Tumblr Staff — postitforward: Hey! You made it through the first...

31 days of Mental Health Month have come and just about gone. Tumblr, thank you for sharing your stories. Thank you for reading the stories of your peers. Without you—all of you—Post it Forward would not be the beautiful, caring community it is today.

Though we reblogged a lot of the art that was created this month, we wanted to end on a particular high note and highlight just a few more pieces in a special post.

There was no shortage of inspo:

Originally posted by soymilku

Originally posted by thewinchesters-havethetardis

Some of it was simple, but just as helpful and nice to look at:

Originally posted by postmarq

We’re proud to showcase some valid as heck pets:

Originally posted by erarg

Originally posted by lady-with-a-book

One person, Fatin (@nfzsketchbook), even made a zine about what it’s like to focus on self-care while battling a mental illness:

Originally posted by nfzsketchbook

You can check out her full post—and more pages from her zine—here.

Mental Health Month may have been limited to, well, May, but it doesn’t mean our efforts stop in June. Post it Forward is always here as your hub for sharing stories and finding a support system with others who might be going through the same things you are.  So keep sharing if you can, keep reading, and keep up all of the amazing work we’ve seen so far.  And please always remember, there are resources out there if things ever get too hard. <3

Take care of yourself, Tumblr. You deserve it.

It’s week four of Mental Health Month, Tumblr! We hope you’ve enjoyed the post prompts and all of the wonderful works of love that they generated. The month may be ending, but that doesn’t mean that sharing your stories and spreading awareness for mental health has to end, too. That’s why this week is all about posting it for the future 👉

• Post a photo or GIF of yourself with a positive message that you can look back on anytime you need. Toss a Mental Health Month sticker on it.
• Make a list of things you can do to make life better for future you.
• Write a chat post between the person you are now and the person you would like to become.
• Write down one thing you like about yourself and schedule it to be published on your Tumblr one month from now.
• The future starts…now. Share one thing you plan to cross off your to-do list today, and then do it!
• Make a list of things you’re looking forward to in the future.
• The Ultimate Positivity Post. Fill it up with everything that makes you happy. Reblog it whenever you’re feeling down.

Do one of them. Do all of them. Do none of them and instead make up your own methods of bringing awareness to the importance of mental health. Whatever you do, just tag it with #postitforward so others can see your post as part of the bigger message. 

Keep looking out for each other, Tumblr.

And oh, hey, here’s the last of our upcoming Mental Health Month-themed Answer Times: 

• 5/23—The creators of #TheBlackout movement, from their official Tumblr (@theblackoutofficial). 
• 5/25—Anna Akana, YouTuber, writer, director, and activist, from her official Tumblr (@annaakana). 
• 5/26—Mental health advocates Patrick and Amy Kennedy, right here on Post it Forward (@postitforward).
  
• 5/30—Issue Time: Social Media & Mental Health, also on Post it Forward (@postitforward).

Hey, Tumblr. We’re back with another round-up for Mental Health Month. This batch o’ blogs are resources you can turn to and organizations you can rely on. The best part is that they’re so, so easy to access and utilize. Here are just a few of them.

Originally posted by crisistextline

Crisis Text Line (@crisistextline)

Crisis Text Line is free, 24/7 support. If you’re in crisis, please text 741741 from anywhere in the US. The Crisis Text Line will connect you with a trained Crisis Counselor. If you don’t need to use their services, consider signing up to be part of their services. All it takes to become trained in crisis counseling is a desire to listen and help others.

Originally posted by twloha

To Write Love on Her Arms (@twloha)

To Write Love on Her Arms started as a Myspace post. Since it took off, they’ve donated more than $1.5 million to treatment and recovery programs, granting funding to 73 different organizations and counseling practices. They have a pretty good repository for finding help, with listings easily found either by location or reason you’re seeking help.

Originally posted by gnomosexuals

The Trevor Project (@thetrevorproject)

The Trevor Project is one of the leading national organizations providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth. You can call their trained counselors at 1-866-488-7386, use TrevorText by texting “TREVOR” to 1-202-304-1200, or reach out via TrevorChat.

Originally posted by aestheticallyequal

National Alliance on Mental Illness (@namiorg)

When it comes to making the world a better, more understanding place for mental health, NAMI (nearly) does it all. Across the US they educate to make sure people are getting the help they need, they advocate for public policy, and they listen. You can reach the NAMIHelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org.

Originally posted by itgetsbetterproject

It Gets Better (@itgetsbetterproject)

It Gets Better Project wants to create and inspire change for LGBTQ+ youth. While they do suggest hotlines to call for immediate help (like The Trevor Project), their primary objective is to spread the message that, well, it gets better.

If you don’t live in the US, you may haven noticed most of these are US-based resources. Don’t worry. We have you covered too.

