Mental health is essential to overall well-being Coastal Health & Wellness recognizes May as Mental Health Awareness Month

 ​GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas – It can be a lot to handle when you, or someone you love, is dealing
with a mental health illness, but it’s important to remember mental health is essential to
everyone’s overall health and well-being. And, illnesses are common and treatable.
So much of what is done physically can impact mental health. Coastal Health & Wellness
recognizes May as Mental Health Awareness Month, along with Mental Health America (MHA),
with a Fitness #4Mind4Body theme. This year’s theme is a call to pay attention to both physical
and mental health, which can help achieve overall wellness and set the path to recovery,
according to MHA. “Healthy lifestyles don’t happen overnight,” said Abdul-Aziz Alhassan, MD, MPH, Coastal Health & Wellness (CHW) medical director. “Taking small steps like being active and eating healthy are steps that add up to big changes. And then you build on those successes.” CHW offers talk therapy counseling services for patients with mild to moderate mental health conditions. This May is Mental Health Month, MHA is focused on how a healthy lifestyle may help prevent the onset or worsening of mental health conditions as well as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic health problems. “It’s all connected,” Alhassan said. “How you feel physically impacts you mentally. Having a healthy lifestyle can prevent the onset of or worsening of mental health conditions, not to mention a handful of health problems.” Getting the appropriate amount of exercise, eating healthy foods that impact your gut health, getting enough sleep and reducing stress all play a hand in being mentally, and physically, healthy while finding the right balance. This year, MHA is issuing the #4Mind4Body Challenge.

Join in completing a small task each day during the month of May and share about it on social media using #4Mind4Body.     
​Learn more at
www.mentalhealthamerica.net/challenge. To learn more about counseling services offered at
CHW, visit www.coastalhw.org or call 409-938-2234 or 281-309-0255. For more information on
May is Mental Health Month, visit MHA’s website at  www.mentalhealthamerica.net/may                                                                    

The Galveston County Health District (GCHD) is the local public health agency for Galveston
County, Texas.
GCHD provides services and programs that protect the everyday health and well-being of
Galveston County.
P.O. Box 939 La Marque, Texas 77568 • (409) 938-7221
www.gchd.org