5 mental health tips for extra hard days

Goodman and other mental health professionals said one of the keys to mental wellness is prevention: Ensuring you are taking care of yourself on a daily basis.

MENTAL HEALTH TIPS

1. Find a therapist or mental health professional.

Mental health professionals said finding a trusted mental health therapist is the first step. Ideally, this is someone you can seek advice on especially hard days, experts said. "It is important to cast a wide net, as the most important factors for a therapy relationship.

MENTAL HEALTH TIPS

2. Identify healthy coping strategies that work for you

"For some people, coping may look like running a marathon, and for others, it might be binge-watching a show in bed," Hobson said. "Don't compare your coping skills to others. If it helps, it helps."

MENTAL HEALTH TIPS

3. Know your adverse childhood experiences

Many people have experiences in childhood that include traumatic events, neglect, or abuse that may have contributed to mental health diagnoses later in life,

MENTAL HEALTH TIPS

4. Know when to seek professional help

If you are experiencing a few of the following, trouble sleeping, less interest in activities you love, feelings of worthlessness, less energy, trouble concentrating, increased or decreased desire to eat, easily angry,

MENTAL HEALTH TIPS

5. Don't be afraid to take medication

According to Hobson, behavior and therapy strategies are used first before moving on to medication, but for some people, therapy plus medications is the best path to mental wellness.

MENTAL HEALTH TIPS