May is Mental Health Awareness month and so we are highlighting a few of our resources as well as those available elsewhere.
Challenge is a part of life. However, the strain of sustained uncertainty during the pandemic of Novel Coronavirus has heightened the baseline of stress for many. Be generous with yourself and others as we all strive to be our best selves during this crisis.
In our Next Steps manual, there is a section on self-care. The following is an excerpt:
Relax Your Mind:
HANDS in Autism Next Steps Manual 2020
Write down your feelings, however you feel most comfortable: This could be through poetry, a Facebook post, or journaling a few successes and room for growth each day. Set aside a small part of time (maybe before bed) to express how things made you feel today.
Discuss your feelings: Talk to your support people (friends, family, counselor, clergy) and tell them how you are feeling. Release your emotions with them. Talk, laugh, and cry.
Do something you enjoy: Pursue hobbies that you currently enjoy and look into new areas of interest as well.”
Are you or do you know someone with ASD who is experiencing stress-related challenges? This Academia activity helps to discriminate between good and bad choices to make when someone is frustrated.
Some other resources:
- Mental Health America has an online toolkit dedicated to mental health awareness month with many resources and activities.
- INformation Network has collected quite a few resources together about mental health.
- Be Well Indiana is an initiative of the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) with many good resources.
Don’t forget to check out our Ask-Learn-Share office hours to ask your questions or share your successes and challenges related to your role, your setting and the topics you’re finding most pressing.