SAN ANTONIO – May is Mental Health Awareness Month and there are many programs and resources available at the San Antonio Public Library that are free of charge.
“We have so many different programs; we’re offering them for all ages, everything from chair yoga to Taichi to our regular weekly programs like Baby Time and Toddler Time that help build the support structures that we need for mental health and social connection,” Cresencia Huff, coordinator of the San Antonio Public Library’s children’s services said.
This year there seems to be a special emphasis on the importance of mental health awareness.
“Mental health is something I think we’ve all become much more aware of over this past year, with everything that we’ve all gone through. And so we’re learning more about how important it is to take care of our mental health as well as our physical health and the things that might be more obvious to the people around us,” Huff said.
The library is also working with Spurs Give on a special mental health awareness reading list.
“So Spurs Give is one of our opportunities to really focus on some monthly observances. And this month, we, of course have a list about mental health and it chose some books that really emphasize some of the aspects of mental health, like having a sense of belonging or positive self-esteem that can be part of everyday life that that we really want to build up in our children,” Huff said.
And with summer is just around the corner, the library is working to help keep a student’s mind active.
“We are looking forward to really celebrating summer with children, teens and adults. And we’ll have all kinds of different programs with special guests. We’ll continue our weekly online live programs with our librarians. And really, they’re just opportunities to reconnect and explore and learn whatever you’re interested in learning,” Huff said.
If you are interested in the free resources, they can be found by clicking here.
A mental health town hall discussion will be taking place on KSAT.com on Wednesday, May 26 at 7 p.m. During the town hall, it will explore the impacts of mental health and wellness, and look both into the past year and as well as into the future. It will also answer your mental health and wellness questions.