December 2017 Mental Health Awareness
Friday, December 1, 2017 43 Comments
December:
A month to think of OTHERS
as we celebrate
by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Part of the Mental Health Awareness seriesIt takes one person to make a difference —
just think of what thousands can do.
~ Psychology Today 2016 Awareness CalendarMark your blogging calendars
Each year is peppered with a great many special dates dedicated to raising awareness about important emotional, physical and psychological health issues.
In addition to a calendar for the current month, each Awareness post offers a list highlighting important days and weeks that impact mental health, along with those that remain in place for the entire month.
If I’ve missed anything, please let me know in the comments below so that I can add it to the list.
Attention Bloggers: As always, if you write (or have written) an article that adds content to this post, feel free to leave a link in the comment section and I will move it into its appropriate category.
Awareness and Advocacy Dates for December
Remember: If you write (or have written) an article that adds content to any of these categories, feel free to leave a link in the comment section and I will move it into its appropriate category.
World Aids Day
December 1
Worlds AIDS Day
World Health Organization [WHO] on Aids Day
National Aplastic Anemia Awareness Week
December 1-7
Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
December 3
United Nations on Disabilities Day 2017
United Nations on Disabilities Day 2016
World Health Organization on Disabilities Day
National Roof Over Your Head Day – USA
December 3
ABOUT Roof over your Head Day
This Day was created as a day to be thankful for what we have, starting with the roof over our heads – and to encourage each of us become part of the solution for those less fortunate.
Created to bring Awareness to the increasing number of homeless individuals, even in first world countries — currently estimated at 100 million people, with 1.6 BILLION seen as having inadequate housing for themselves and their families.
Roof Over Your Head Day is intended to serve as a call to charity, advocacy and social responsibility. There ARE solutions, and we need to insist on them.
For example, according to the website linked above:
Salt Lake City, Utah discovered it was paying $20,000 a year to handle their homeless problem, totaling policing, arrests, healthcare, jail time, and more.
As both a cost-cutting initiative as well as a humanitarian one, they began to build homes for their homeless for $7,800 a year.
Since then, homelessness in the city has dropped by 72%,
saving the town $12,200 a year.In addition to contacting your local, state and national representatives to insist that they address this problem immediately, there are any number of other things you can do to honor National Roof Over Your Head Day:
* pick a name or several off of a Christmas Giving Tree in your area,
* volunteer at a food kitchen, and/or
* make a contribution to a local homeless shelter to help with running expenses, so that others might have a roof over their heads — this night and nights to come.Use #RoofOverYourHeadDay on social media
to post support, advocacy, articles or actions.
National Day of Remembrance and Action
on Violence Against Women’s Rights Day (Canada)
December 6
National Day of Remembrance and Action
Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, marking the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal who died because they were women
National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day
December 21 – First Day of Winter
The National Coalition for the Homeless
© 2017, all rights reserved
Check bottom of Home/New to find out the “sharing rules”
(reblogs always okay, and much appreciated)
Thanks again to Terri Mauro, Parenting Special Needs Expert from the VeryWell.com site for many of the links that formed the genesis of some of the Awareness articles. Other links to other lists can be found below (in the Related Content section at the bottom of the majority of my articles), with my appreciation.
As always, if you want notification of new articles in this Series – or any new posts on this blog – give your email address to the nice form on the top of the skinny column to the right. (You only have to do this once, so if you’ve already asked for notification about a prior series, you’re covered for this one too). STRICT No Spam Policy
IN ANY CASE, do stay tuned.
There’s a lot to know, a lot here already, and a lot more to come – in this Series and in others.
Get it here while it’s still free for the taking.
Want to work directly with me? If you’d like some coaching help with anything that came up while you were reading this Series (one-on-one couples or group), click HERE for Brain-based Coaching with mgh, with a contact form at its end (or click the E-me link on the menubar at the top of every page). Fill out the form, submit, and an email SOS is on its way to me; we’ll schedule a call to talk about what you need. I’ll get back to you ASAP (accent on the “P”ossible!)
You might also be interested in some of the following articles
available right now – on this site and elsewhere.
For links in context: run your cursor over the article above and the dark grey links will turn dark red;
(subtle, so they don’t pull focus while you read, but you can find them to click when you’re ready for them)
— and check out the links to other Related Content in each of the articles themselves —
Related articles right here on ADDandSoMuchMore.com
(in case you missed them above or below)
COACHING LINKS at end of all posts
- Brain-based Coaching with Madelyn Griffith-Haynie
- Brain-based Coaching Fees & Formats
- The Group Coaching LinkList – explaining how this format works
Related articles here on ADDandSoMuchMore.com
- Motivation and Gratitude
- Three Tiny Things – a different kind of Gratitude List
- What Kind of World do YOU Want?
