Social Support is one on the most protective factors for your mental health. Social experiences of any kind with friends, family or community can reduce the risk of depression, increase one's chances of recovery from mental illness and reduced perceived stigma. Our connection to other human beings is a powerful tool.

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But as anyone who has experienced mental illness will know, engaging socially in the context of anxiety, depression or other symptoms can be incredibly difficult. Maybe it's hard to find the energy or enjoyment in being around others. Maybe social experiences are undermined by a feeling of shame or anxiety. Maybe other symptoms of mental illness make it difficult to create and maintain realationships for any number of reasons. 

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As in this drawing of three women in Aswan, Egypt living with mental illness can often feel like existing on the outside and looking in to social experiences that feel out of reach. At the same time, we know that it is possible to improve our mental health by spending time with others. All it takes is a willingness to walk through that open door when the opportunity arrises.