Student Corner
This page is to bring awareness to students regarding mental health and mental health needs.
If you are worried for a friend or yourself, please tell a trusted adult immediately, or call 911 or make a safevoice report.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and 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. Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected.
If you have or believe you may have a mental health problem, it can be helpful to talk about these issues with others. It can be scary to reach out for help, but it is often the first step to helping you heal, grow, and recover. Having a good support system and engaging with trustworthy people are key elements to successfully talking about your own mental health.
Early Warning Signs & Symptoms
Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem:
Eating or sleeping too much or too little
Pulling away from people and usual activities
Having low or no energy
Feeling numb or like nothing matters
Having unexplained aches and pains
Feeling helpless or hopeless
Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
Yelling or fighting with family and friends
Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school
If you are worried for a friend or yourself, please tell a trusted adult immediately, or call 911 or make a safevoice report.
What are coping strategies?
Coping is defined as the thoughts and behaviors we do to manage internal and external stressful situations. Coping strategies typically involve a conscious and direct approach to problems, in contrast to defense mechanisms.
How To Cope:
Reach out if you're in crisis
Take care of your body
Take care of your mind
Connect with people for support
Practice good self care
Below you will find some different strategies to try out:
Grounding techniques
Mindfulness
Self care
Grounding
What is Grounding?
Grounding is a method that allows you to stay in the present moment. Firstly, it helps you to stop living inside the stories your mind creates and return to the real world.
Secondly, it stops you from reliving disturbing and challenging emotions. Consequently, grounding techniques work to help you refocus on the present. And thus center your body and mind.
Grounding Exercise for Racing Minds
The 5-4-3-2-1 Method
Mindfulness
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.
Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.
How Mindfulness Empowers Us
Mindfulness and how the brain works
How to practice mindfulness
Self Care
What is Self Care?
Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. This can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact
