How’s your mental health?

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but what does that mean for you? Mental health can look and feel like a lot of different things, depending on what a person is experiencing in their life.

The term “mental health” is how we talk about our emotional, psychological and social well-being. You can also think about this as how we think, feel and act, and how we handle stress, relate to our friends and make choices.

Another term for mental health is “brain health.” Just like there are doctors, nurses and therapists for our physical health, there are doctors, nurses and therapists for our brain health. Taking care of ourselves means listening and paying attention to our body and our brain.

How can kids learn more about brain health?

There are a lot of ways you can learn more about your own brain health and how to know if something isn’t quite right.

1. Be aware of your feelings.

There are days and times when we all feel down, sad or stressed out. Sometimes it’s because something happened at school, or maybe we’re upset with a person in our life.

But if you don’t feel like yourself for more than two or three days at a time, talk to an adult about what you’re experiencing. You can also try keeping a journal to write down how you’re feeling during different situations.

This can help you identify patterns or times when you know you’re more likely to need brain health support from friends and family.

2. Look for a trusted adult in your life.

When kids have at least one adult in their life they trust and can talk to, it can greatly improve their brain health and ability to cope with stressful situations.

A trusted adult can be a parent, teacher or person at school, coach, family member or even a neighbor. Adults can help kids prioritize what’s important and reach out for more help, if necessary.

Think about who your trusted adults at home and at school might be, then go to them whenever you need a little extra support.

3. Listen and talk to your friends about brain health.

Chances are, your friends have worries and sad times, too.

When you have trusted friendships and can talk openly about how you’re feeling, your friends can support you. Likewise, when your friends come to you, be a good listener and let them talk through what’s on their mind.

4. Know when to involve an adult.

If the emotions and feelings you have — or that your friends have shared with you — are too much to handle, please talk to a trusted adult in your life. If you feel like that person isn’t taking your concerns seriously, seek out someone else. Together, you can make a plan to move forward and get your brain and overall well-being back to a healthy place.

When we better understand brain health and how it affects our overall well-being, we can identify ways to work through stressful or sad times and help friends do the same thing.

This article was submitted on behalf of the Iowa MHDS Regions. The state’s Mental Health and Disability Services is dedicated to improving brain health and disability services for the state of Iowa.