- LinkList to all current What Kind of World do YOU Want? articles
Related Articles ’round the net
- Homelessness – Growing for Four Decades
- Resources Directory for Homeless Assistance
- US Food Pantry Resources by State
- Criminalization of Homelessness — Civil Rights
As always, if you want notification of new articles in this Series – or any new posts on this blog – give your email address to the nice form on the top of the skinny column to the right. (You only have to do this once, so if you’ve already asked for notification about a prior series, you’re covered for this one too). STRICT No Spam Policy
IN ANY CASE, do stay tuned.
There’s a lot to know, a lot here already, and a lot more to come – in this Series and in others.
Get it here while it’s still free for the taking.
Want to work directly with me? If you’d like some coaching help with anything that came up while you were reading this Series (one-on-one couples or group), click HERE for Brain-based Coaching with mgh, with a contact form at its end (or click the E-me link on the menubar at the top of every page). Fill out the form, submit, and an email SOS is on its way to me; we’ll schedule a call to talk about what you need. I’ll get back to you ASAP (accent on the “P”ossible!)
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thank you again, Michael – and always – for spreading these awareness days around the world. Working together no matter where we live around the world, we can make this small planet we share a wonderful home for ALL of us who live here (overcoming the efforts of quite a few currently sitting heads of state!) 🙂
xx,
mgh
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Thanks so much for sharing, Madelyn. Your informative and helpful blog is what I call “Compassion in Action.” ❤ xo
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I’m warmed all over by this wonderful response, Bette. Thank you so very much!
❤
xx, mgh
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Once again, your calendar is a great public service for the community!
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Thank you, Dolly. I hope life will afford me the opportunity and time to continue to put them together every month.
xx,
mgh
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As my grandmother used to say, You do your best, and He will do the rest. You are doing something great, and He’ll make sure you keep doing it!
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I hope you are right about that Dolly – I’m dancing pretty close to the edge, praying that I won’t go over.
xx,
mgh
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You’ll be fine, I assure you!
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❤
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What a thoughtful post, Madelyn. Thinking of others is the true holiday spirit ❤
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Thank you, Tina. I also believe that thinking of others is the essence of empathy, which is indeed an important part of the true holiday spirit. Empathy that inspires action is my favorite kind of holiday spirit, however. I LOVE believing that, despite the nastiness that the sound-bite press would have us believe that is all there IS to report, there are individuals out there “doing good” who inspire still more of that kind of action.
I have always adored reading those magazine stories about families who, during the holidays, volunteer together at various agencies reflecting their interests and concerns (from time helping animal shelters to soup kitchens, to collecting donations of work-appropriate clothing for homeless shelters, setting up blanket and coat donation collection points, etc.).
I also LOVE to watch Ellen video snippets where she publicizes the good works done by so many – and often rewards their efforts by helping their various causes OR helping them with their personal budget issues so that they can continue to do what they have been doing despite personal sacrifice.
Just a few examples of practical gratitude: ALL serving as wind beneath our wings as we step through lives that can be difficult to navigate.
xx,
mgh
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Such beautiful sentiment, Madelyn. I’m with you on all counts. The holiday spirit is catchy, and many of those oblivious of empathy in general can’t help but succumb to it during this season. At least they get a dose once a year, and perhaps it might extend longer and longer each time. Those who have closed and sealed their hearts won’t catch the fever, but I hold hope that this will one day change ~ when the new day dawns and light fills the world ❤
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Back atcha’ Tina – and I hope that kindness and empathy go viral, and that the new dawn comes quickly to a world desperately in need of more Light.
xx,
mgh
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Next weekend sees two very important days. I hope that governments around the world do more than pay the usual lip service to them. But I suspect I’ll be disappointed!
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I agree, Clive – governments are notoriously eager to pander to the wealthy and throw the less fortunate under the bus, as we say in America. Even lip service is more than we can usually expect from them without high advocacy.
They will vote ONLY for those things that are in their own best interest – meaning, they must clearly understand or highly suspect that they will NOT get elected if they do not act in ways that improve the health and safety of those who are not wealthy.
Campaign funding sends a powerful message we must band together to “outshout” — i.e., unless politicians realize that they will NOT gain and/or retain office regardless of how much money they raise from wealthy supporters (who do not want laws that protect the weaker members of our societies), we really cannot blame their actions as much as our own.
Sad but true — at least here in America, for as long as it continues to retain a few vestiges of Democracy and stands against fascist leanings.
xx,
mgh
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Throwing the weaker ones under the bus happens here too, particularly for those with long term health conditions who need benefits if they can’t work. The involvement of big money happens here too, but I don’t think it’s quite as blatant as there. But no way would any government here be allowed to get away with handwritten last minute changes to a Bill and refusing to give any time for it to be read!
I just know that, next weekend, we are going to see hugely hypocritical tweets about supporting those two days xx
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SO sad, isn’t it? And the “money is all that matters – and folks who HAVE it are the only ones WHO matter” focus seems SO blatant in American politics anymore, I don’t understand how it doesn’t have the entire country up in arms. Have “my fellow Americans” become zombies?
Since I lack the funds to be able to expatriate, in order to be able to even face the day living in this country anymore, I have to believe that last November’s election results represent some kind of short-sighted, immature “F-U Washington!” response that ended up cutting off ALL of OUR noses to spite current political faces.
