Mental Health Resources
Mental Health is so important during adolescent and teenage years. This page lists some resources to help you navigate times when you feel you are struggling or may assist you in areas you feel you could use some extra help.
Some of the tips you will find below include:
- Self Care
- Mindfulness & Meditation
- Organization
- Anxiety tools & tips
- Stress Management
- Fair Fighting
DISCLAIMER: If you are in crisis or if it is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1 or call/text the National Suicide Hotline: 988
Self Care
Self care is extremely important even when you're feeling great. Taking the time to take care of yourself can help ease daily and unforeseen stressors. It can also help create positive and healthy habits if you practice self care regularly. Below are some ways to practice easy self care:
- Routine sleep schedule. At least for the weekdays, trying to go to bed and waking up at the same time every day will give your body some routine and let it get used to knowing when it's time to rest and when to wake up, which can help make mornings a little easier.
- Grooming. One of the best feelings in the world is when you feel good about yourself! One way to help is by giving yourself some extra grooming. Draw a nice hot bath and listen to your favorite music or try out a new face mask or treatment. Try a new haircut or color the next time you need to go to the salon or barber shop. It doesn't have to be drastic, just something subtle and different that YOU notice.
- Exercise. Incorporating exercise even if it's only once a week can help enhance your mood and build up your self esteem. You don't have to engage in a grueling exercise, it can be as simple as playing Just Dance or taking a walk to Wawa or around the block. Add your own spin to make it fun and it won't even feel like a workout.
- Nutrition. Eating, believe it or not, can have a major impact on your overall wellness. Eating consistent, well balanced meals daily can help make you feel better, keep you full, keep you regular, and can boost your energy and mood throughout the day! Food doesn't have to be a battle, learning good nutrition habits can be widely beneficial.
Mindfulness & Meditation
The definition of mindfulness is being consciously aware of the present. Meaning you are solely focusing on what you are doing and what is happening in that very moment without thinking about something else or letting your mind wander. Meditation is the practice of learning to be aware of and observe your feelings and emotions without judgement. The goal of meditation is to be able to get a decent understanding of YOUR emotions and how they affect you.
You can try each practice separately or you can combine the two into mindfulness meditation. Both practices either together or apart help bring a person to a calmer, more level state which can help you to objectively see where you may be feeling any sort of negative emotion or energy. These are also great to do be for a big exam, driver's test, and even a game or competition.
Mindfulness can be incorporated into your classes, hobbies, and sports. Learning mindfulness can help you focus on what you need to in that moment without having to think or worry about other things that you don't need to do or think about right then and there. See below for some YouTube links to mindfulness meditation practices.
1. 10 Simple Mindfulness Exercises to Try
2. Daily Calm: 10 Minute Mindfulness Meditation
3. Guided Mindful Drawing with Words
Organization
Organization can be whatever you want it to be, that's the beauty of it! Learn how to effectively organize in a way that works for you can be a useful tool for reducing anxiety, stress, and feeling overwhelmed. It helps you remember when you have things to do and can help you prioritize your tasks. You can make this as detailed or as lax as you choose. Below I have created a sample detailed schedule of a virtual week of school.
The next type of organization is a To-Do List. These can be used for anything from chores to school work to even packing for a trip. It keeps you organized, it gives you a full list of what needs to be done and you cross things off as you go or add things that you may need. To-Do lists can also help you feel confident and accomplished because as you complete and cross off items on your list, you'll be able to see everything you've completed.
Another great tool at your disposal is your school planner. You get them every year but not many students use them! This keeps you organized by days, weeks, months and already has basic academic areas listed for you to write classwork, homework, projects, and quizzes/tests! You can use it to write in your practice and work schedule, write in birthdays and help give you reminders of when you have big tests or events coming up.
Stress & Anxiety Management
If you were to ask a person what it feels like to be stressed out, they'll most likely tell you they feel tired, fatigued, unmotivated, frustrated, sad, like they're in a whole they can't get out of, like they're barely keeping their head above water, etc. Stress is always so tough to deal with whether it's acute or long-term. Stress can take a toll not only on your mental health but on your physical health & wellbeing as well. High stress can lower your immune system making you more susceptible to getting sick, which is the last thing you need when you're stressed out. So what can we do to manage stress?
I like to tackle stress and anxiety with some similar tactics. One way that helps to minimize both is having a plan. If you have a plan in place, it'll be much easier to oversee anything and everything you need to do without having it constantly swirl around your head like a tornado. Put a plan in place based on what needs to be done first and what you can control. Control is your key word. Control is what keeps stress and anxiety at bay. See above in the organization section for some simple ways to plan and organize.