World Mental Health Day

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

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What can you do to help yourself?

Knowing what’s wrong and what to do about it is an important part of mental health and wellness.

Identify the problem

There are signs and symptoms that will indicate that you may have a problem. According to the Mayo Clinic, here are some things you can watch for in yourself and your loved ones:

• Feeling sad or down.
• Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate.
• Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt.
• Extreme mood changes of highs and lows.
• Withdrawal from friends and activities.
• Significant tiredness, low energy, or problems sleeping.

World Mental Health Day is an excellent opportunity that encourages us to think about our thoughts.

Self-Care

If you don’t take care of yourself, how will you care for others? The definition of self-care is caring for yourself as you would for others. Many of us rely heavily upon medical professionals to manage our health when actually, it is our own responsibility to oversee the treatments and practices to keep ourselves well. Self-care for mental health is an important part of a healthy person’s daily wellness lifestyle. If you’re looking for self-care ideas, try starting with a self-care Sunday, self-care gifts or seek out self-care habits from others who have been successful in caring for themselves.

Join our meditation sessions on Monday or Friday to help build and maintain a Strong Mind https://virtualsomd.com/schedule/.

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Strong Minds Mindfulness Sessions: A series of 14, 5 minute Special Olympics Strong Minds meditations. Appreciation • Belonging • Connections • Empowerment • Identity • Leadership • Mindfulness for Families • Post-competition • Pre-competition • Reflections • Spread the Word • Teamwork • Wellness • Young Athletes

** Above taken from Strong Minds (emotional health) (specialolympics.org)

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Resources

Strong Minds Tips for Stress

Tips for Keeping a Strong Mind

Healthy Sleeping Tips

Strong Minds Stretching

String Minds Yoga Handout

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Activities

Here are 20 ways to take a break and care for yourself!

Social Media

On October 10th, share with your friends and followers on social media your favorite way to take care of your mental health. Your post could be a video or a picture! Also, do not forget to share using hashtags #WorldMentalHealthDay, #SOMDStrongMinds and #InclusiveHealth!

Tag and follow us on Social!