are never alone in your journey. You can talk to me, even if we don’t know each other. As scary and uncomfortable as it is, sharing is caring, and caring is healing! So with that — STAY; Your story is not over and your life matters!

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe! ~Sally~