Your mental health is important. Because of the coronavirus, people all around the world are experiencing high levels of mental and emotional stress. That’s why this year’s Mental Health Month initiative will focus on common aspects of isolation and loneliness: how to protect, maintain, and improve your mental health, how to manage your relationships inside and outside of your household, how to combat boredom, and how to deal with the grief you might be feeling.

All month long our friends at Ditch the Label (@ditchthelabel), a UK anti-bullying non-profit, will post resources to guide you through some of the emotional hardships you may be feeling right now. Here on @postitforward, we’ll be reblogging the best stuff we see from them, the top-notch stuff we see from the rest of the Tumblr community, and posting exclusive original art from some of our very own Tumblr @creatrs. 

Some of you may be concerned with your mental health for the first time in your life. For others, existing mental health issues may be exacerbated by current events—especially for those of you who may be quarantined with people whose values are at odds with your own. We see you, and we want to help.

If you don’t want to see these posts, that’s okay! Taking good care of your mind comes in many forms. We’ll tag all of our posts with “cw mental health month” as well as more specific tags when appropriate so you can use the tag filtering tool to keep them from your dashboard. And, hey, if you’re looking for a totally stress-free zone, go out and check out Cozy (@cozy)—it’s a blog we created to embrace a little escapism. Otherwise, be sure to give Ditch the Label (@ditchthelabel) a follow if you’re interested in the tools and guidance they will be providing starting May 4.

One last thing: If you or someone you know are struggling and don’t know where to turn to, here’s a list of free counseling services located all over the world

Do your best to take care of yourself, Tumblr. <3

Hey, Tumblr! We hope the week two prompts for Mental Health Month are treating you well. In the spirit of the theme, posting it for each other, we wanted to celebrate one of the most helpful communities out there: yours. You’ve helped shape Tumblr into an incredible community for support. To take a look into exactly how it’s flourished over the years, we teamed up with Fandometrics (@thefandometrics) to bring you some sweet, sweet data.

How you talk about mental health

Discussion around #mental health has steadily grown year over year since 2013, with a 248% uptick of original posts and reblogs made between 2013 and 2016. In that same time span, original posts and reblogs about #therapy increased 29%. Much of that conversation was rooted in real people sharing real stories. Emotional and honest stories, like how therapy can help you better understand your life, how to say good-bye to the wrong therapist, or the difficulty of making the sometimes daunting decision to begin therapy for the first time.

Originally posted by robowtie

There has also been a significant rise in people seeking ways to take care of themselves. The self-care movement has seen huge increases in searches (733%) and original posts (567%) between 2013 and 2016. Over the past six months, we’ve seen total engagement (searches, original posts, reblogs, and likes) around the #self-care tag spike with correlations to holidays and events in the news:

• 240% increase the day after the US Presidential Election
  
• 321% in the days following Christmas and Hanukkah
  
• 561% in the days leading up to the Inauguration, and
  
• 342% in the days following Valentine’s Day.
  

Anatomy of a post

To get a better understanding of what the public-facing conversations consist of, we looked at the top posts for the #mental health, #positivity, and #self-care tags from the past few years. We noticed a few trends that continued to appear over and over again:

• Masterposts, a one-stop shop of information on topics like learning new hobbies, treating yourself on a budget, and resources for different mental health issues continually pop up in these tags.
• Doodles like @thelatestkate’s positive messages illustrated with cats or @gemmacorrell’s Self Care Reward Stickers are a Tumblr favorite. There’s also been a neato collaborative trend where someone doodles a text post made by someone else,  like this art of living by cat principles, by @bisexualpiratequeen and @skunkaru.
• Text Art like @sexioto’s reminder to take your meds and @peytonfulford’s message of more self love turn the text itself into art. In the mental health space, text art most frequently comes in the form of reminders, like to stay hydrated and to make yourself a priority.
  

Originally posted by nocturnalkitten

Make your dash more positive

Because this is all about posting it for each other, here are a few great blogs to make your Tumblr experience more positive and healthy:

• Positive Vibes (@posiviibes) provides positive and friendly text art in soothing colors.
• LGBT+ Positivity (@goodpositivitylgbt) focuses on messages of positivity and validation for the LGBT+/MOGAI community.
• Why Did You Feel Proud Today? (@todayifeltproud), a space to submit your accomplishments, big and small.
  

For more follow inspiration, check out our roundup from last week. We’ll be posting more each Friday this month. Keep sharing your stories, Tumblr, this month and every month.

Hey, Tumblr.

Today is May 1. The first day of Mental Health Month. This entire month we want to nudge all of you to celebrate triumphs, acknowledge struggles, and just come together. Let other people know they’re not alone. Feel less alone yourself. It’s what Post it Forward is all about.

One of the incredible ways you—all of you—have helped shape Tumblr is with your ability to be open and honest.  It was you that turned this platform into a community, one based on genuine expression, creativity, and acceptance.

Neat. How can I participate?

Glad you asked! Each week, for all four weeks, we’ll be giving you ideas for ways to Post it Forward.

