How to Care for Yourself While Practicing Physical Distancing

If you or someone you care about feels overwhelmed with emotions like sadness, depression or anxiety, or like you want to harm yourself or others call 911.

You can also contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Helpline at 800-985-5990, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text MHFA to 741741 to talk to a Crisis Text Line counselor.

This is a stressful time for many. With the government and media sharing updates throughout the day and the fear of the unknown, it is understandable to feel overwhelmed, stressed and anxious. You are not alone.

Millions of people across the country are facing the same worries and challenges that you are. During this time, it is important to remember that it’s OK to not be OK. It’s also important to take care of your mental health.

While practicing physical distancing, there are easy self-care strategies that can help reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, or prevent anxiety before it even starts.

Use these tips from the MHFA curriculum to take care of your mental health while practicing physical distancing.

1. Eat healthfully to keep your body in top working order.
2. Exercise reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, whether we’re working out at home or taking a solo jog around the neighborhood.
3. Practice relaxation therapy. Focusing on tensing and relaxing muscle groups can help you relax voluntarily when feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious.
4. Let light in. For some people, increased exposure to light can improve symptoms of depression. If you can, open the shades and let more sunlight in.
5. Be kind to yourself! Treat yourself with the same compassion you would a friend.
6. Stay connected. Even if you can’t get together face-to-face, you can stay connected to friends, family and neighbors with phone calls, text messages, video chats and social media. If you’re feeling lonely, sad or anxious, reach out to your social support networks. Share what you are feeling and offer to listen to friends or family members about their feelings. We are all experiencing this scary and uncertain time together.
7. Monitor media consumption. While you might want to stay up-to the minute with COVID-19 news, too much exposure can be overwhelming. Balance media consumption with other activities you enjoy, such as reading, cooking or listening to music.
   
   
   
   
   Self-care doesn’t require you to go outside or spend a lot of money. Adding small changes to your routine can make a big difference to your overall mood and well-being.
   Thank you for choosing to #BeTheDifference and remember to practice self-care with Mental Health First Aid.

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Information received from: Mental Health First Aid

Pick a GOOD One!

You can't stop negative thoughts by wishing they would go away, pushing against them, or feeling bad about having negative thoughts. Any focus on negative thoughts gives energy to them and increases them! Your mind has to be set on positive thoughts and good thoughts because then you're giving energy to that. It's just a matter of practice and determination so that if you find negative thoughts creeping into your mind, immediately turn your focus to positive and good thoughts. And deliberately think them until you feel better! 

25 Motivational Mantras for your BEST SELF

Tips Test Takers Should Know

Tips Test Takers Should Know

·         Be Prepared– Get a good night’s rest the night before and have a good breakfast the morning of the test, have number two pencils.

·         Reframe Your Thinking– Some students don’t believe they can do well on the test.  Think positive! Encourage yourself with positive self-talk such as “I can do it” and “I am ready for the test.”

·         Stop, Look, and Listen– Be still, look at the test administrator, and listen to the directions.

·         No Fear– Many students are nervous about the unknown.  They also fear they will not go to the next grade if they don’t pass.  These tests are just a small piece of data used to determine whether or not you will go to the next grade. It is important to work hard throughout the school year because your quarterly grades are just as important.

·         Plug it In– Use each of the multiple choice answers to fill in the blank.  Some won’t make sense and will help them narrow their choices down.

·         Jail the Detail–Circle or underline the key words in a test question.  You can look for the key words in the reading passage or determine how to solve a math problem by using this tip.

·         Stash the Trash– Many times, there are sentences included in test questions that really aren’t important.  Cross out any unnecessary information.  This includes answer choices you already know don’t belong.  

·         Zap the Maps– Students sometimes don’t look closely at keys and legends on standardized tests.  You will see a chart with four triangles and say the answer is four. However, one triangle equals 3 according to a key near the chart.  This makes the answer twelve.  Pay attention to the key of a chart, graph, or map.

·         Pace Yourself–Students are given PLENTY of time to take tests.  That being said, you need to pace yourselves.  This just means not rushing through the test and also watching the time and making sure you are not going too slow as well.

·         Check it out–Check over your answers when you have completed the test if there is time left.  If you have a bubble sheet, it’s also good to check it for stray marks.

Reducing Test Taking Anxiety

Reducing Test Taking Anxiety

Test anxiety is when a student excessively worries about doing well on a test. This can become a major hindrance on test performance and cause extreme nervousness and memory lapses among other symptoms. The following are tips on reducing test taking anxiety. 

