10 Things to Do for your Mental Health

submitted by Sun Life Health

While we often associate taking care of ourselves with eating healthy and working out, we forget that it also means keeping our mind healthy.

Here are 10 things we can do for our mental health.

1. Value yourself: Treat yourself with kindness and respect, and avoid selfcriticism. Make time for your interests, hobbies and favorite projects.

2. Take care of your body:

• Eat nutritious meals

• Drink plenty of water

• Exercise, which helps decrease depression, anxiety and improve moods

• Get enough sleep

3. Surround yourself with good

people: People with strong family or social connections are generally healthier than those who lack a support network. Make plans with supportive family members and friends, or seek out activities where you can meet new people, such as a club, class or support group.

4. Give yourself: Volunteer your time and energy to help someone else.

5. Learn how to deal with stress:

Practice good coping skills — exercise, take a nature walk, play with your pet or try journal writing. Remember to smile and see the humor in life.

6. Quiet your mind: Meditating, relaxation exercises and prayer can soothe. Research shows that meditation may help you feel calm and enhance the effects of therapy.

7. Set realistic goals: Decide what you want to achieve academically, professionally and personally, and write down the steps you need to realize your goals. Aim high, but be realistic and don’t over-schedule.

8. Break up the monotony: A little change of pace can perk up a tedious schedule. Alter your jogging route, plan a road trip, take a walk in a different park, hang some new pictures or try a new restaurant.

9. Avoid alcohol: Keep alcohol use to a minimum; it can only aggravate problems.

10. Get help when you need it:

Seeking help is a sign of strength. People who get appropriate care can recover from mental illness and addiction and lead full, rewarding lives.

It can take as little as a minute to help improve both mental and physical health by using simple strategies. Too often our minds are traveling at the speed of light bouncing from thought to thought, many of which are stressful.

Taking a full deep breath or focused breath can help relieve tension and lead to physical relaxation. All we have to do is start.

CAC Once Again Designated a Military Friendly School

Central Arizona College has earned the 2022-2023 Bronze Military Friendly® School designation.

Institutions earning this designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 20222023 survey with 665 earning special awards for going above the standard.

The 2022-2023 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.

Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community.

Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

Elizabeth Barrett, CAC Military & Veteran’s Services School Certifying Official, said: “We are honored to once again receive this designation. Central Arizona College remains dedicated to our veteran students and their families.”

For more information about Central Arizona College’s student veteran programs visit www.centralaz. edu/va or contact: Elizabeth. Barrett@centralaz.edu.

FREE Tuition for Summer 2022 REDUCED IN-STATE TUITION for Fall 2022: $50/credit

www.centralaz.edu