Mental Health Month week four: Taking time for yourself

For the final week of mental health month, we are focusing on the topic “taking time for yourself.” Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have had our world turned upside down. Whether you have been working onsite, providing essential services to our community, or working from home where your home and work life have blended, taking time for yourself can have a big impact on your mental health.

When things get stressful or hectic, sometimes it can be difficult to take care of the basic needs for ourselves. Here are a few small steps toward self-care that can make taking care of yourself a little easier:

Find out what makes you happy: When you are so busy taking care of your responsibilities, you can forget what makes you happy. Is it a walk? Going to get an iced coffee? Listening to your favorite music? Take some time to think about what things you can do to make you feel happy and build them into your routine.
Practice mindfulness: Taking time to slow down and focusing on your senses can help reduce stress and bring you to the present moment. Join a mindfulness class or access the on-demand mindfulness videos to help guide you through your practice.
One way to check in with yourself is to take a mental health screening at MHAscreening.org. It’s a quick, free, and private way to assess your mental health and recognize signs of mental health problems.

For more tips on taking time for yourself, download Mental Health America’s Tips for Taking Care of Yourself and utilize the Prioritizing Self-care worksheet to help focus your self-care process.