Prevention

Awareness

The first step is AWARENESS.

Self-awareness is helpful information for understanding and accepting yourself. Learning more about your characteristics, values, skills, strengths, and goals can help build self-acceptance, compassion, and confidence.

An awareness of your feelings, mood, changes in habits, stressors, and warning signs and symptoms can help you understand when you need to reach out for support and use strategies to support your mental wellness.

A = awareness

Developing an awareness of yourself, and your emotions, stressors, and warning signs and symptoms is valuable information. Knowledge is power. Having awareness empowers you to get support and act.

Self-Awareness

How would you describe yourself? How would your friends describe you?

Emotional Awareness

Think of as many feeling words as you can. Put the words in the box.

Mood

We can describe our moods as positive or negative. Your mood can influence your life and how you think, feel, and behave. Mood can impact your motivation and ability to make decisions. It can affect your relationships with others. Your mood can also influence your ability to learn and remember information.

Use words to describe your mood now

Habit Changes

Have you noticed any changes in your sleep, eating habits, physical or social activity, or thinking? What changes have you noticed recently?

Stressors

A stressor is a situation that causes stress to an individual. These stressors can challenge one’s ability to think, cope, learn, and manage.

Think of a difficult situation in your life. Add stressors in the box.

Warning Signs: Body

Think of the physical symptoms you have in your body when you are struggling with your mental health.

Warning Signs: Emotions

Think of the emotional symptoms you have when you are struggling.

Building Your Support Network for Mental Wellness

Creating a support network is an essential strategy for maintaining and improving mental health. This approach involves identifying people in your life who can serve as trusted supports—individuals you can turn to when you’re struggling. Below are step-by-step instructions to guide you through this process.

1. Make a List of Potential Supports

Start by listing the people who you feel are reliable, understanding, and capable of offering support when needed. This can include friends, family members, school staff, coaches, or community members. Think about who has been there for you in the past or who you believe would be willing to support you in the future.

2. Get Permission

Once you have identified these individuals, it is important to ask them if they are willing to be a part of your support network. Explain that you are creating a personal wellness plan to help manage your mental health. Ask if they would be comfortable being someone you can reach out to when you need help. Make sure to communicate what this role might involve, such as receiving a message if you are struggling and checking in on you.

Write a personalized message to invite this person to be your trusted contact. You can explain why you’re creating a wellness plan, what you’re asking of them, and how they can support you. Feel free to use the default message as a guide, or customize it to reflect your unique relationship with this person. Remember to keep your message clear and respectful, and consider including a thank you for their support. A template has been prepared for you.

Hi [Name], I am creating a personal wellness plan to help manage my mental health. I am identifying people I trust to be part of my support network. Would you be willing to be someone I can reach out to if I am struggling? This might involve checking in on me or just listening. Thank you for your support.

3. Provide Information and Expectations

If someone agrees to be your support, clarify what you might need from them. This could include receiving a message with your location and providing help or just being available for a conversation. It’s important that they know what to expect and feel prepared to support you in the way you need.

4. Express Gratitude

Remember to thank each person who agrees to be a part of your support network. Acknowledging their willingness to help reinforces your relationship and shows appreciation for their role in your wellness plan.

5. Keep Your Network Informed

Periodically, check in with your support network. Keep them updated on your wellness plan and let them know if anything changes in terms of what support you need. This ensures they are always prepared to offer the best assistance when you reach out.

Why This Approach Matters

Creating a support network is not just about having people to lean on during tough times; it’s about building a proactive strategy to manage your mental health. By involving others, you create a safety net that can help you navigate challenges more effectively. This approach aligns with the principles outlined in YMHC’s mental wellness resources, which emphasize the importance of support systems and proactive planning in maintaining mental health.

This strategy can be complemented by using resources like YMHC’s Creating Your Education Support Team and Sources of Support for Mental Wellness booklets, which offer further guidance on building and utilizing a support network.

Action

Take action to support your mental wellness.

Coping Statements

Coping statements are helpful messages we tell ourselves when we have big feelings or experience difficult situations.

What messages or statements do you use to help you manage difficult feelings and situations?

Coping Skills or Strategies

Coping strategies are actions we take when we feel overwhelmed by difficult feelings, thoughts, and experiences.

What do you do to manage?

Distraction Strategies

Distraction strategies are a coping skill that allows you to pause or take a break and avoid focusing on a problem or big feeling. Dealing with anger, fear, sadness, and other big feelings can be difficult. Taking a break can give you time to decrease the intensity of your feelings and allow you to manage them more effectively. Distraction strategies are not about escaping from problem-solving. They are about dealing with situations when you are ready.

What distraction strategies do you use?

Self-Care Strategies

Self-care strategies are essential to building physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and mental health and wellness.

What strategies do you use to improve your overall health and wellness?