Strong mental health isn’t the absence of mental health problems, but the ability to cope with mental health problems.
Things you can do to improve your Mental Health:
- Take care of the basics: Make healthy food choices, sleep 8 hours per day, exercise regularly.
- Go off Grid: Disconnect for a while 9 Steps to Disconnect Try one or all of the steps.
- Try Meditation, Mindfulness or Prayer: For only a few minutes, it can give you sense of calm and inner peace that lasts the whole day. How to Meditate for Beginners
- Journaling is great way to deal with overwhelming emotion. It helps you prioritize fears or concerns, track symptoms, recognize triggers and how to avoid them, provides an opportunity for self talk. How to Keep a Mental Health Journal
- Acts of Kindness reduces stress, improves emotional wellbeing and can even benefit your physical health. Check out the Random Acts of Kindness Generator
- Maintain Social Connections: People that are connected to others have high self-esteem, greater empathy and are trusting and more cooperative. Focus of quality, not quantity, surround yourself with positive people. Consider volunteering or spending more time with family.
- Find a Hobby: Hobbies are about dedicating time and energy to something that brings you joy and ignites your passion. Here is a potential hobby list.
- Talk to someone: Check out Miami School Guidance Counsellor Mrs. Sara Cantlon’s Webpage , on it you will find Parent Resource Links and Mental Health/COVID-19 Links for students. Students can e-mail her or Google Chat at scantlon@g.prsdmb.ca
Watch for warning signs including withdrawing from social interactions, changes in eating habits or sleep patterns, outbursts or irritability, difficulty concentrating, self harm or suicidal thoughts, sadness that lasts two weeks or longer, drastic changes in mood, drug and alcohol use.
