Mental Health

Mental Health

Build resilience, manage stress, and maintain mental wellness.

Daily Practices

Mindfulness

• 5-minute morning check-in: Breathe, scan body, set intention
• Single-tasking: Do one thing at a time, fully present
• Gratitude: Note 3 things you're grateful for daily
• Walking meditation: 10 min walk without phone or music

Stress Management

| Technique | When | How |

|-----------|------|-----|

| Box breathing | Acute stress | 4-4-4-4 count |

| Progressive relaxation | Tension | Tense/release each muscle group |

| Thought record | Rumination | Write thought, challenge it, reframe |

| Time blocking | Overwhelm | Calendar everything, buffer time |

| Physical activity | Pent-up energy | 10 min movement |

CBT Principles

Cognitive Distortions to Recognize

• All-or-nothing: "I always mess up"
• Catastrophizing: "This will be a disaster"
• Mind reading: "They think I'm incompetent"
• Should statements: "I should be further along"
• Labeling: "I'm a failure"

Reframing Strategy

• Identify the automatic thought
• What's the evidence for and against?
• What would I tell a friend in this situation?
• Generate a balanced thought

Professional Help

Therapy is not just for crises — it's maintenance. Options:

• CBT: Practical, structured, goal-oriented
• DBT: Emotion regulation, interpersonal skills
• ACT: Acceptance, values-aligned action

Crisis resources: 988 (US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)