Resources

Coping & Grounding Skills (with YouTube videos)

• 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30VMIEmA114

  • Root yourself in the present moment, notice 5 things you can feel physically, 4 things you can see, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, 1 thing you taste. Take a sip of water or eat a snack while you do this!

  • This helps root you in the present moment, rather than in the guilt of the past or the anxiety of the future.

  • You can extend this exercise by noticing all the things you can with each sense, rather than counting just a couple.

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation/PMRs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClqPtWzozXs

  • Focusing on four main muscle groups: 1. Hands/forearms/biceps, 2. Head, face, throat, shoulders, 3. Chest, stomach, back, 4. Glutes, thighs, calves, feet.

  • Tense up each muscle group, one at a time, for ~10 seconds. Not so long that you become sore, but long enough to really clench, maybe even feel the muscles shake a bit.

  • Then relax completely, letting go of all that tension, for ~2-3 deep breaths

  • This gets both the brain and the body acquainted with how to release stress following a period of tension and body-anxiety.

• Leaves on a Stream Meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKltKKSur8

  • Excellent technique to help you to notice your thoughts, rather than letting the thoughts spiral.

• Deep breathing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEmt1Znux58

  • Breathe in through your nose, deep into your belly and not into your chest, hold for a moment, and breath out through the mouth very slowly.

  • Try breathing in for 4 seconds, hold for 2, breathe out for 4 -6 seconds, and hold for 2.

  • Repeat this for at least 2 minutes, preferably 5

  • If there is a particular spot in your body with more tension/stress/anxiety than others, you can imagine the air going directly to that spot rather than into your lungs.

• Remind yourself, compassionately, to only focus on what is in your immediate control today. We can't get too wrapped up in what's coming next. If you can't do anything about it to control it TODAY in THIS moment, try to focus on something you CAN control right now.

• If you're having trouble getting out of bed, make a list of 1-3 things that you HAVE to get done today. Even if you do nothing else, you can do those things

  • It can be simple - take a shower, get a snack, drink a glass of water. It can be a little bigger - go for a 10-minute walk, call a friend, read 1 chapter.

  • Or if you're really feeling you can do a lot that day - start a project, send the email you've been putting off, clean a section of your space. The key is setting REALISTIC goals for that day, and then following through by narrowing your focus.

  • This helps our brain realize that we can trust ourselves to stick to our word and come through for ourselves. It's ok to pick just one thing, it's ok to pick three, it's ok to pick really small things. Just start somewhere.

Recommended Reading

• The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk https://amzn.to/4fxgZn2

• Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend https://amzn.to/4fJtgoJ

• The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brene Brown https://amzn.to/40mhw78

• More Than a Body, by Lindsay Kite and Lexi Kite https://amzn.to/3Pr1OBf

• Parenting Toward the Kingdom, by Philip Mamalakis https://amzn.to/40svvqX

• The Whole Brain Child, by Dan Siegel https://amzn.to/3ZZvnyA

Crisis Lines & Information

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255

• Crisis Text Line: "HOME" to 741-741

  • People of color can text "STEVE" to 741-741

• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Lifeline: 800-950-6264 OR Text "HelpLine" to 62640 OR Chat at

  • Teens & Young Adults can text "Friend" to 62640

• Domestic Violence Lifeline: 1-800-799-7233

• Sexual Assault Lifeline: 800-656-4673 OR Chat at https://hotline.rainn.org/online

CLICK HERE for the NAMI National HelpLine Resource Directory. This is a very comprehensive guide to finding help, resources, and assistance for a very wide range of concerns related to mental health.

Mental Health Education

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