May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this month we are talking about rest. The concept of "rest" as a tool in our mental health kit is of utmost importance. Rest is defined as "to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength."

But what does rest look like? What does rest mean for you? And how do we create spaces and situations in our lives that allow for more of this sought-after rest?

While rest looks a lot like the ever-important necessity of sleep, it can also look a lot like:

Practicing self-compassion: When we're walking through tough stuff leaning into self-compassion helps us remember that we're not alone and it's ok to not be ok

Growing up we learn about "health" in an incomplete way- under the umbrella of "fitness" or "diet and exercise" and the relationship with sleep and mental health is not explored. Self-compassion is needed- we didn't know what we didn't know.

Having access to safe spaces: How our environments we live, work and play in are vital to our well-being. Learn about the importance of incorporating allowances for rest in these spaces.

Moderating or stopping things that are unhealthy such as excessive drinking, eating poorly, social media or other addictive behaviors. Understand how each impacts our sleep and therefore our mental health.

We'll talk about these topics and more, so bring your questions. Join us for all things rest on May 12!

Laurie is a strong ally to the recovery community and an advocate for individuals and families that are struggling with substance use and mental health disorders. She is a Recovery Coach, an ARISE interventionist and a Peer Recovery Specialist, and draws from evidence-based treatments and practices including CRAFT (Community Reinforcement Approach and Family Training), Motivational Interviewing and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), as the basis for her coaching process. Based on lived family experience with addiction and mental health disorders, Laurie has a passion for helping family members, allies and workplaces navigate relationships where mental health and substance use disorders exist. Laurie holds her B.A. in Communications and her career journey has included experience in individual and group wellness as a personal trainer and fitness instructor, both in personal and corporate settings. To learn more about Laurie and her work, visit https://www.lauriehealy.com

Sarah Moe started her career in Sleep Medicine in 2006 and is the Founderand CEO of Sleep Health Specialists, which provides sleep education tolocal businesses and corporations. Sarah recently sat on the Board ofDirectors for the Minnesota Sleep Society and the Educational ProductsCommittee for the American Association of Sleep Technologists. You may alsocatch her on her monthly live WCCO news segment "Health Watch", where shediscusses various sleep-related topics. For her role in Sleep Education in our workforce, Sarah has been named to the Minnesota Business Magazine's "35 Under 35" 2016, "Most Likely to Succeed- Healthcare Division" finalist in 2017, "Women Who Lead" 2018, the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal's "Women In Business" 2019, and the TeamWomen's "WaveMaker Award- Uncharted Territory" finalist, 2019.

MinneAMA: Mental Health & The Importance of Rest