5-Minute Mental Health Reset
By Nicole Medina, CPSM
Hard Time Of Year
The end of the calendar year can be hard: it gets dark before you log off work, the holidays add stress, and end-of-year reviews for work roll around. In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report showing that those who work in the construction occupation had a significantly higher suicide rate. Construction is the “C” in A/E/C, so this is highly concerning. This is a sign that mental health should be a top priority.
Importance Of Self-Care
Finding ways to take care of yourself is of the utmost importance. If you’re a caretaker (to children, a spouse, pets, aging parents, a plant, you name it), you have to take care of yourself first. If you’re not well, you can’t take care of another living being. Self-care can take any form, as long as it works for you! It can be anything: applying a facemask, exercising, talking to a therapist, eating a delicious snack, writing in a journal, meditating… the possibilities are endless. Most activities take more than a few minutes, so if you only have a few minutes, keep reading for a handy 5-minute mental health reset to get you through right now and then you can add self-care activities when you have the time.
5-Minute Mental Health Reset
A single day has 1,440 minutes (a year has 525,600 minutes – any Rent fans?); you can spare 5 minutes. This acts as a quick reset of your mind and body so you can feel refreshed and ready to tackle whatever comes next. Take the next 5 minutes to do the following 5 things for a quick reset of your mental health.
5 Simple Activities, 5 Times
You’ve probably heard about how movement can help with stress relief, but not everyone has the time to take a walk and it usually ends up being longer than 5 minutes. Moving your body and muscles helps to relieve the tension caused by the flight-or-fight response that’s triggered by stress. Doing five simple activities is meant to shake out that flight-or-fight tension. How stressed or anxious you are in the moment should determine how drastic the movements are. If you’re VERY stressed, stand up and jump, do big stretches, jumping jacks – you get the idea. If you’re on the calmer side, squeeze a stress ball, snap your fingers, clap your hands, do simple stretches, or kiss your pet.
5 Words That Describe How You Feel Right Now
A lot of people say that talking out your problems will help you feel better, but I’m not built that way. Sure, I’ll vent to my husband or friends but never in the heat of the moment. To help get the feelings out of me, I’ll write down a few things that I’m feeling at that exact moment in time. This will even include the word “ARGHHH” just to get it out.
5 Words You Want To Feel/Be Today
Now, let’s shift from the present to the future. How do you want to feel by the end of the day or even in the next hour? Let’s manifest it by speaking or writing it down. Some words I like to use are joyful, content, grateful, positive, etc. This also gives you a goal to work towards.
5 Things You Are Grateful For
Let’s keep the positivity going and now list five things you are grateful for so you can feel and remember the good things in life. One of my favorite phrases is to “remember it’s just a bad day, not a bad life.” Writing down the things I’m grateful for helps remind me of that.
5 Deep Breaths
To finish, close your eyes and take five deep breaths. Breathe in positivity and breathe out negativity. Do you feel better than you did 5 minutes ago? If so, great! Remember to take care of yourself every day, not just today.
Need Help? Know Someone Who Does?
Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. Connect with a trained crisis counselor. 988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365.
Call or text 988 | Chat at 988lifeline.org
Visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for more information at 988lifeline.org.
Additional Resources:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
- Teen Lifeline: 800-248-8336
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Crisis Text Line
- Veterans Crisis Line
Apps for Meditation and Relaxation
Nicole Medina, CPSM, works as a Strategic Pursuits Coordinator for Harris & Associates, Inc., an environmental, municipal finance, civil engineering, and construction management firm. Nicole is the Director of the Communications Committee with SMPS SFBAC. Connect with her on LinkedIn!
