Podcast by the American Psychological Association
By – Hareesh P V (Research Scholar) & Aswathy Gopi (Assistant Professor)
Department of Psychology, SRM University-AP
Mental health – aterm often used in the current generation yet vaguely understood or given importance at times. Thousands of reels and YouTube Shorts might appear on devices talking about mental health, but they becamea hook for more views, likes, and shares. To raise public awareness and literacy about mental illnesses and the importance of mental health, Mental Health America (MHA) has observed every May as Mental Health Awareness Month since 1949. This year’s theme is “More Good Days, Together,” emphasizing the importance of togetherness and encouraging the idea that mental health struggles are not faced alone (MHA, 2026).
As part of mental health awareness, a podcast released on May 1st, 2026, by one of the globally important organizations in mental health, the American Psychological Association (APA), talks about how to manage stress in the contemporary world. Hosted by Kim Mills from APA, Dr. Arthur C Evans Jr., the CEO of APA, and Dr. Georges Benjamin, CEO of the American Public Health Association (APHA), shared their views and discussed the mental, physical, and social impact of chronic stress. Dr. Benjamin provided perspectives on physical problems stemming from ever-growing societal stress. His statement that 80% of what makes one healthy occurs outside the doctor’s office is an eye-opener towards the influence of our environment and living standards on health. The present world is constantly under stress from political polarizations to economic anxieties, and these chronic stresses lead to allostatic load, which is chronic and repeated stress exceeding one’s ability to cope and causing susceptibility to diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes (Guidi et al., 2021). Dr. Evans added to Dr. Benjamin’s point that stress is not merely an individual’s problem, but a community health issue. He gave perspectives on mental health issues due to stress by saying how people move towards substance use, anxiety, depression, and problems in relationships.
Both speakers noted how the current world is not getting enough rest! There is a recurrence of one or the other stress around us that is not giving our body enough time to recover. On top of these, lifestyle problems such as reduced social interaction and lack of exercise further deteriorate the condition. Once people understand the issue, the next step is to know how to resolve it. For that, the experts suggested some actions,
- Ensuring interaction with others and providing support to those going through hard times. Sometimes, the mere presence of another human being would be enough to bring down a lot of stress. Similarly, people need to have open communication about their mental health difficulties. This can greatly reduce the heaviness they carry inside.
- Maintaining relationships can ensure that we have someone at our need and we are there for someone’s need. The mutual support strengthens human bonds and benefits mental health recovery.
- Cognitive reframing is one of the effective methods used to counter psychological distress. It involves seeing the problems through a different perception that reduces the experience of difficulty. Thinking about the worst possible outcomes can only increase the stress. So, taking different perceptions can be beneficial to bring the person to a calmer state.
- Having enough sleep, doing proper exercises, and maintaining a good diet are some physical remedies to help with the recovery from psychological distress.
- Digital devices need to be cut down from daily life. They are the source of a large amount of stress among humans.
- Find time for oneself to go to some quiet place and think about the good things in life. Bring awareness to think about one’s own mental health. Try to intentionally do such things that give you pleasure and not have guilt in it. Everyone needs a rest someday, and it can be today also.
- Routine checks on the level of blood pressure (BP) can help to be aware of the present condition. BP is a direct indicator of stress in the body. Understanding the signals from one’s own body is important for faster recovery (APA, 2026).
By fostering a sense of togetherness, we can support one another to the best of our abilities, resulting in better mental health for all. This mental health awareness month,individuals need tojoin together to become the reason for a good day, for you, for all.
