If I seek support from a friend who is proactive by nature, and looks for the opportunity in seemingly “negative situations” than I’m probably more likely to feel supported and better able to shift my own focus from the negative to the positive.

Emotional stress is largely due to the way we interpret situations. Friends can support us in being proactive or they can support us in getting lost in our complaints. I think it depends upon what kind of friends you have.

Diana Bertoldo

www.livebeyondstressandillness.blogspot.com

Mental Health Month is important for awareness reasons, but well-intentioned orgs like MHA feel like they have to present some new “news” to get people’s attention.

Unfortunately, I think this year they just completely missed the mark in their efforts. If you’re going to go to all the trouble and expense of conducting a survey, at least ask questions that will lead to more interesting insights than “95% of those surveyed said they had someone they talked to about important decisions in their lives.”