Mental Health – We ALL Have It!

During the past year, we have witnessed an unprecedented increase in individuals experiencing mental health problems. As youth deal with everyday mental health concerns now impacted even more by the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know it can be a lot to handle. YScreen recognizes May as Mental Health Awareness Month and would like to highlight practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase resiliency regardless of the situations they are dealing with. These tools include taking time for yourself; getting out of thinking traps; processing big changes; dealing with anger and frustration; adapting after trauma and stress; and accepting reality.

Click the links below to learn more about tools to thrive and to view the full fact sheet.

Practical Tools to Thrive

Taking Time for Yourself

There are always a handful of roles that each of us are juggling. If you are a parent, a student, an employee, a caretaker, or are just feeling overwhelmed with day-to-day responsibilities, the idea of taking time for yourself may seem unimaginable. Small things can be done to make self-care and taking time for ourselves a little bit easier. Click here for the full fact sheet.

Getting Out of Thinking Traps

It’s easy to fall into negative thinking patterns and spend time bullying yourself, dwelling on the past, or worrying about the future. During tough times, negative thoughts are especially likely to spiral out of control. Thoughts that are worse in your head than in reality are called cognitive distortions. Click here for the full fact sheet.

Processing Big Changes

Sometimes that change happens in big ways when we aren’t expecting it or aren’t prepared for it. These types of situations can make navigating your path forward difficult. By providing yourself with tools for processing change, you can adapt more easily. Click here for the full fact sheet.

Dealing with Anger and Frustration

Anger and frustration are complicated emotions that often stem from other feelings, like disappointment, fear, and stress. Taking some extra steps to decrease your overall tension can prevent your feelings (and the reactions that they cause) from spiraling out of control. Click here for the full fact sheet.

Adapting After Trauma and Stress

When people think of trauma, they often think of things like abuse, terrorism, or catastrophic events. Trauma can also be caused by events less obvious but can still overwhelm your capacity to cope. Trauma can be hard on your mental health but becoming more resilient can help you feel more at ease. Click here for the full fact sheet.

Accepting Reality

Sometimes in life, we end up in situations that we can’t change. Radical acceptance is about fully accepting your reality in situations that are beyond your control. This doesn’t mean you approve of the situation, are giving up, or that it isn’t painful. By accepting reality, you can begin to move forward. Click here for the full fact sheet.

YScreen promotes emotional health screening as a time to discuss the tools a student has to improve their mental health. YScreen staff can also help connect teens and their families to the appropriate community resources that can address any concerns that may be identified. YScreen is available to teens in Fond du Lac County. If you would like to request screening for your child or would like more information, please contact us at (920) 906-6571.

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