Do you know the party game, "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," where you can connect any actor to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less? Well, mental health works the same way and we're about to prove it at KC One Health Day!
From 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, at Kansas State University Olathe, we're exploring this year's theme: Mental Health. The big picture? Your mental well-being is connected to absolutely everything in ways you never imagined.
Let's play "Six Degrees of Mental Health" and trace three surprising connection chains that reveal how your mind, body, animals and planet are all working together for your well-being:
The Body Connection: You → Your Houseplant → Indoor Air Quality → Cognitive Function → Work Performance → Financial Stress → Mental Health
- Step 1: You buy a houseplant to brighten your space
- Step 2: Plants improve indoor air quality by filtering toxins
- Step 3: Cleaner air enhances cognitive function and focus
- Step 4: Better concentration improves your work performance
- Step 5: Career success reduces financial anxiety
- Step 6: Less financial stress dramatically improves mental health
Who knew that little succulent was working so hard for your psychological well-being? Our environmental health experts will share data on how factors like air quality directly impact mental performance and emotional regulation.
The Animal Connection: You → Therapy Dog → Hospital Patient → Healthcare Worker → Community Resilience → Policy Change → Your Access to Mental Health Resources
- Step 1: You volunteer with therapy dogs at local hospitals
- Step 2: Patients experience reduced anxiety and faster recovery
- Step 3: Healthcare workers witness the power of animal-assisted interventions
- Step 4: Hospitals adopt more holistic, One Health approaches
- Step 5: Success stories influence mental health policy and funding
- Step 6: Your community gets better access to innovative mental health resources
Your volunteer work with one therapy dog ripples outward to transform entire healthcare systems.
The Planet Connection: You → Morning Coffee → Climate Change → Agricultural Stress → Food Insecurity → Community Anxiety → Your Daily Mental Health
- Step 1: You drink coffee to feel alert and positive
- Step 2: Coffee beans are grown in regions affected by climate change
- Step 3: Changing weather patterns stress coffee farmers and ecosystems
- Step 4: Agricultural instability creates food insecurity concerns
- Step 5: Community-wide anxiety about resources affects everyone's stress levels
- Step 6: Your morning mood is connected to global environmental patterns
See how everything is connected now? Environmental health experts will unpack these complex connections and show you how understanding them empowers you to take meaningful action.
Ready to Connect All the Dots?
These three connection chains are just the beginning. At KC One Health Day, you'll discover dozens more surprising links between your mental health and the intricate web of life around you. Understanding these connections gives you incredible power to improve your wellbeing through multiple pathways simultaneously.
What You'll Experience:
- Student Research Presentations: High school and college students competing for scholarships will reveal their own discoveries about mental health and other One Health connections
- Expert Networking: Connect with mental health professionals, veterinarians, environmental scientists and researchers who understand these complex relationships
- Paradigm-Shifting Insights: Leave with a completely new understanding of what influences your psychological well-being
The Ultimate Connection
Here's the most beautiful connection of all: You → One Health Day → Expanded Awareness → Empowered Action → Community Impact → Healthier World for Everyone
By showing up on Nov. 7, you become part of a movement that recognizes the profound interconnectedness of all health.
Want to explore more One Health connections year-round? Dive into the One Health Newsletter, featuring cutting-edge research from scientists worldwide.
Ready to register?
Register now for KC One Health Day your mental health is counting on it and so is everything connected to it. This annual event is a collaboration by K-State Olathe, BioNexus KC, the KU Edwards Campus and University of Kansas Medical Center.