• Week 1—Post it for you: How you practice self-care and personal well-being.
• Week 2—Post it for each other: Ways you can be there for each other.
• Week 3—Post it for reflection: Sharing stories of personal growth and development.
• Week 4—Post it for the future: Committing to continuous reflection and improvement.

This week is all about posting for you. Acts of self-care. Here are some places to start:

• Post an emoji spell for self-care and positivity. 🌈 🔮 💕 🌱
• Share a photo or GIF of something that calms you down. Don’t have one? Here’s one.
• What’s the one thing that always cheers you up? Post a photo of it, take a GIF, or illustrate it. Toss a sticker on it, if you’d like.
• Never forget that you are valid! Post a selfie with “valid” sticker (see below).
• Make a list of things you like about yourself.
• Make a checklist of 5 acts of self-care you promise to do for yourself this week.
• Make an audio post with a song that helps you zone out and re-energize.
  

Don’t forget to tag all your posts with #postitforward this month! It makes it easier for everyone to find each other’s contributions.

What else?

We’ve asked our pal Tumblrbot (@tumblrbot) to help out with any extra encouragement you might need. Try sending them messages like “tell me about Mental Health Month” or “what’s this week’s prompt?” Tumblrbot will let you know what’s up, because Tumblrbot is a friend to all of us.

We got Answer Times, all of them taking place right here on Post it Forward unless indicated otherwise:

• 5/4—Utkarsh Ambudkar, NAMI (@namiorg) ambassador, Pitch Perfect actor, and member of hip-hop improv group, Freestyle Love Supreme.
  
• 5/8—AJ Mendez Brooks, NAMI (@namiorg) ambassador, former pro wrestler, and author of Crazy Is My Superpower, a memoir about her experiences with bipolar disorder.
• 5/9—Brittany Snow and Courtney Knowles, co-founders of Love is Louder, from their official blog (@loveislouderofficial).
  
• 5/10—Kelly Williams Brown, New York Times best-selling author, from her official blog (@adulting).
• 5/15—Cynthia Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s mother and co-founder of the Born This Way Foundation.
• 5/16—Shannon Beveridge (@now-this-is-living), 25-year-old YouTube star. She’ll be partnering with It Gets Better (@itgetsbetterproject).
• 5/23—The creators of #TheBlackout movement, from their official blog (@theblackoutofficial).
• 5/25—Anna Akana, YouTuber, writer, director, and activist, from her official blog (@annaakana).
• 5/26—Mental health advocates Patrick and Amy Kennedy.

We even have some limited edition stickers ready for you in the Tumblr app right now:

<3 Tumblr

Hey Tumblr, in honor of Mental Health Month and Post it Forward (@postitforward), we’re declaring today as a Day of Action to support NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (@namiorg), because we believe that everyone is entitled to mental health care and support.

What’s NAMI?

NAMI is the largest grassroots mental health organization in the US. On behalf of the millions of people who are affected by mental illness every day, NAMI is dedicated to increasing awareness and resources for mental health conditions, combating the social stigma that surrounds mental illness, and advocating for better and equal health care for anyone seeking mental health treatment.

How can I support?

For Tumblr’s Day of Action, we’re encouraging the community to take the NAMI StigmaFree Pledge. By signing the pledge, you’re showing that you wish to fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness and demonstrating your support for all who are affected.

And, if you have the means, you can donate $5 or more to Tumblr’s Crowdrise fundraiser to support NAMI and help build a national network of accessible mental health support and resources for all.  

While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lifetime, we’re all likely impacted by mental illness—by friends, family members, or people in our community. Together, we can encourage acceptance, understanding, and support for mental health, and ensure that no one is alone on their mental health journey.

<3

Three! Weeks! In!

Welcome to the third week of our Mental Health Month prompts. We just finished up a week of posting it for each other. This week? We’re posting it for reflection. We want to give you the opportunity to look back on your personal experiences with mental health: the struggles you have overcome, or something you’re dealing with right now. We’re all a work in progress, and that’s okay. You can follow through however you please, including using some of our prompts below. Just don’t forget to tag it with #postitforward so other people can easily find it:

• Make a post sharing your personal experiences with mental health. It can be a GIF, a text post, a video—whatever feels right to you.
  
• Share a list of things you know now that you wish you knew then.
  
• Here’s a thank you card. Reblog to thank yourself for being so strong, or reblog and tag someone who might have helped you through something.
  
• Post a quote that helps you get through tough times.
  
• Create a chat post conversation between you and your younger self.
  
• Make a video talking about something you overcame.
  
• Share a song that’s important to you, and tell your followers why.
  

We can’t wait to see these posts start rolling through our dashboards.

A small text addendum: We have some special Answer Times coming up that are centered around Mental Health Month. On the docket this week:

• 5/15—Cynthia Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s mother and co-founder of Born This Way Foundation.
• 5/16—Shannon Beveridge (@now-this-is-living), 25-year-old YouTube star. She’ll be partnering with It Gets Better (@itgetsbetterproject).