Mental Health Awareness Month 2026: Ways to Get Involved
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year's theme is More Good Days, Together.
With all the chaos happening in the world right now, one person's presence has the power to move a community. This year, Mental Health Awareness Month is inviting all of us to pause and ask: What does a good day look like for you? And how can we help each other have more of them?
That question can feel overwhelming, especially when you're already stretched thin, or when you're the one struggling. Which is why we broke it down into five ways to work toward more good days this month, each with a simple suggestion and some LA-specific options if you're local.
This isn't a checklist. Just pick one and that's enough.
Key Takeaways
Mental Health Awareness Month is every May, and this year's theme is More Good Days, Together.
A good day doesn't have to mean happy or productive. It can mean calm, manageable, or just a little lighter than the day before. Only you get to define what yours looks like.
More good days aren't built alone. Connection, community, and small consistent acts of care all play a role.
You don't have to do all five things on this list. Pick one that feels possible right now and start there.
LA residents have real, accessible options for each of these, from sound healing to farmers' markets to free museum programming.
Starting therapy doesn't require knowing exactly what you need. It just requires sending the message.
5 Ways to Get Involved in Mental Health Awareness Month
1. Define Your Good Day
What Does a Good Day Look Like for You?
Before anything else, it helps to ask yourself honestly: what does a good day actually look like for me? Not the ideal version, just a day that feels a little more manageable, a little more like you.
A good day doesn't have to mean happy or productive. It can be calm. Neutral. Comfortable. It can change over time. Sometimes the most meaningful thing you can do is slow down long enough to find out what yours looks like.
Try This
Book a sound healing session. Vibrational sound therapy uses tuning forks, singing bowls, and carefully calibrated frequencies to support your body's natural rhythms. It's deeply restorative and asks nothing from you except showing up and being still. If you've read our piece on somatic therapy, you'll recognize why body-based approaches like this can be so effective for the nervous system.
In LA
Our partner DG Sound Healing DG Sound Healing offers one-on-one sessions in Los Angeles with practitioner Tina, a lifelong musician whose own healing journey led her to sound.
She's certified in the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), a research-backed listening therapy that uses specially filtered music to send cues of safety to your nervous system, supporting emotional resilience, stress response, and deeper connection. Tina offers a free consultation to help you figure out if it's the right fit. A beautiful first step.
2. Care for Your Whole Self
Your Mind and Body Are Always Talking to Each Other
You can't separate mental health from physical health. They're equally important and deeply connected.
Sleep, stress, relationships, nutrition, and environment all shape how we feel mentally, and our mental health shapes all of those things right back. It goes both ways, always. And while many factors that affect our health are beyond our control, noticing what we can influence still matters. Small wins count.
Try This
Organize a comfort food swap with a few friends or neighbors. Cook or bring a dish that genuinely makes you feel good, share the recipes, and talk about why that food means something to you. It sounds simple, but there's real science behind the gut-brain connection, and gathering around food that nourishes you is one of the most human ways to take care of yourself and each other at the same time.
In LA
Highland Park has two weekly farmers' markets worth knowing about.
The Old LA Certified Farmers Market runs every Tuesday from 3 to 8pm at North Figueroa and Avenue 58, with local produce, prepared food, live music, and a genuinely community-feel energy. The Main Street Highland Park Farmers Market runs every Friday from 11am to 5pm and accepts EBT with a Good Food Bucks matching program.
Either one is a great place to gather ingredients intentionally, run into neighbors, and start building a good day from the ground up.
3. Work Together
Connection Is Protection
More good days aren't a solo mission.
We often assume the people around us are fine because they say they are. This month is a good excuse to ask again, and actually mean it. Connection is protection, and even small moments of it, whether in person or online, can reduce stress, ease anxiety, and remind us we're not the only ones feeling what we're feeling.
Try This
Set up a community bulletin board somewhere people gather, a coffee shop, a gym, a workplace break room, or even a shared online space, and invite people to post notes about what helps them have more good days.
It's a small act that creates visibility and opens conversation without anyone having to be vulnerable in a big, public way. Stigma shrinks when stories get shared, and sometimes all it takes is seeing your own experience reflected back by a stranger's sticky note.
In LA
Organize or attend a mental health-themed open mic night. Invite people to read poetry, share personal essays, or perform something that matters to them.
