31 years ago today, the World Health Organization established an annual holiday to raise awareness around mental health. Today, over three decades since the day was first celebrated, millions of people across the world take the annual holiday to share their stories regarding mental health, and advocate for change in breaking the stigma around mental illness. 

Tuesday, October 10th was the 31st World Mental Health Day. Each year, a theme is established for the day. This year, the theme was declared to be “Our Minds, Our Rights.” This theme, according to the World Health Organization, is meant to emphasize that mental health is a human right that everyone deserves.  

World Mental Health Day is widely recognized. Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle hosted a Mental Health Summit in New York City on the 10th, holding discussions with a panel of parents regarding the mental health of families across the nation and the world. The parents who participated in the panel were all parents who faced loss due to adolescent social media use, and they shared their stories and experiences to raise awareness about the dangers of social media to children’s mental health.  

Carson Daly, host of “The Voice,” spoke at a Project Healthy Minds gala, sharing his experiences with mental health and raising a call to action for breaking the stigma surrounding mental illness. “We have to convince people that grappling with your mental health does not make you weak… learning about it, managing it, making it work for you, turning your vulnerability into your greatest strength… that’s what makes you strong,” he said.  

Project Healthy Minds is just one of the many powerful organizations working toward mental health awareness and easily accessible mental health support. PHM is a non-profit collective, run by a team of individuals “dedicated to building a more supportive world,” as outlined on their website. Delivering resources to those seeking help, holding events to raise awareness, and pioneering research regarding mental health statistics across the world, Project Healthy Minds is one of the most influential nonprofits to exist in our day and age when it comes to mental health awareness.  

Again, World Mental Health Day is a widely valued holiday, and many celebrities have used their platform to raise awareness and advocate for change. Singer Noah Kahan raised over 1.9 million dollars through his Busyhead Project, a project Kahan started in order to help support mental health charities and non-profits to contribute to raising awareness and supporting those in need. For World Mental Health Day, Kahan wrote a piece for TIME Magazine regarding his own mental health titled, “Putting Words to My Mental Health Saved Me.” 

Writing about his own personal struggles and the way that he found release through talking with others, Kahan says, “Dedicating my craft to opening up about my mental health has provided me with an arsenal to live a meaningful life, and to not be defined by the chemicals in my brain.” By sharing something so personal, celebrities like Kahan are sending a message to fans everywhere that vulnerability is welcomed, and that seeking help is something brave, rather than shameful.  

So how can we join in on recognizing World Mental Health Day? Sure, we might not be able to make public appearances and generous donations, but we can still take part in spreading awareness and honoring the day.  

One way to take part in celebrating World Mental Health Day is by reaching out to those around you. Send a text to your family and friends asking how they’re doing, and spread kindness to strangers around you. A compliment to a passerby on the street might be just enough to save a life.  

What’s most important, however, is recognizing your own needs. Reflecting on your own mental health is something that sounds easy but is not often done. Taking a moment to sit with yourself and ask how you are doing is a powerful step to growth. So, if you want to honor World Mental Health Day, the best thing you can do is take a moment for yourself. Seek help if you need, take the day off, or do something that is solely for you like a walk, journaling, or taking a trip out of town. Sure, it is great to help others, but it is impossible to pour from an empty cup.  

Ava Stockstad is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].