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#

1. Identify the automatic thought
2. What's the evidence for and against?
3. What would I tell a friend in this situation?
4. 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)