Did you know that the quality of our mental health significantly impacts the overall quality of our lives? It affects how we understand, experience, and interact with the world and those we love. Having good mental health prepares us to enjoy life to the fullest. Just like our physical health, there are several ways to support good mental health, and each person will likely require some different strategies to be healthy. The first step to taking care of mental health is learning to understand our thoughts and feelings, and how they impact our behaviors.
“When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.” Fred Rogers
What You Can Do Now
- Talk with your friends about mental health. One challenge with mental health is the feeling that we can’t talk about it, or that it’s embarrassing. But just as we all have physical bodies, we all have mental health too. Acknowledging that it’s there is the first step to taking better care of our mental health.
- If you haven’t already, go and meet your school guidance counselor. Did you know it is literally their job to talk about mental health?! They are there to answer any questions you might have and to support you. Meeting your counselor can be a good way to find out about ways to better support your mental health.
- Try one of these Mindfulness Exercises
- Take this Self-Care Assessment.This will help you see areas where you are already taking good care of yourself as well as areas that could be improved to increase your overall mental health.
- Check out Kati Morton on her YouTube Channel. She posts video content about mental health, and is an outstanding teacher about all things mental health, accessible to you from your phone!
- Get a free screening Here
- To learn the importance of talking about mental health and for tips on how to start the conversation, check out: https://seizetheawkward.org/
Resources
- Learn more about mental health, DIY tools, screening assessments, and more at Mental Health American
- Check out these Apps to start taking care of your mental health:
- Sanvello App
- Better Stop Suicide App
- What’s Up? – A Mental Health App
- Jour: Daily Self-Care Journal App
- Mental health podcasts: The Psych Central Podcast, The Savvy Psychologist’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Mental Health, Let’s Talk About Mental Health