I mean, expecting a billionaire with ZERO political experience to be able to represent the interests of “the common man” – huh?
Isn’t that like a nation of cats deciding that a puppy would best relate to and represent their interests? And now that Agent Orange has appointed his litter-mates to important offices, it’s getting a lot worse a lot faster.
If America is ever able to recover, much less become “great” again, FIRST we have to ditch this dog!
xx,
mgh
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I completely agree. Sadly, I think we started the F-U ball rolling with our referendum, which is going to result in our country destroying itself economically and socially. The mass audience is easily swayed by the lies peddled by the mass media! xx
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I know – are they brain-dead?
xx,
mgh
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Great post for December sharing, Madelyn! 🙂 Here’s a link you and your readers might enjoy… https://4writersandreaders.com/2017/01/11/compassion-a-poem-by-bette-a-stevens/ ❤ xo
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Thanks, Bette. Is it okay with you if I add your graphic to the post – with a link back to you, of course?
xx,
mgh
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That would be awesome, Madelyn! Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out. ❤ xo
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Thank YOU for sharing the link.
xx, mgh
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Reblogged this on American Badass Activists.
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Thank you SO much for sharing this post, Eve. I love you for it.
xx,
mgh
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Now This is the spirit of Christmas:
World Aids Day – the people we have lost and those we are still losing when medicine costing pennies exists
National Aplastic Anemia Awareness Week – think of others less fortunate
International Day of Persons with Disabilities – think of others and how you see them
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women’s Rights Day – be selfish: think about all the women in your life and how you’d feel if it was one of them
National Roof Over Your Head Day – be grateful and think of others less fortunate
National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day – be grateful and think of others less fortunate
And that’s Christmas in a nutshell really!
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Thanks, Paul. WELL encapsulated – thank you so much.
What I REALLY wish, more than simply “thinking” of those less fortunate and of our gratitude that we do do not walk in their shoes, that we would EACH – by how we use our voices – encourage others to do so as well.
I have to wonder if the considerable time I have spent here has been a naive waste of time and that the message from the universe is that I need to move on to more self-focused endeavors myself.
xx,
mgh
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Excellent post, Madelyn. Thank you.
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Thanks, Jennie. I have been doing these every month for quite a while now, and I’m grateful to see that, judging by the comments, they are finally beginning to attract a bit more attention.
They are quite time consuming to produce, so I have my fingers crossed that I will be able to justify the time from my own life to continue to do them in the upcoming year.
I have yet to inspire others to use them as blogging prompts, which would make a much bigger difference than I can do on my own, so the jury is still out, as they say.
xx,
mgh
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You are welcome, Madelyn. Every time I read one I wonder how on earth you put together so much research. Amazing, for sure. I’m glad they’re attracting attention. Happy weekend to you!
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Some days I wonder that myself, Jennie – lol.
xx,
mgh
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😀
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You might like to take a look at the ‘Dates To Note’ tab on my blog, if you have a moment. For the first full year of my blog (2013) and occasionally since then I’ve posted pieces for some of the days you pick up. Maybe I should reconsider updating and reposting some of these, as current regular readers won’t have seen them. What do you think? Advice welcome!
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Whatever you decide, be sure to leave links under the appropriate calendars on my site.
I vote YES, btw, since the blog gurus say that up to 90% of your actual readers are brand new every single year.
xx,
mgh
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Thanks for the vote, I’ll give it some serious thought. I must have written at least twenty posts on a range of days, so I’ll see how well they lend themselves to being updated. And of course I’ll link them back and include a reference to your blog too, if I do it!
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SUPER! I’ll add them TO calendars I publish going forward as well.
I REALLY want more bloggers to use these days as “prompts” for their posts – I want the empathy, compassion and awareness meme to go VIRAL!
xx,
mgh
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Thanks. I probably won’t be doing any until the new year though – plans for posts this month are Christmas-related and *may* involve music xx
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I’m feeling the same way about ramping DOWN during December. I want time to light the candles, turn on the music, and “nog-out” in front of the Christmas Tree.
xx,
mgh
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we will think about others…. and we will think about those who lost the fight against aids… it’s unbelievable what a hype was created in the 80’s… and now it is nearly forgotten and a lot of people don’t care about this danger….although there is no cure and it is still a problem….a deadly problem in many countries….
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Yes – had there been adequate RESEARCH FUNDING during the Reagan administration, we could have saved millions of lives in the intervening years and may well have developed a cure by now.
Reagan’s homophobia caused him to totally ignore the warnings of Koop, his Surgeon General, as this sexually transmitted plague gained a foothold in this country and the world — spreading fastest in the communities into which it was first introduced.
Stigma kills – and those of us here in America old enough to have watched it play out then are very frightened as we see the science-averse, short-sighted Orange administration take actions that could result in the deaths of millions more of us.
xx,
mgh
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Thank you Madelyn for what you do.
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Thank you, Cindy, for taking the time to leave this dear comment. MUCH appreciated.
xx,
mgh
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