In the midst of a global pandemic that affects physical health – and with the holidays fast approaching – it can be easy to neglect your mental health. However, it’s important to remember that your health includes physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a mental health crisis is "any situation in which a person's behavior puts them at risk of hurting themselves or others and/or prevents them from being able to care for themselves or function effectively in the community.” Preventing a mental health crisis can involve several different actions, whether it be as simple as prioritizing self-care or reaching out to others for help.

Campbell University School of Medicine recommends 3 courses of action to prevent a mental health crisis:

Taking time to personally assess your emotional well-being:

MentalHealth.gov lists various feelings or behaviors that could be early warning signs for a mental health crisis, such as eating + sleeping too much or too little, pulling away from people and usual activities, feeling numb, and experiencing severe mood swings. Assessing your emotional well-being can mean looking for warning signs such as these, and can also simply mean checking in with yourself and how you’re feeling—sometimes, we get so caught up in our lives that we don’t often stop to think about how we feel mentally + emotionally.

Engaging in self-care:

Self-care can be any number of activities, but the main point of self-care is that you’re doing something for you. Some easy self-care practices could be hiring a babysitter for the day while you go to a coffee shop and read a book, taking a bath + putting on a face mask, or going for a run. MentalHealth.gov states that connecting with others, getting enough sleep, and being physically active are all ways to maintain positive mental health, and we think that they’re also great examples of self-care.

Seeing a healthcare professional:

Seeing a healthcare professional is always important, and even your primary care physician can do a behavioral health screen for common mental health symptoms. Even if you aren’t “feeling ill,” it’s never a bad idea to see a professional. (ProTip: Telehealth services – including teletherapy – are a great alternative to in-person visits and are becoming increasingly accessible.) Worried about insurance covering it? Contact your insurance company about providers in your network.

If you’re already seeing a therapist, it’s also important to keep going to your appointments (even if you’re feeling “okay” currently). If you feel you or a loved one is approaching a state of crisis, there are an abundance of virtual and in-person resources to take advantage of to care for your mental health.

Find a list of resources here and directly below:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Local Emergency Rooms: Dial 911
National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/Home
General mental health information: https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health
National Institute of Health: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help/index.shtml. Ⓟ