Take care of yourself
Maintaining mental health is important and by recognizing when you need help and knowing how to practice self-care, you can feel better and help others as well.
Your mental health is about your thoughts and feelings and how you cope with the ups and downs of everyday life. Long periods of low mental wellbeing can lead to the development of diagnosable mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.
What does good mental health look like?
Importantly, good mental wellbeing is NOT the absence of negative thoughts and feelings. We all face difficult and challenging situations that cause us to feel angry, sad, and overwhelmed. Instead, it's about being able to understand and manage those feelings, so that generally you're able to:
- Feel confident in yourself
- Build and maintain positive relationships
- Have a sense of purpose
- Live and work productively
- Cope with the normal stresses of day-to-day life
- Manage when things change
Maintaining a healthy balance
Our mental wellbeing is often affected by big life events that we have little or no control over such as bereavement, illness, and loss. In these situations, it's about how we respond—our behaviors and habits—that will determine the impact on our mental health. To keep things in balance consider:
- Connecting with other people
- Being physically active
- Learning new skills
- Giving to others
- Paying attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
What are the signs of poor mental health?
Trying to tell the difference between what expected behaviors are and what might be the signs of a mental health issue isn't always easy. Common signs of mental health issues in adults and adolescents can include the following:
- Excessive worrying or fear
- Feeling excessively sad or low
- Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
- Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
- Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
- Avoiding friends and social activities
- Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
- Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
- Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
- Changes in sex drive
- Abuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
- Thinking about suicide
- Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
- An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance
Content source: National Alliance on Mental Illness
PHP wants to help.
PHP understands the importance of maintaining good mental health and wellbeing. Reach out to your health insurance, primary care doctor or one of the resources below for assistance or information.
Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Phone: 1-800-273-8255
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
Phone: 800-950-NAMI
Phone: 877-257-0208
Phone: 800-931-2237