We have aligned our three-part series to coincide with this important theme.In our first article of the series we discussed with Elisha London, Founder and CEO of United for Global Mental Health, about what it means to invest in mental health and how we can take action to improve global mental health. In this article, we share ways that you can invest in your own mental health, especially through mindfulness and expressive arts. Our third article of the series will be released after World Mental Health Day and explore financial investment in global mental health.
It’s time to invest in your own mental health
Let’s get real. COVID 19 is stressful and impacts how we feel, what we say to ourselves, and what we do. Our lead author went through a lot of stress leading 13 teams in nine countries and turned to mindfulness and expressive arts to stay mentally healthy. Now he shares these experiences as a Certified Peer Specialist and through this article seeks to share these strategies with others. In this article, we offer ways and resources to help you stay emotionally and mentally healthy during these challenging times. The following list of strategies is not mean to be comprehensive, but instead help you begin to invest in your own mental health. You may wish to start with these articles to set the stage.
We are in a time of multiple crises- public health, racial, economic, police brutality: all affecting our mental health and compounded by potential COVID-19 mental health related challenges
Why? This improves everyone’s mental health collectively, while helping ourselves
Don’t forget to invest in yourself and in your communities on World Mental Health Day, Saturday October 10!
Are you ready to #MoveForMentalHealth? Visit United for Global Mental Health and join the virtual #WMHD activities! Stay tuned for our third and final article Investing in Mental Health later this month!
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Authors:
Anna D. Bartuska, Program Coordinator, Community Psychiatry PRIDE, Massachusetts General Hospital
Sarah Coleman, Cross-Site Mental Health Officer, Partners In Health
Amruta Houde, Mental Health Program Associate, Partners in Health
William Kriebel, Master’s of Liberal Arts Student at the Harvard Extension School, studying Management. Certified Peer Specialist, Boston Medical Center
At the Paul Farmer Symposium, held in November 2025 at the Harvard Medical School and organized by the non-profit co-founded by the late HMS professor Paul Farmer, Partners In Health, global health leaders convened to examine how innovation, research, and community-led models can advance mental health equity worldwide. This year’s symposium centered on the theme “Mental Health Matters,” highlighting mental health as a foundational component of global health systems.
In this talk, Professor Joseph P. Gone explores how Indigenous perspectives can reshape understandings of mental health, challenging Western psychiatric frameworks and reframing “mental health” concerns as postcolonial disorders.
Today (October 10th) is World Mental Health Day 2025. At Harvard, students are engaged in various projects to raise mental health awareness throughout the year. One such example is HGHI student summer intern, Anna Zettelmeyer ’26, whose work in India reflects the spirit of the day by advancing mental health equity, global collaboration, and community-based care.
