Mental Health Awareness Month: More Than a Hashtag

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And while the posts, ribbons, and supportive quotes flood in this time of year, I can’t help but sit with the difference between awareness and action.

Awareness is easy. It’s the repost. The green heart. The "here if you need anything" text. And while that’s a start, it’s such a small part of what mental health support actually requires.

Because real support doesn’t show up just when it’s convenient. It’s not just during a month of awareness or when someone is doing okay enough to respond politely. It’s when things are messy. When responses are delayed. When energy is low. When someone can’t quite explain what’s wrong, they just know something is.

That’s when you find out who really means it.

The truth is, people mean well. I really believe that. But it becomes clear—fast—who is willing to walk the walk, and who just knows the right things to say.

Accommodations matter. Not just legally, but humanly. Whether it’s in the workplace, in friendships, in day-to-day expectations… the people and systems who actually care are the ones who adapt, who listen, who make space even when it’s hard or uncomfortable or inconsistent.

Too often, I’ve been told, “I’m here for you”—right before being left to figure things out alone. And I don’t think I’m the only one.

So this month, I’m not just thinking about awareness. I’m thinking about how tiring it is to exist in spaces that only make room for you when you’re easy to be around. I'm thinking about the effort it takes to simply function in a world that doesn't pause, even when you need to.

Mental health support should be more than a trending topic or a compliance checkbox. It should be something we build into the fabric of how we show up for each other.

Because talking the talk? That’s easy.

It’s the walk that makes a difference.