Mental Health Resources

mental health coping tips from a psychology major

By: Tara K Sachar

some statistics

More than 1 in 5 US adults live with a mental illness.

Over 1 in 5 youth (ages 13-18) either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental illness.

About 1 in 25 U.S. adults lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.

Data obtained from CDC

DEPRESSION TIPS

LOOK FOR “GLIMMERS” IN YOUR DAY--GLIMMERS ARE THE SMALL POCKETS OF JOY YOU FIND IN YOUR DAY LIKE WHEN YOU ARE IN AWE OF A SUNSET; FOCUS ON THESE JOURNAL ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS--OBSERVE, EXPRESS, EXHALE, REMEMBER NOTHING IS PERMANENT, NOT EVEN THIS SADNESS CREATE A COPING BOX--PUT COMFORTING ITEMS IN IT-- IN MINE I KEEP SOME ESSENTIAL OILS, FIDGET TOYS, WARM REMINDERS AND RESOURCES

ANXIETY TIPS

BREATHING IS KEY; BREATHE IN FOR 4 COUNTS, HOLD FOR 7, BREATHE OUT FOR 8 COUNT (THIS IS A TECHNIQUE TO RESET THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM)

UTILIZE ESSENTIAL OILS LIKE LAVENDER

PAINT, DRAW, COLOR, EXPRESS YOURSELF CREATIVELY

REMIND YOURSELF YOU ARE SAFE

REPEATEDLY

MOVE YOUR BODY --SHAKE OUT THE

ANXIETY LITERALLY

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU NEED MORE

Therapy: If you are covered by insurance, it may be easier to find a therapist on your plan than you think.

These are two of my favorite websites for locating providers on your insurance

zencare.co

zocdoc.com

There are different types of therapy. CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy is the most common.

Support Groups

sometimes it helps to know you are not alone, and joining a support group is a great way to remind yourself of that fact. They have a wide variety of support networks for almost every topic. See topics below.

https://www.heypeers.com/meetings_list