BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Depression, stress, bullying, and homelessness are just a few factors that can take a mental toll on individuals. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (KBHRS) emphasizes the importance of mental wellness with the theme “Be Kind to Your Mind.”
Lou Groce, Public Information Officer for KBHRS, said the county has been actively working to break the negative stigma surrounding mental health. “And really, I think the last few years, it’s been stopped the stigma. And I think we’re really as a community, starting to move past the stigma of getting help and just being kind to yourself,” Groce said.
Groce explained that kindness to oneself can take many forms. “That might be, you know, speaking to yourself in some encouraging words, that might be going for a run or doing yoga, or meditation,g and things. And I think there’s a lot of ways to take care of your mental health and the realization that mental health is just as important as your physical health,” Groce said…