My St. Patrick's Day was really wild.

So, as you may have noticed from all my whining on Twitter about how busy I am… I’m pretty busy and pretty whiny. And so, I’ve decided to skip town for the weekend to visit my friends at Jubilee. Ok, that’s not exactly the line of logic I used when planning this trip, but I’m sure that’s what it looks like.

I’ve been trying to get a little ahead this morning so that I don’t feel too guilty about being happy and not staring at my laptop screen this weekend, but I wanted to write a quick post for two reasons.

First, I updated my NAMI Walks page with some information about the walk I’m doing with some of my classmates at the end of the month to benefit NAMI, an organization that provides services, support and education to those with mental illness and their families.

Although we sometimes get glimpses of mental health and illness on health living blogs, it can sometimes fly under the radar.  There are millions of people struggling with mental illness in America, in our communities and homes. In today’s political and economic climate, many of the programs that reach out to those with severe mental illness are being cut. For some people, less access to services could mean they end up in emergency rooms, on the street or in prison instead.

So, this is my friendly reminder not to forget our minds and spirit when we talk about health and wellness. For some of us, mental health means making time for yoga or calling a friend. For others, it means being brave enough to ask for professional help and support. Either way, I’d like to try to be more mindful of mental health when thinking about healthy living.

And secondly,

Since I will be out of the office, I'm leaving my big booty cat in charge for the weekend.

I’ve never done a walk before! Have you participated in a fundraising walk? How do you incorporate mental health into your wellness strategy?