
Wise Choices
Protect Your Mental Health
- Take care of your body and mind. Stick to a schedule, eat well, stay physically active, get quality sleep, stay hydrated, and spend time outside.
- Invest in healthy relationships. Socializing is a powerful buffer to stress and a source of well-being. Spend time with others regularly, in-person and virtually.
- Be intentional about your use of social media, video games, and other technologies. Ask yourself: How much time am I spending online? Is it taking away from healthy offline activities, like exercising, seeing friends, reading, or sleeping? What content do I see, and how does it make me feel?
- Learn to manage stress and other difficult emotions. Try to recognize situations that may be emotionally challenging and come up with strategies to manage those emotions.
- Ask for help. Find someone you trust to talk to about stressful situations. If you are struggling to manage negative emotions, reach out to a health care provider, counselor, or person you trust.
- Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 if you or someone you know is in crisis.
- Get help finding substance use and mental health treatment in your area. Call the free National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit www.FindTreatment.gov(link is external).