8 Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health
Posted: September 23, 2020 | Author: Savannah Price | Read Time: 3 minutes
Though often neglected, mental health is an important aspect of all-around health. This blog post highlights 8 ways to manage your mental health and includes several resources available at Southern Utah University.
1. Ask For Help
Asking for help is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. Tell trusted friends and/or family members how you’re feeling, or simply ask for help. SUU has several resources including Mental Health Support Peers and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) that would love to help and support you. If you need immediate help, call 911 or the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
2. Value Yourself
A step toward achieving increased mental health is to value yourself. Take what you want into account when making decisions, whether it be about school or about hanging out with friends. Your desires and opinions matter; you matter.
3. Manage Your Physical Health
Your mental health is in many ways connected to your physical health. Take care of your physical health by making an effort to eat healthy foods, stay hydrated, exercise, and sleep. All of these things help boost your systems and your mood. Visit these walking trails or hiking trails near campus to get started.
4. Manage Your Stress
Though difficult, managing your stress is important to manage your overall mental health. Only you know how much you can handle socially, academically, and mentally. If you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, try this TIPP Skill for Managing Extreme Emotions.
5. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a great grounding technique for relieving stress and recentering yourself. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that focuses on bringing peaceful attention to the present moment. Start practicing mindfulness by trying out the exercises.
Practicing mindfulness can be enhanced by doing a digital detox or by spending time outdoors. Stepping away from screens reduces blue light exposure and social media stress, creating a calm environment to focus on your own life. Also, time outside boosts mood and physical health, supports better sleep, and connects you with nature and community.
6. Set Realistic Goals
Setting personal, academic, and professional goals are a great method to hold yourself accountable. However, looking ahead at all the assignments, tests, and projects in a semester can seem overwhelming. Trying to focus on small, achievable goals is a great way to break up the bigger goals, and make them seem less intimidating.
7. Try Something New
Trying something new through creative expression—like art, music or dance—can significantly boost your mood and health. Engaging in activities that resonate with you helps cultivate positive emotions and reduces depressive symptoms. As Diversus Health notes, creativity can induce a "flow state," where you feel euphoric, mindful and accomplished.
8. Build Social Connections
Building positive social connections is another way to improve mental health. You can meet people in class, at events, through mutual friends, in club meetings, etc. Explore all of SUU’s clubs and organizations on the SUU Student Association website.
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Taking care of your mental health is of utmost importance, especially during college. If you are struggling with your mental health, know you’re not alone. Reach out for help and utilize the resources available at SUU.This article was published more than 3 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Tags: CurStu Health and Wellness FacStaff
