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May is Mental Health Month

green advocacy ribbon that says may mental health month

Each year, iSPARC partners with members of our Community Advisory Boards to recognize May is Mental Health Month. This year, members of the weSPARC Insight Advisory Board chose the theme of "Mental Health at Work", contributing their thoughts, feelings, and experiences on having a mental health condition and working.

Mental Health At Work: insights from Vered

In honor of May is Mental Health Month 2026, weSPARC Insight Advisory Board member, Vered, shares about her experiences of navigating mental health at work, and offers some thoughts about the Americans with Disabilities Act and the cost of unsustainable work practices.

Balancing

"There are many strategies that I use to help balance working from home and my mental health. These are just four examples of the strategies in my toolkit." - weSPARC member, Marta

Pomegranate Oolong Tea
When I am feeling stressed or need to take a break, a cup of tea always goes a long way in helping me maintain my mental health while working from home.

Coffee!!
A little Cuban roast coffee first thing in the morning always helps with my mood. And, it helps me focus on the tasks for the day.

Going for a Walk
A walk around my neighborhood helps me think about things and why I am feeling a certain way. A little fresh air and interesting architecture always lift up my mood.

Godzilla and Xander
Meet my grand-nephews: Godzilla the Cat and Xander the Wonder Dog. They are my nextdoor neighbor's service animals. Godzilla, being the perfect feline that he is, is a picky fellow, but his purring always soothes me. Xander always makes me smile with his zoomies and antics. He certainly knows when my mood is low and knows how to boost the happy chemicals in my brain!

A Short Reflection from Sungmin

I am a person with lived experience, and that has inspired me to do something that works with people who have struggles with mental health. I have decided I want to become an empathetic psychiatrist who works towards reducing stigma and barriers to accessing mental health care. I have come a far way in my journey of self-growth and healing, going from an obese, miserable high school dropout, to a hard-working medical student who is getting every step closer to becoming a psychiatrist. Despite all my growth and healing, I still struggle a lot to do the same things all my other peers do normally. Sometimes I am suffering so much, I wonder if I really have the right to take care of others.

Every time I have these doubts, I remind myself that I have gone through so much worse to get to where I am now. Despite my concerns, during my 2 years working at an inpatient psych hospital, I was able to learn valuable skills in being empathetic and caring to patients, while still being able to take control of my own emotions and mental health. I believe that because of my lived experience, I am able to connect with my patients at a much closer level of understanding, and it will make me a much more competent psychiatrist who is able to give the best care to my patients.

Working from Home

"I receive support from my supervisor with my mental health. I enjoy engagement in being part of the weSPARC advisory board." weSPARC member, Mary

woman with brown hair sitting at a laptop

Wellness Is the Work: A Peer Reflection for Mental Health Awareness Month

"In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, this reflection serves as a reminder that wellness at work is essential and growth begins when we choose to care for ourselves and one another." - weSPARC member Jacquie

I used to believe strength
meant pushing through,
checking every box
even when my breath felt heavy.

But wellness taught me differently.

It taught me to pause,
to listen to the quiet signals
before they became alarms,
to honor the truth
that I am human first and a worker second.

I learned that care is not weakness,
that asking for support
is an act of courage,
that balance is built
one boundary at a time.

At work, I found my voice again.
Not loud but steady.
Not perfect but honest.

I learned to plan for myself,
to name what helps me rise,
to notice when I need rest,
and to trust that growth
doesn’t require burning out.

Now I walk beside others,
not ahead, not behind reminding us all
that wellness belongs here, too.

In meetings.
In moments of stress.
In the space between effort and ease.

Wellness is not something
we leave at the door.
Wellness is how we stay.

So pause just for a moment.
Notice what helps you stay well.
Name one thing you need.
Take one step toward support.

Because caring for yourself
is not separate from your work
it is how the work continues.

A Note on WRAP and Peer Support: WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) is a simple, self‑directed tool that helps people identify what supports their wellness, recognize early signs of stress, and plan how they want to be supported at work and in daily life. Peer support strengthens this process by offering connection, understanding, and encouragement rooted in lived experience, reminding us that support is a strength, not a weakness.