·         Being well prepared for the test is the best way to reduce test taking anxiety. 

·         Space out your studying over a few days or weeks and continually review class material.

·         Don't try to learn everything the night before. 

·         Try to maintain a positive attitude while preparing for the test and during the test. 

·         Exercising for a few days before the test will help reduce stress. 

·         Get a good night's sleep before the test. 

·         Show up to class early so you won't have to worry about being late. 

·         Chew gum (if allowed) during the test to help relieve test anxiety.

·         Stay relaxed, if you begin to get nervous take a few deep breaths slowly to relax yourself and then get back to work. 

·         Read the directions slowly and carefully. 

·         If you don't understand the directions on the test, ask the teacher to explain it to you. 

·         Skim through the test so that you have a good idea how to pace yourself. 

·         Write down important formulas, facts, definitions and/or keywords in the margin first so you won't worry about forgetting them. 

·         Do the simple questions first to help build up your confidence for the harder questions. 

·         Don't worry about how fast other people finish their test; just concentrate on your own test. 

·         If you don't know an answer to a question skip it for the time being (come back to it later if you have time), and remember that you don't have to always get every question right to do well on the test. 

·         Focus on the question at hand. Don't let your mind wander on other things. 

·         If you're still experiencing extreme test anxiety after following these tips, seek help from your school counselor.  

Dr. Anne Marie Albano's 10 Tips to Parent Your Anxious Child

Tips to parent an anxious child

Dr. Anne Marie Albano's 10 Tips to Parent Your Anxious Child

1.       Respect and validate your child’s feelings!  Anxiety is a real emotion and not pleasant.

2.       Teach your child deep, slow, belly breathing. This is an easy and very portable skill for self-soothing and calming.

3.       Listen to your child and ask “Tell me what you are thinking?”  This will help to reveal scary thoughts and scenes that build up in your child’s mind.

4.       Rather than swooping to reassure, ask your child “How likely is (that thing you’re afraid of) to happen?” You’ll be teaching him to challenge his anxious thinking.

5.       Prompt your child with “Tell me some things you can do to handle this situation” and help her to brainstorm, rather than just giving her solutions.  She’ll feel empowered.

6.       Give up the idea of “mental health days” “skip days” “sleep with mom nights” or other ways of avoiding feared situations.  This just makes the anxiety stick more firmly and lead to further avoidance.

7.       Encourage your child’s attempts to be brave, no matter how small they may seem to you.  Use labeled praise such as “I’m so proud of you for sleeping in your own bed last night!”

8.       Work with your child to outline small steps leading to a bigger goal.

9.       Create opportunities for your child to practice being brave and coping, and then high-five his/her efforts!

10.   Recognize when you are anxious and say aloud what you can do to calm down and solve the situation.  You’ll be modeling coping for your child, but be mindful and don’t overshare your anxiety!

Spring Fever Part 2

I found this excellent source of remedies for Spring Fever, especially for students.

Tips to help you spring into action:

1. Before sitting down to study or work, make sure you get some physical exercise first. Experts recommend that you try to get at least 60 minutes a day – so pull out the bike, your running shoes or a Frisbee and the dog and get a daily dose of Vitamin D from the beautiful sunshine. You’ll be able to sit still better after you’ve taken some time outside.

2. Start by making a list. Put down all the homework and other tasks you want to accomplish. Prioritize the list and make time estimates for how long each task will take. Make sure you do the top priority items first – not necessarily the items that take the least amount of time. If you have a big project – break it into smaller chunks. It will be easier to tackle this way.

3. Next, get rid of distractions! Find a quiet place to study and turn off other electronics. Turn off your cell phone and the television – and if using a computer to do homework, close applications like Facebook that can be tempting and take you away from your work.

4. Work on one project or task at a time and when you have it completed; enjoy the satisfaction of crossing it off your list!

5. Schedule short breaks every 20-30 minutes. It’s hard for anyone to stay focused for a long time. Reward yourself with a short break after completing 30 minutes of hard work. Working with a small clock and setting an alarm will help remind you it’s time to get up and stretch.

6. Finally, don’t sweat the small stuff! Do the best you can do – and if you don’t get everything done, put it at the top of the list the next day. You don’t have to do everything perfectly – but, be satisfied that you’ve done the best that you can.

http://www.thoughtlink.com/2012/03/22/remedies-for-spring-fever/