Cultivating Community: How We Honored Mental Health Month Together

May has always been more than just a page on the calendar; it is a vital annual reminder to pause, check in with ourselves, and de-stigmatize the conversations surrounding mental well-being. While Mental Health Month provides a dedicated spotlight, the reality is that mental health impacts every single one of us, every single day. Understanding the data behind these challenges—and, more importantly, the protective factors that keep us resilient—is crucial for building healthier communities. Over the past few weeks, our organization set out to turn awareness into action. From dynamic events to shared resources, here is a look back at how we came together this month to uplift mental health, support one another, and lay the groundwork for a more empathetic future.

To better grasp the impact of our programming, let’s cover some statistics on mental health.

• 1 in 5 American adults will have a mental health condition in any given year-Mental Health America
• Approximately 42.5 million adults have anxiety disorders-Mental Health America
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10-24 year olds-CDC
• Major depression is one of the most common mental health conditions-Mental Health America

For Cobb County specifically, residents experience an average of 4.4 poor mental health days per month, according to mySidewalk.

The quality of our mental health effects every aspect of our life. There are certain factors that can contribute to poor mental health, such as genetics, relationship stress, environment, or physical health, to name a few. While there are those risk factors that can impact our mental health, we can prioritize protective factors that support our mental health.

What are protective factors?

Protective factors are the actions or efforts that we can take to reduce the negative impact of stress, trauma, or adversity. Protective factors help promote resilience, reminding us that we can do hard things and take care of ourselves through it. Resilience means not getting pushed down by every stress we encounter, or if we do, we can rebound and move forward.

Examples of protective factors:

• Community
• Exercise & Nutrition
• Sleep
• Hobbies
• Emotional Support

How does Mind Your Mind uplift mental health?

At Cobb Collaborative, our Mind Your Mind initiative focuses on raising awareness, promoting resilience and reducing the stigma behind mental health. We aim to do that through providing trauma-informed trainings, wellness resources, and connection opportunities.

This month, we have uplifted mental health support through many of those capacities. Here is what we got up to this Mental Health Awareness Month:

April 28th: “Resilience” Film Screening

We started our Mental Health Awareness Events actually at the end of April with a film screening on ‘Resilience’. ‘Resilience’ reveals how toxic stress can trigger hormones, wreaking havoc on children’s brains and putting them at a greater risk for disease, homelessness, prison time, and even early death. The film also chronicles pioneers in the fields of pediatrics, education, and social welfare who are using cutting-edge science and field-tested therapies to protect children from the effects of toxic stress.

If you missed it, we have another opportunity to see the film on June 15th, 6-7:30PM, at Powder Springs Library.

May 1st: Behavioral Health Coordination Meeting

We came together with Cobb 2020 and the Chairwoman’s office to offer a State of the County. A time to learn about what behavioral health looks like in our county and highlight key organizations doing the important work in the behavioral health space. We also connected with others on how to move forward to support more community members in Cobb county.

May 7th: Children’s Mental Health Day

While we acknowledged Children’s Mental Health Week, May 4th-8th, we specifically got to attend Children’s Mental Health Day, put on by Georgia Parent Support Network. We connected, learned, and walked away with increased encouragement and motivation that we are doing the good work of supporting children’s mental health, both through our MYM Initiative, but also our Basics and Early Learning Initiative.

May 13th: General Membership Meeting

Our Q2 GMM focused on Mental Health and we were honored to have Traci Hurley with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children, present on the awareness of digital safety for children. Members took away helpful insights on how to navigate a complex issue that often directly correlates to children’s mental health.

May 14th: Basics Palooza in Collaboration with MYM

Our MYM Initiative came together with our Early Learning/Basics Initiative to acknowledge Children’s Mental Health Week by doing a Basic’s Palooza. Children and parents learned activities to connect and support the child’s development. Learn more about Basics Cobb here.

May 19th: Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Forum

Our Executive Director, Irene Barton, had the honor of speaking about Cobb Collaborative’s work at the 30th Annual Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Forum. This was a powerful opportunity to highlight the importance of mental health work in our state.

May 21st: Summer Smiles: Family Mental Health Event

This family mental health focused event was in partnership with Switzer Library and Stretch Zone of East Cobb. We had activities for all ages including sensory bottle making, journaling, coloring, kindness rock painting, and assisted stretching. Families took away connection time and mental health focused resources.

Along with all of these events, we also hosted trauma-informed training workshops, a mindful-self compassion workshop in partnership with Vira Salzburn, and several other events this month.

Additionally, we were active on our social media platforms as well as providing resources to uplift mental health to all people. Check out our social media platforms and mental health resources page to learn more. Lastly, stay engaged through our events calendar to find more opportunities focused on mental health.

While Mental Health Month may be coming to a close, our commitment to well-being doesn’t end when the calendar turns. The statistics remind us of the work left to do, but the incredible turnout and vulnerability we witnessed at our events prove that we don’t have to do it alone. By continuing to lean into our protective factors—like open communication, community support, and self-care—we can carry this momentum forward every single day. Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and contributed to these vital conversations this month. Let’s keep checking in on one another, breaking down stigmas, and prioritizing our minds all year round.