It’s back-to-school season, and before we blink, it will be homecoming. Social media is overflowing with first-day-of-school photos, school supply shopping, and new routines. Everyone knows it’s happening because it’s everywhere.

Everyone also knows when the “fun” days roll around. These include National Donut Day, National Hot Dog Day, and National Coffee Day. These are cute, lighthearted, and they get attention. Facebook even reminds us of days like National Beard Day. That literally just happened!

Here’s the truth, though: while we celebrate tacos and selfies, the days that can actually save lives, validate grief, and bring comfort to millions often slip by unnoticed.

September awareness months

September is known for many awareness causes, including:

  • National Recovery Month
  • National Suicide Prevention Month
  • Chronic Pain Awareness Month
  • World Animal Remembrance Month

September is filled with many other important awareness days and weeks that never seem to trend, make the morning shows, or make it onto most calendars.

For the people living within these realities, the invisibility hurts. For the rest of the world, invisibility means missed opportunities to care, act, create change, and, most importantly, prevent tragedy.

Why awareness matters

These days don’t exist only for those who are struggling. Trust me, we’re already painfully aware. These days exist for everyone else, too. Reasons why awareness matters include:

  • Helping you remember to call a friend impacted by an invisible awareness day
  • Reminding you to take the time to send a card to someone in recovery. 
  • Giving you that push to start a conversation at your workplace, your school, or your community group. 
  • Providing the opportunity to do more so organizations, leaders, and neighbors stop looking away and start showing up. 

The consequences of silence

Without recognition, stigma stays strong, funding shrinks, and people suffer in silence.

Silence can have other consequences, including:

These aren’t abstract numbers. They’re reminders that invisibility is harmful for both the individual suffering and their friends and loved ones.

What we choose to see

We’ve proven as a society that we can make days more visible. We make donuts and dogs go viral. We share memes and countdowns. We circle calendar days for national championships and neighborhood parades. 

The problem isn’t that people can’t pay attention. It’s what we choose to pay attention to. If we can get excited about snacks, we can also get serious about saving lives.

Small actions, big impact

You don’t have to lead a movement to make a difference. Awareness can become real in small, human choices: 

  • Share a resource like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 
  • Ask your office or school to highlight meaningful observances alongside the fun ones. 
  • Bring up the conversation at your dinner table. 
  • Honor the grief of someone who lost a pet, a partner, or a child. 

“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable.” — Fred Rogers 

Mentioning matters. Calendaring matters. Acknowledging matters.

Griefhab

After my husband Jim’s unexpected passing, I founded Griefhab™, a Michigan-based Nonprofit Organization with an entirely new approach to grief and mental health support services. One of our cornerstones is our dedication to getting the invisible awareness days and populations seen. 

In 2023, Griefhab created the first Awareness Calendar of its kind. It highlights all of the invisible but significant awareness days, weeks, and months. We chose to use artwork designed by tweens, teens, and young adults impacted by loss, grief, and mental illness. 

We’re proudly working on the 3rd version, Griefhab’s 2026 Awareness Calendar, and we’re continuing the tradition of using artwork designed by people directly impacted by the dates our calendar highlights. 

You can heal through art and submit your artwork for Griefhab’s 2026 Awareness Calendar! Send your artwork to sam@griefhab.org with a description that will be included with your art.

A call to stop looking away

Invisible awareness days only stay invisible because we let them. 

Yes, enjoy the donuts. Celebrate your love for coffee. Take the first-day-of-school photos. Remember to also hold space for the days that remind people that they’re not alone, resources are available, and that their grief and struggles matter. 

The truth is, people don’t need another reminder about snacks. They need as many reminders as possible that they’re not alone and that their lives matter!