When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more. iStock; Gilbert Espinoza/Insider It’s important to prioritize your mental health year-round.
Like keeping up with physical health, everyone should care for their mental health on a daily basis. Caring can look like journaling for anxiety, meditating, or talking with a therapist regularly. Although both World Mental Health Day in October and Mental Health Awareness Month in May are good opportunities to re-evaluate how we approach, manage, and maintain our emotional balance, it’s crucial to prioritize our mental health 365 days a year.
Be it commonplace anxiety or more serious clinical depression, treatment is more accessible than ever thanks to teletherapy and online courses, resources are more widely spread, and talking about your well-being on a regular basis is becoming more common. If feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness, or despair infiltrate your daily life, it’s important to know there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to caring for your mental health. Some may choose to listen to positive podcasts, learn science-backed ways to be happier, or take up meditation, while others could benefit from seeking therapy or looking into other professional treatment programs.
Below, we’ve outlined the resources, services, and products that have best helped our team here at Insider manage our own mental health. Of course, products or services are not supplemental to mental health treatment. However, many of the below resources can be helpful in accessing treatment or can be used alongside treatment.
If you’re looking for immediate support, text HOME to 741741 for 24/7 crisis support. Here are our best resources for mental health supportSetting healthy habits and positive routinesAmazonSelf-care is often depicted as face masks and exercise routines. While that can be true for some, healthy coping strategies span far beyond #selfcare.
True self-care really means checking in with yourself and considering what your mind and body need for the day. That may mean getting feelings out via journaling, logging into a therapy session, or learning how to meditate. Discovering the coping strategies that work for you is a process of trial and error and it often comes with some productive discomfort.
This takes time and effort, which is why it’s important to try to be as kind to yourself as possible when exploring what does (and doesn’t) work for you. The avenues of support are many, too. If you’re recovering from alcohol addiction, there are apps designed to help you stay sober.
For families, there are therapist- and education expert-backed products that can reduce stress around the house. Consider using a planner to stay organized, or download a wellness app to help improve your wellbeing. Social media can play a huge role in someone’s mental health, so it’s important to know how to take a break from that when you need to.
If you’re interested in taking online classes, there are plenty of affordable courses that can help improve your mental health, such as Yale’s free positive psychology course. There are even some free and affordable online classes designed to teach people how to be happier. Of course, self-compassion is also a skill that takes time, so be patient with yourself to the best of your ability.
Figuring out how you feelCrystal Cox/InsiderLet’s be clear: You should not be self-diagnosing any mental health conditions. However, there are many resources available that can help you better understand what exactly you’re feeling and why you’re feeling the way you are. These can help you make an informed decision about what avenue of support may work best for you.
Maybe you’d like to get better sleep while managing anxiety and stress, or perhaps you’re interested in learning more about self-love and its benefits. There are even resources dedicated to teaching people how to feel happier every day and the kinds of grounding exercises that can help manage PTSD, stress, and anxiety. We’ve also connected with experts on the benefits of mindful breathing, how adding Vitamin D to your diet can help regulate your risk of depression, how to recognize the signs of body dysmorphia, and where to get help.
Seeking professional treatmentSDI Productions/Getty ImagesThe idea of professional mental health treatment can feel intimidating, but it’s really not as intense as it sounds. Allowing a professional to listen to your concerns and give you unbiased (and science-backed) advice can be incredibly beneficial, enlightening, and in some cases, life-saving. The kind of professional treatment that works best for you may vary.
It can involve everything from talk therapy to medication to a combination of the two. The process of finding a therapist that’s right for you can also feel quite overwhelming, which is why we’ve laid out exactly how to do it, step-by-step. If you’re seeking immediate support, text HOME to 741741 for 24/7 crisis support.
Free resourcesIf you are in need of mental health support, the following hotlines are available to you free-of-charge, 24/7, and are fully confidential: Call 800-448-4663 with any crisis as a teenager for the Youth Crisis HotlineCall 800-233-HELP with any crisis at any age via United Way Crisis HelplineCall 800-273-TALK (8255) for help with suicidal thoughts via the National Suicide Prevention LifelineCall 800-DONT-CUT for help with thoughts of self-harm via S. A. F.
E. (Self Abuse Finally Ends)Call 800-395-5755 for struggles with grief via GriefShareCall 800-67-BABY-6 for pregnancy or maternal help via the Crisis Pregnancy Hotline Number Call 800-228-0332 for free post-abortion counselingCall 1-800-398-GAYS for queer, trans or LGBTQIA+ help via the LGBTQIA+ HelplineCall 800-799-SAFE for domestic violence help via National Domestic Violence Hotline Call 800-313-1310 to talk to someone about family violence via the Family Violence Prevention CenterCall 1-800-662-4357 for drug addiction issues via the Drug Abuse National HelplineCall 410-332-0402 for gambling addictions via the Compulsive Gambling HotlineCall 800-931-2237 with any disordered eating struggles via Eating Disorders Awareness and PreventionCall 800-224-0336 for any medical question via Anthem’s NurseLineCall #4Help (cell) or 855. 442.
5767 to find another hotline that best matches your needsRead the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/guides/health/mental-health/mental-health-awareness-month
