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Taking Care of Our Mental Health

By Kimberly Juarez
Posted: 03/02/2026

Image Cited: Self-care tips in honor of World Mental Health Day

With so many important things happening in our lives, we often tend to ignore our mental health. However, our mental health is an important part of our lives that can not only affect our mood but also our overall health. Stick around for some helpful tips on how to take care of one’s mental health.

Before talking about tips lets first get an understanding on what mental health actually is and how it can affect us. Mental health usually refers to how well we are doing emotionally. Some things that can affect our mental health include genetics, stressful life experiences, and chemical imbalances in our brains. Everyday choices such as what we eat/drink, how often we exercise, whether we smoke or drink, and more can all affect the state of our mental health. 

Mental health can affect many parts of our daily lives. Some of these impacts include our thought process, actions, socialization, stress management, and much more. If we ignore symptoms of sadness, anxiety, and stress, we run the risk of developing mental health disorders such as Anxiety and Depression. If left untreated, these disorders can manifest physical symptoms. For example, with depression, some symptoms can include headaches, body aches, stomach problems, and more. With anxiety, physical symptoms can include a racing heart, feeling out of breath, tense muscles, nausea, insomnia, and more. 

Before we dive into some tips, please note that if any of these symptoms are persistent and become overwhelming, it's best to contact your health care provider. Your doctor can help you connect with a specialist who can best help you. Remember, there is no shame in asking for help. Specialists are here to help you live your life to the fullest. 

Now, for some tips that we can do in our everyday lives. One big factor that can affect your mental health is the news. Constantly seeing or reading negative imagery can make us feel anxious or helpless. Therefore, limiting our news consumption can be helpful to our mental well-being. We can do this by choosing a time of day to check the news and not checking it again until the next day. Sticking to routines and focusing on our physical health can be beneficial as well. Examples of these can include getting enough rest, having a healthy diet, exercising, limiting alcohol/smoking, and more. Socialization is also important for our mental health as it allows us to speak to others about our feelings and voice our needs. We can socialize in a multitude of ways. Some examples can include speaking to friends or family, visiting local community centers, taking classes, visiting places of worship if you're religious, and more. Lastly, make time for things you enjoy. This can include reading, going out to nature, art, watching movies, treating yourself, and so much more. Overall, the main idea is to make some time to take care of yourself. 

Some Helpful Resources:

7 Ways Older Adults Can Manage Their Mental Health

Mental Health Resources

99 Self-Care Activities You Can Try Right Now

Sources:

CDC. “Mental Health Resources.” Mental Health, 26 Sept. 2024, www.cdc.gov/mental-health/caring/index.html.

CDC. “Improve Your Emotional Well-Being.” Emotional Well-Being, 31 Jan. 2025, www.cdc.gov/emotional-well-being/improve-your-emotional-well-being/index.html#print.

Cleveland Clinic. “Anxiety Disorders.” Cleveland Clinic, 3 July 2024, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9536-anxiety-disorders.

Clinic, Cleveland. “Mental Health: What It Is & Why It’s Important.” Cleveland Clinic, 5 Aug. 2025, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/mental-health.

Cleveland clinic. “6 Reasons Mental Health Is so Important.” Cleveland Clinic, 5 Jan. 2024, health.clevelandclinic.org/why-mental-health-is-so-important.

NCOA. “7 Ways Older Adults Can Manage Their Mental Health.” Ncoa.org, 11 Sept. 2024, www.ncoa.org/article/7-ways-older-adults-can-manage-their-mental-health/.

National Institute on Aging. “Depression and Older Adults.” National Institute on Aging, 2025, www.nia.nih.gov/health/mental-and-emotional-health/depression-and-older-adults.

NIMH. “Depression.” National Institute of Mental Health, 2024, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression.

Guarnotta, Emily. “99 Self-Care Ideas That Can Improve Your Quality of Life.” GoodRx, 8 Aug. 2023, www.goodrx.com/health-topic/mental-health/self-care-ideas-activities?srsltid=AfmBOop_6PaHZlEsLB2CxI7akDpj_01SPDebMJX7yz7ixarG6yNr27qB.