Taking care of your mental health

Mental health starts with being proactive.

As a pre-teen or teenager, you are experiencing a lot of physical, emotional, and social changes. It can be overwhelming, and that's normal. There are some things you can control (who you hang out with, how you respond to challenges, and your self-talk) and things you can't control (what other people do or say). You are in the driver's seat of your mental health. Understand what you can and cannot control.

Be aware of your social media usage.

Social media can be addicting. It directly influences your thoughts and feelings. Put your phone down when it gets to be too much, and set limits on how much social media you consume everyday and the things you look at or read about.

Develop a hobby

Hobbies are very useful, not only as coping skills, but as activities to boost your mood. Your hobby might be reading, listening to music, drawing or painting,

Exercise and eat healthy.

Mental health is just as physical as it is mental. Physical activity, as little as 10 minutes per day, has incredible benefit for your mental and emotional health. Take a walk outside when it's nice out. Do 50 jumping jacks. Practice a few yoga poses to stretch your muscles. Be sure to also eat a balanced diet. Different foods have essential nutrients that your brain needs to function well. Protein is particularly necessary for your brain to strengthen connections you make when learning new information.

Get 8-10 hours of sleep every night.

Sleep is perhaps the number one way for you to practice good mental health. Sleep also helps your brain to reinforce information you learned in school that day. However, to make this all happen, go to bed at a reasonable time, even on the weekends. It is scientifically proven that you can't "catch up on sleep", so don't use that as an excuse to stay up until 3am to play Fortnite.

Keep a journal

If you're not able to talk to someone about how you're feeling, consider making a journal to write about your experiences. This is a great, therapeutic way to express your emotions in a healthy, personalized way. Writing is a very reflective tool that provides an opportunity for you to process everything that is going on in your mind.