Meet Dawn Ennis
#LetsFaceIt Dawn Ennis describes herself this way: “Woman, single mom raising three kids by myself, college professor, journalist, trans woman.” That last descriptor, she says, “is the fifth most interesting thing about me.” Perhaps. But Ennis transitioned from the gender she was assigned at birth to being a woman in a very public way. Ennis […]
Mental Health Connecticut Raising $75,000 and Bringing Back #LetsFaceIt Campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month in May
Farmington, CT – April 30, 2023. For Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2023, Mental Health Connecticut (MHC) is raising $75,000 to bring its award-winning arts and wellness program to Hartford with a new partnership with the Hispanic Health Council (HHC). MHC is also bringing back its #LetsFaceIt campaign and asking others to join the […]
Meet Dita Bhargava
#LetsFaceIt Dita Bhargava credits her mother with inspiring her and her sister’s activism streak. “Watching her struggle is something we carried with us,” she says of her mother who was a single parent after her divorce. “I have empathy for those who struggle like my mom did to put food on the table etc. We […]
Meet Sean Smedley
#LetsFaceIt For years Sean Smedley kept quiet—about his abusive childhood home life, about his father’s mental health issues and drinking, about his own substance abuse. Now he knows firsthand the power of opening up and letting the stigma go. Smedley, who is 53, grew up in public housing in New Haven. His parents divorced when […]
Day #31: Silence and Stillness
by: Jackie Davis May 31, 2021 is Memorial Day, a national holiday that recognizes and honors the soldiers who died while serving in the U.S. military. At 3:00 p.m., MHC’s Facebook page will be playing “Taps,” a bugle call which is traditionally played in remembrance of a fallen soldier at memorial services. 3:00 p.m. on […]
Day #30: Nutrition
by: Trista Genova We have all heard that “you are what you eat,” but have you ever really sat back and thought about that? If you take a minute to think about those words and look into the science behind it, you will find that you LITERALLY are what you eat. The food that you […]
Day #29: Healthy Boundaries
by Loretta Stevens Loretta is Co-Chair of MHC’s Development Committee, a Mental Health First Aider, and one of the #31DaysofWellness fundraisers. Did you know?Did you know that sometimes, the only way to really be able to make time for self-care is to lessen the amount of time or energy that you are giving away to […]
Day #28: Exercise
Mental Health and Fitness Go Hand-In-Hand by: Connor Clark, Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, and Gym-Owner Exercise is the deliberate action we take to sustain and promote physical fitness, health, and well-being. However, it is so much more than that. We’ve all been made aware throughout our lives of the wide range of benefits that exercise […]
Day #27: Giving Back
Giving Back is a powerful self-care tool. While it may seem to only benefit others, giving back comes full circle. According to the Cleveland Clinic, giving to others is shown to boost your mental and physical health. By volunteering for a good cause, starting a fundraiser, or donating to charity you can reap multiple health […]
Day #26: Purpose
Sean Smedley and Luis Perez talk “Purpose” Earlier this month, MHC Board of Directors member Sean Smedley sat with MHC’s President & CEO Luis Perez to talk about today’s self-care tool, Purpose. Did you know that Purpose is one of the four pillars of recovery? Learn how this self-care tool has made an impact from […]
