Your story is not just about you. It's intertwined together in community and dependent on each other. Stories remind us we are not alone. But stories need to be told. They need to be chronicled and shared. This is especially true when it comes to our mental health. When you struggle with mental health issues, it's easy to hide, feel alone, and isolated. Yet sharing your story has a way of removing those barriers.

As you think about washing your car, cleaning out the garage, cleaning the windows, or completely reorganizing your closet, here are four ways you can do some spring cleaning for your mind and improve your overall mental health—making summer that much more enjoyable.

The avoidance of pain has become the cause of pain. And your kids might be at a greater risk. Not only do many of us live in a constant state of desiring for more, but we also live in a world that provides overwhelming abundance. While on the one hand, your kids are positioned in life with greater opportunities, greater technology, more things to learn, more career choices. But on the other hand, the abundance and accessibility have also resulted in more depression, anxiety, and addiction. Has the pursuit of pleasure deepened the wound of mental illness and magnified the cultural stigma?

Mental health is widely misunderstood by many people. It’s filled with assumptions, old wives' tales, misconceptions, stigmas, and hushed conversations that we aren’t really allowed to have. The result is far too many myths about what it means to struggle with mental illness.

How do I help a friend or family member struggling with mental illness? How do I walk alongside them without making matters worse for myself or the other person? There is no magic formula or perfect plan, and you certainly aren’t going to fix anyone. But your love, grace, compassion, and simple presence can make all the difference in the world. In fact, it might even save a life.

With its short days and odd spelling, February can create fits for our mental health. It has the unique ability to drain us physically and emotionally. Making it through the rough edges of February requires increasing amplifying the amount of joy we experience daily