Twitch recently announced that they would be partnering with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
“The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.”
Mental Health Awareness Month is here and seeing a partnership like this form is great news. Twitch is one of the most popular gaming related platforms out there with tons of members. Making an announcement on such a popular page can go a longer way than one might think. We respect their efforts to normalize the idea of having conversations related to mental health.
See the Twitter announcement below:
May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the US, but today we’re talking to streamers everywhere. Putting yourself out there can be difficult, so we partnered with @NAMICommunicate to bring you some tips to help prioritize your mental health.
— Twitch (@Twitch) April 30, 2019
We agree that “putting yourself out there can be difficult”. NAMI has a helpline phone number in case you ever need to reach out: 800-950-NAMI OR you can text NAMI at 741741.
Check out the 5 tips from NAMI (directed at content creators but it’s relevant for all).
- Connect with Social Supports: Having a support system is crucial to maintaining mental health. Never face anything serious alone!
- Establish Set Coping Methods: Having techniques to help manage what you may be experiencing related to mental health helps to alleviate symptoms.
- Set Your Office Hours: What we take from this is that you don’t want to become a ‘workaholic’. Be sure to set boundaries to maintain a balance between your home and work life.
- Prioritize a Hobby: Having hobbies is a great way to stay busy and reduce stress. Don’t stay too busy, though! Taking on too many things at once can become overwhelming, so, be sure to prioritize.
- Take a Break:This relates to more than just work or school. If anything is bogging you down, there comes a time that taking a break might be needed so that you can think clearly.
As time goes on, some of the negative stigma related to mental illness has declined. However, it is imperative that we continue to see more partnerships like the one created by Twitch and NAMI. This partnership helps to communicate NAMI’s mission of spreading awareness for mental health. So far, Twitch has helped share tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle to support wellness overall. Here at Doctors of Gaming, we hope to see this relationship grow, proving that gaming can make a difference.
This article was originally published on psychedtogame.com and was reposted on our site with the author’s permission. Check out the original article here.
