AFSP Encourages Building Resilience This Mental Health Awareness Month

NEW YORK, April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is encouraging people to build mental health resilience in communities nationwide by going beyond the basics of self-care. Like building new muscles, working on resilience takes time and intentionality. While we continue to make strides in talking about our mental health, it can be challenging to adapt and cope with trauma and the stress that life brings. This month AFSP is sharing game-changing strategies, resources and events to encourage personal and community resilience.

 "Everything that we know about how to support mental health and prevent suicide has been informed by research and led to the creation of interventions that help people thrive. Everyone can discover and practice their own customized plan and strategies that work best for them, enhancing the effectiveness of these evidence-based approaches," said AFSP Chief Medical Officer Christine Yu Moutier. "This Mental Health Awareness Month, we're putting research into action by encouraging people to consider evidence-based skills to build resilience."

Scientific evidence reveals the deep impact things like sleep, exercise, social connections, therapy and more can have on our overall health and the way we manage stress. Consider these tips to build your capacity for resilience and go deeper into your self-care. To see the full tips visit: https://afsp.org/building-resilience/

• Find Ways to Connect. Connecting with others in any way can help strengthen your resilience and restore balance to your thoughts. Set up plans with friends who make you feel good and comfortable sharing your thoughts with.
• Ask for Help and Accepting Support. It's not always easy to ask for help when you need it, but it's so important! Write down in advance who you can reach out to when you need support.
• Recognize Your Needs. Setting healthy, reasonable boundaries is crucial for supporting your resilience. Notice what fills you up and what drains you and express your needs about time and space clearly.
• Navigate Challenges. It's okay not to feel okay all the time. Recognize that there are seasons in life. Stay grounded and remind yourself that there are good seasons and know the harder ones don't last forever.
• Focus on the Physical. Pay attention to changes in your sleep patterns and stress levels. Aid your emotional resilience by eating healthily and nutritiously as well as limiting caffeine and alcohol intake, especially when life is challenging.

AFSP encourages you to deepen learning and reflection, practice self-care through music and exercise and more through these events.

• Strong Talk Podcast Preventing Suicide in Construction – May 6, PM ET – Tune in as AFSP Vice President for Health Equity and Engagement Vic Armstrong, MSW, talks with AFSP Minnesota Chapter volunteer Ray Stenglein about mental health and suicide prevention in the construction industry. Ray shares how he has transformed his tragic loss into lifesaving advocacy. Add to your calendar here.
• Webinar on Effective Suicide Intervention – May 8, 2 PM ET – Learn about interventions that can reduce suicide risk and health care costs by registering for the webinar: Reducing Suicide Risk Through Primary Care: How the Collaborative Care Model can Help Save Lives. AFSP Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman joins representatives from Shatterproof and the Bowman Foundation. Register here.
• #RealConvo Concert with Jonah Marais – May 15, 4 PM ET - Join AFSP Director of Writing and Entertainment Outreach Brett Wean AFSP in conversation with the talented musician Jonah Marais co-founder of the renowned band share music and stories about what inspires him to create music that touches on themes of mental health. You can add to your calendar here and find the conversation at youtube.com/afspnational.
• Audacy Podcast on Resilience – May 24 - 25 – Tune into Audacy radio stations across the country to hear AFSP Dr. Christine Yu Moutier and Katie Neal host of Katie & Company discuss what helps people cope with challenges, whether it means the kind of everyday struggles we all face sometimes, or more serious psychological distress. Learn game-changing strategies you can take to encourage personal resilience, and the ways we support – and find support within – our communities. Find your local station here.
• Hike for Hope Events – May-June – Join an exhilarating AFSP Hike for Hope for those in the construction industry and allies to promote the importance of mental health and suicide prevention. Events are being hosted by AFSP Chapters across the country. Register here.

You can also take action to build resilience in our communities through your local AFSP chapter by walking and advocating for suicide prevention, educating people in our communities about mental health, and making sure we know how to support those around us. We're all in this together. Start by contacting your local chapter here.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through public education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with a public policy office in Washington, DC, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok.

Media interested in comment on this news are encouraged to contact pr@afsp.org and to consult AFSP's Ethical Reporting Tips.

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SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention