Taking care of yourself during Mental Health Month

Taking care of yourself during Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental health is all around us, but, what exactly is mental health? Mental health is a person’s general sense of emotional, psychological, and cognitive well-being. Everyone has mental health every day, but it’s often ignored unless something is going seriously wrong. The best way to prevent that is to pay attention to your mental health even when you are feeling okay or even good.
Notice how your mental health is always changing. Yesterday might have been a better day than today, and that’s okay. Part of being human is moving with your emotions, and knowing when something isn’t going exactly how you want it to, check in with yourself, and reach out to your friends and family for help when you need to take some time for your mental health or don’t know what to do.
Here are a few tips for taking care of yourself: Accept yourself as you are.
Write down your daily accomplishments rather than, or in addition to, your to do list. Celebrate those accomplishments.
Create a self-care plan to support your mental well-being in your daily life. Finding joy, connecting with others, helping others, learning something new, and finding spiritual connections on a daily basis can help us flourish.
Learn how to cope with stress with practical exercises like taking a few slow deep breaths, focusing on each of your senses, and trying to be fully present in what your doing.
Make small goals, taking time for yourself is not something that will happen over night. Get out in nature, be present with your surroundings.
Check out MDH Everyday tools and tips for mental well-being
Find more tips on taking care of your mental well-being in the Minnesota Department of Health Wellness Guide (PDF).
Visit Mental Health America’s website with more resources and tips on managing mental well- Being.