Mental Health Month 2012 is almost over – how did you honor it this year?

You might have joined a blog party or attended local mental health events. Maybe you helped someone in need find mental health care services or used social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to help spread the importance of mental health awareness.

So, more specifically, what did you do this month to honor your mental health?

My answer to that question is two-fold: I spent some time completing each Mental Health Month Challenge over at Your Body, Your Mind, and I spent some time listening to Dave Matthews Band live.

(Actually, that’s where I am right now. Shh! Don’t tell anyone!)

Along with Beloved author Toni Morrison, Girl Scouts Founder Juliette Gordon Low, and Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt, the first female United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States Senator John Glenn, legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan made the list of upcoming Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.

According to a White House press release, Dylan (who’s also won 11 Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, and a National Medal of Arts) has his influential music to thank for this recognition:

Known for his rich and poetic lyrics, his work had considerable influence on the civil rights movement of the 1960s and has had significant impact on American culture over the past five decades.

In honor of Dylan’s…well, honor, I thought this weekend would be a great time to tell us about your favorite Bob Dylan song.

Whew, that’s kind of a mouthful, right?

Celebrity Psychings has featured several pieces related to celebrities without makeup (remember Takes 1, 2, and 3), so when Yahoo! Shine posted another similar piece on pictures of celebrities without retouching, Stars Without Retouching, I wasn’t all that interested in passing it along to you.

Still, I read the first slide of the piece – featuring Cate Blanchett on the cover of Intelligent Life magazine without any help from Photoshop – and became interested…

If you’re going to be in the Los Angeles area tomorrow with an extra $300 to $25,000 in your pocket, you might want to check out An Evening With Women.

Starting at 6 p.m. on May 19, 2012, the Beverly Hilton Hotel will host An Evening With Women, an L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center event designed to raise funds for the center’s services to the LGBT community.

Organized by singer and songwriter Linda Perry and event producer Brent Bolthouse, An Evening With Women will include some of the most influential women in music and entertainment.

Indeed, Aimee Mann, Wanda Sykes, Kat Von D, and Samantha Ronson will join headliner Courtney Love and special guest Camp Freddy.

In addition to cocktails and entertainment, guests can take part in a silent auction, bidding for items like Linda Perry’s 1983 Customized Harley Davidson Fat Boy, a tattoo from Kat Von D, and a chance to meet Celine Dion.

When a person who has kept her sexuality private or who otherwise has lived his public life as a straight person comes out as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, it’s a big deal. It’s an important time in that person’s life, as well as his family’s and friends’ lives.

Like it or not, it can be an even bigger deal when that person is a celebrity, simply because of the often global audience watching that person…

…and an even BIGGER deal when the celebrity comes out as transgender, something that doesn’t happen all that often.

Such is the case for Thomas James “Tom” Gabel, the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for punk band Against Me!, who has announced he is transgender and will soon be known as Laura Jane Grace.

Junior Seau. January 19, 1969 - May 2, 2012

In light of the tragic suicide of former NFL linebacker and Hall of Famer Junior Seau, Dr. Teena Shetty and NFL All-Pro and nine-year veteran punter Greg Montgomery, Jr. spoke with Fox News last week about a possible depression epidemic in professional sports.

The two hot topics on the table?

Both the physical and the emotional impacts professional athletes endure.

Dr. Teena Shetty, a neurologist who also works with the New York Mets and the New York Giants, points out that without a clearly documented concussion history, we can’t make a real connection between any concussions Junior Seau had and the state of his mental health.

She does, however, point out that concussions to upset the chemical balance in the brain and that repeated disruptions “may lead to depression.”

On May 9, 2012 (that’s tomorrow!) in Washington, D.C., the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will present Heroes of Hope, a tribute in honor of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.

During the 2012 Awareness Day, SAMHSA will honor America’s youth who’ve overcome trauma, as well as the people who’ve helped them become more resilient and triumph over their traumatic experiences.

Such people include family members, community members and health providers, and SAMHSA calls them the Heroes of Hope.

This year, one such Hero of Hope is singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper.

Looks like I’m in for not just a rainy, but a thunderstorm-y weekend, readers.

One of my favorite things to do when it’s dark and stormy out is curl up with a good book.

Unfortunately, the book I have to curl up with isn’t all that good, but I’m two-thirds finished with it and, well, I’m committed. I have to turn the last page.

(Plus, leaving a book unfinished is just unnatural to me.)

YOU, however, can fill your weekend with something a little more inspiring!

Just a couple of weeks ago, Gimundo compiled a list of 20 memoirs and biographies that highlight creative minds.

Happy Mental Health Month, readers!

To honor Mental Health Month, we’re doing a weekly challenge over at Your Body, Your Mind throughout the month.

This week’s challenge is to incorporate laughter into our daily lives.

The physical, mental, and emotional health benefits of laughter are plentiful. Laughter can boost endorphins, help you manage stress, help you get a better night’s sleep,

As people who read up on celebrity news or keep up with entertainment media, you’re probably well aware of the humor waiting around every corner!

So, why not take a page from the Your Body, Your Mind readers’ challenge and try to incorporate more laughter in your week?