June
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month!
June 27 PTSD Awareness Day
Mental Health Resources Day 2026
Get your calendars ready! Mental Health Resources Day is going to be January 17, 2026 in Houston, Texas!
MHRD Dallas
The Power of Reading & Books for Our Mental Wellness
By Creative Mental Wellness
In a world full of noise—notifications, to-do lists, social media scrolls—there’s something remarkably soothing about sitting down with a good book. Whether it’s fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, reading has long been a source of knowledge and entertainment. But more than that, reading is also a powerful tool for supporting our mental wellness.
Reading Helps Us Get Out of Our Heads
When we’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or emotionally low, our thoughts can feel like a hamster wheel—spinning and spinning with no clear off-ramp. Reading offers us a way out. Immersing ourselves in a story or subject pulls our focus outward, giving our minds a break from looping thoughts and inner dialogue. For those moments, we’re not stuck in our own heads—we’re in another world, walking in someone else’s shoes, or exploring new ideas.
So this June, we invite you to rediscover the simple, powerful joy of reading. Your mind—and your mood—just might thank you for it.
Read the full article (for free!) on our website.
DAISY’s Book Club
This month, DAISY is reading The Friendship Bench: How Fourteen Grandmothers Inspired a Mental Health Revolution by Dixon Chibanda, MD. The Friendship Bench is a project that started in Zimbabwe. It is an NGO that uses benches as a catalyst for change. People are losing the real human connection that we crave and need, and these benches help invite people to open up to others, make new friends, and even seek professional mental health support. The Friendship Bench even works with the World Health Organization and the Government of Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care to help increase the mental health support services available- such as by training health workers in cognitive behavioral therapy. Dr. Chibanda has been doing amazing work in Zimbabwe with The Friendship Bench.
Updates in the Mental Health Sphere and DAISY’s World
With PTSD Awareness Day this month, it is important to recognize all types of PTSD – from veterans and bystanders who experience trauma from war, to survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. A study published in 2024 showed that people who experienced trauma as children are significantly more likely to develop PTSD as adults.
Since it is Pride Month as well, we need to better integrate how we treat the challenges of people of color and queer people, who are both more likely to suffer from PTSD and other traumas.
It is critical that we acknowledge the varying types and degrees of PTSD, as well as the types of support offered to those suffering from PTSD. Another 2024 study analyzed how art therapy may be effective in treating PTSD.
Thank you for joining us on this mental health journey! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn to stay up to date.
Your friend,
