In May, many recognize one of the chronic illnesses that often goes unnoticed.

With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, the Mental Health America (MHA) organization is gearing up to continue their 2018 campaign 4Mind4Body with a variety of new tools and materials designed for people living with chronic conditions and those who care for them.

This year, MHA is focusing on the importance of animal companions, spirituality and religion, humor, work-life balance and recreation and social connections as ways to boost mental health and general wellness.

All of these factors are important to maintaining a healthy mental health status.

Mental health is something that is often still a stigma in the United States.

The National Alliance on Mental Health states that 43.8 million adults experience mental illness in a given year. Nearly 60 percent of adults with a mental illness didn’t receive mental health in the previous year.

This is something that affects all of us and reaching out for help is something that should not be shamed.

This type of awareness should be happening all year instead of just confined to one month.