It’s Mental Health Awareness Month — but what if much of what we’ve been taught about mental health is missing the point?

When we hear “mental health,” most of us think of illness — depression, anxiety, diagnosis. But research tells a different story: mental health isn’t the absence of illness. It’s the presence of something. Sociologist Corey Keyes calls the low end languishing — that foggy, stuck, “going through the motions” feeling — and the high end flourishing — a sense of vitality, purpose, and connection. Most people land somewhere in the moderate middle, and they don’t know there’s a way to move.

In this interactive session for Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ll explore six research-backed building blocks that fuel everyday wellbeing — Connection, Purpose, Emotional Awareness, Self-Compassion, Energy, and Agency — and you’ll do a quick self-assessment to see where you’re thriving and where you’re running on empty. Then we’ll go deeper into the building block most people neglect: self-compassion. Using Josh’s Wheel of Self-Compassion (inspired by Kristin Neff’s research), you’ll practice a concrete tool for responding to the gaps in your wellbeing with kindness instead of criticism. This is emotional intelligence in action — and it’s relevant whether you’re leading a team, coaching others, or just trying to get through the week with more grace.

Key Takeaways

• Wellbeing Is Built, Not Given: Understand six research-backed assets that fuel everyday mental health — and assess where you currently stand on each one.
• From Languishing to Flourishing: Learn the science of the mental health continuum and why “not sick” doesn’t mean “thriving” — with data from the Emotional Recession showing why this matters now.
• The Self-Compassion Practice: Walk away with a concrete tool — the Wheel of Self-Compassion — for responding to your own struggles with kindness, common humanity, and brave next steps.

Who Should Attend

This session is for anyone interested in emotional intelligence — whether you’re an HR or L&D leader, an independent coach or consultant, or simply someone who wants to understand how emotions and mental health really work. No prior experience with Six Seconds or EQ frameworks is needed.

Why Join Live

Registering guarantees access to the recording, but the live session is a different experience. You’ll do a real-time self-assessment, engage in reflection exercises you can’t replicate on replay, and connect with a global community of practitioners. Bring a colleague or friend — the conversation gets richer when you continue it after the session.

Why We Do These

As the world’s largest community dedicated to emotional intelligence, Six Seconds holds these sessions because strengthening skills with emotions works better when we practice together. If this session sparks something for you and you’d like to explore further, we’d love to have a conversation — visit 6sec.org/talk to connect with a member of our team.