On May 21st, 2021, Mental Health Month in the United States, the John W. Brick Foundation once again collaborated with The Chopra Foundation and their #NeverAlone initiative to co-host the 2nd annual Never Alone Global Mental Health Summit.
This completely free, virtual livestream took place on May 21st and featured an illustrious lineup of speakers and storytellers from all walks of life, including Russell Brand, Diane von Furstenberg, Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson, 17th U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona, Jewel, NFL comeback star Alex Smith, and dozens more. Our speakers and panelists shared testimonials, personal journeys, and recommended practices that promote a mind-body-spirit approach to improving one’s mental resilience.
It has been over a year since the pandemic impacted all aspects of our lives — from school and work to socializing with our friends and families. As we adjust to this new lifestyle, many of us have struggled with new or exacerbated mental health symptoms. Some have called mental health the “second pandemic.”
Protecting and supporting our mental and emotional well-being is just as important as taking care of our physical health, especially as we emerge from a stressful year. Our mental well-being is connected to all aspects of our lives, and it is critical, now more than ever, for us to strengthen our mental and emotional well-being. One silver lining of the pandemic is that more people talked about their mental health openly than ever before. With this reduced stigma, and the wealth of mind-body-spirit approaches that the Never Alone Summit and the Brick Foundation offers, people can feel more empowered to openly address these issues in themselves and their families.
At the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, we emphasize the importance of building mental health resilience in every aspect of our lives. From how we think and feel to how our brain works, what we eat, how we move our bodies, how we connect with the community and nature, where we focus our attention, and how we breathe – all of these are factors which impact our mental health. There are a plethora of evidence-based practices within each of these elements and by incorporating these into our daily lives, we can improve our mental health resilience. This is what inspired the Chopra and Brick Foundations to create the first Never Alone Summit last year: a collaboration that would help people learn to build their own resources and practices during the pandemic to promote their mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
We are grateful for all of the speakers, contributors, and participants who helped make this year’s Never Alone Summit possible. We are inspired by the continuous growth of this global community, and we are excited to continue this movement through the #NeverAlone initiative to encourage mind-body-spirit practices to promote mental health resilience for everyone.
