Translation: Julie Summers

Mental health education program Hugrún was founded in 2016 by students in psychology, nursing, and medicine at the University of Iceland. From the beginning, Hugrún’s goal has been to make information about mental wellbeing, mental illness, and mental health resources more available to young people.

Hugrún is staffed by volunteers who visit secondary schools around the country to talk to students about mental health topics. This past year, Hugrún has been using Instagram to get the word out, posting striking original illustrations by artist Elín Elísabet along with information and practical advice related to mental health.

This winter, Hugrún will continue its educational outreach, with the goal of visiting every secondary school in the country. Trained peer educators and university students oversee these presentations. The organization also has plans to update and expand its website, which contains all sorts of information about mental health and available resources.

Website: gedfraedsla.is

Instagram: @gedfraedsla

Here are a few photos from Hugrún’s Instagram campaign:

Picture/Elín Elísabet for Hugrún - Mental health education program

Going out in nature can help relieve everyday stress. It doesn’t need to be far - just enjoying your backyard or another green area in your neighborhood can help.

It can be encouraging to look up to others and have role models, but we have to be careful not to compare ourselves to others too much. It’s important to remember that we’re all living life on our own terms. Too much comparison can make us blind to our own brilliance.

Sleep is important for your mental health. Make sure to get enough sleep, according to your own needs. Sleep deficiency can negatively affect cognitive skills and emotional regulation without you realizing it.

Meditating can help you get in touch with yourself, your feelings and emotions. Practice kindness, curiosity and self-love.

For some, medication is necessary to recover from or learn to live with a mental disorder, while others don’t need it. Keep in mind that the need for medication is different for everyone and try to avoid generalizations about medication use. Some people will never need medication, others need it temporarily, and still others need it long-term. No one way is better than the other, and you should always consult a healthcare professional when deciding whether or not to medicate and what dose to take.