The Hammer Museum in Westwood hosts free public programs and community events throughout the year and is a natural home for this kind of gathering. Check their May programming, it's consistently thoughtful and worth the trip.
4. Build It Into Where You Work
Work Culture Is Mental Health Culture
Most of us spend at least a third of our lives at work. That means work culture and mental health culture are the same thing, whether we name it that way or not.
Communities thrive when they prioritize mental health, and the workplace is a community too. This month is a low-stakes opportunity to shift things, even just slightly, toward more good days for the people you work alongside.
Try This
Propose a Mental Health Lunch and Learn, a 30-minute conversation with a therapist or wellness speaker during a lunch break. Low barrier to organize, high impact for the people who show up and feel a little less alone.
You can also share MHA's free anonymous mental health screening with your team. It takes a few minutes, it's completely confidential, and it can be the quiet first step someone needs to take.
In LA
Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy clinicians are available to speak to teams and organizations about anxiety, burnout, stress management, and more. If you work somewhere that could benefit, reach out to us directly. We'd love to bring this kind of conversation into your workplace as a community resource.
5. Find Your Path
There's No One Right Way
Mental health isn't one-size-fits-all. What works for one person might not work for another, and that's okay. The path toward more good days looks different for everyone, and part of this month is about giving yourself permission to explore what yours actually looks like.
A gentle place to start is a mental health-focused book club. Gather a few people, pick a book that opens up honest conversation, and let the reading do some of the heavy lifting. Mental Health America's own book Where to Start is a practical, accessible option written for people who aren't sure where to begin.
"When we turn towards versus away from ourselves, it can be a brave act that can create significant change. This can look many different ways, and it can be as simple as being honest with ourselves about what we need or want in a moment, big or small. That conscious choice to acknowledge ourselves and our experiences can shift us into deeper truth and alignment."
Try This
For many people, the path eventually leads to therapy. And yet the idea of starting can feel like a big, formless thing. Too many choices, not enough time, uncertainty about whether it'll even help. If something feels stuck in your body and not just your head, approaches like EMDR and trauma-informed somatic work are specifically designed for that.
In LA
At Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy, we offer a range of modalities including EMDR, somatic therapy, art therapy, and more, all designed to work with your nervous system, not against it. Our clinicians specialize in trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship patterns, and we work with adults across the lifespan. Book a free consultation here.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mental Health Awareness Month
What is Mental Health Awareness Month?
Mental Health Awareness Month is observed every May in the United States. It was founded by Mental Health America in 1949 and is dedicated to promoting mental wellness nationwide. This year's theme is More Good Days, Together, an invitation to reflect on what a good day looks like for you and how we can help each other have more of them.
What counts as a "good day"?
A good day doesn't have to mean happy or productive. It can mean calm, neutral, comfortable, or manageable. It can change over time. Only you get to define what it looks like for you, and that's kind of the whole point.
What if I'm the one who's struggling? Can I still work toward more good days?
Yes, and honestly, that might be the most important place to start. Slowing down, trying something restorative, or reaching out for support all count. Turning toward yourself is the whole thing. More good days are possible, help is available, and you are not alone.
How do I know if therapy is right for me?
If something has been affecting your mood, relationships, sleep, or sense of self for more than a couple of weeks, that's enough reason to explore it. You don't need to be in crisis to deserve support. A free consultation is a low-pressure way to find out if it's a good fit.
What modalities does Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy offer?
We offer EMDR, somatic therapy, art therapy, and more, with clinicians who specialize in trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship patterns. We work with adults across the lifespan, in person and via teletherapy for California residents.
You Don't Have to Do Everything
Mental Health Awareness Month is an invitation, not a to-do list. Think of it as an adventure.
Pick one thing, for yourself, for someone you love, for your community. Let it be small. Let it be imperfect. A good day doesn't have to be perfect to count. The point isn't to have it all figured out but to move, even just a tiny bit, toward a life where mental health is treated as the serious, tended-to thing it actually is.
More good days are possible. Help is available. And you are not alone.
We're here if that movement looks like therapy. And we're rooting for you whichever way you choose.
Other Services Offered with Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy
At Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy, we provide a wide range of mental health services, including trauma therapy, EMDR therapy, anxiety treatment, depression therapy, grief counseling, couples therapy, and online therapy for California residents. You can also read more by visiting our blog or our FAQ page.