(WWTI) –Today is World Mental Health Day and this is your reminder to take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, unclench your jaws and count to ten.

In 1992, Richard Hunter, the deputy secretary-general of the World Federation of Mental Health, created World Mental Health Day. The world had a lot of mental health issues that weren’t being properly treated. At the time, there were struggles to gain public funding for treatment in France, inhumane treatment in New Zealand and an overall ignorance regarding what mental health is. The federation knew that they had to act on a global scale to help solve the global crisis. For the first three years of the campaign, there was a two-hour telecast broadcast across the globe through the U.S. Information Agency satellite. They had participation from Chile, England, Australia and Zambia, while Geneva, Atlanta and Mexico City pre-taped segments for the broadcast.

Today is about improving your mental health. Taking care of your mental health is important and just like how you see a doctor if you get the flu, you need to see a doctor if you have mental health issues. Suppressing – bottling up — these issues will not help and will turn something small into something big. Avoiding mental health issues can cause your issues to become worse and unmanageable.

Information on mental health is available all over the web:

Help for mental health is available locally too, view our article on disabilities to see an in depth view of mental health and other organizations lending a hand in the North Country.

If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support at 1-800-273-8255. U.S. residents can also be connected to the Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or chating at 988lifeline.org. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organization’s official website.

Happy World Mental Health Day!