Mental Health Toolkit
Your mental health deserves attention every day – in good times and bad. The last few years have challenged our mental health on so many levels. Integral Care and NAMI Central Texas created a toolkit for the community designed to support your mental health all year long. We hope these tools help you build resilience as we continue to move forward. It’s essential to our health and well-being that everyone has access to the mental health support they need.
8 Ways to Get Moving Around Austin
One of the best things you can do for your mental health is to get moving outdoors. Whether that is a workout in the park, a leisurely walk around Austin’s historic sites, or a dip in one of our many swimming holes. Here is our roundup of eight ways you can get moving around Austin this Mental Health Month (or anytime!).
12 Instagram & Tiktok Accounts to Boost Your Mood
Many of us spend time on social media, scrolling past images that can make us feel down about ourselves, which can negatively impact our mental health. Why not fill your feed with accounts that boost your mood and soothe your soul?
11 Mental Health Podcasts You Don’t Want to Miss
Podcasts give us an opportunity to learn, laugh, and be inspired. They are easy to listen to in the car, while you’re on a walk, or doing the dishes. There are many ways to access podcasts online or on your phone. Some free examples including Stitcher, Luminary, Spotify, Laughable, Podbean, Castbox, RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts and Player FM.
Gratitude Improves Mental Health
Building a daily practice of gratitude has the power to change your brain chemistry. It can reduce stress, increase optimism, and lead to both better mental and physical health. It’s a win-win!. Check out the gratitude prompts that we challenged our own staff and community to take part of this year to encourage gratitude every day. Cue the gratitude!
Uplifting Books
Looking for a new book to inspire you or lift your spirits? We’ve put together a list of recommendations that range from the fantastical and funny to insightful and inspiring.
Finding a Therapist for BIPOC Communities
To have the most significant impact, mental health care should be tailored to the individual’s identity, culture and experience. A person’s therapy outcome is far better when their provider understands how cultural differences play in mental health diagnoses and tailor their care to the client’s cultural needs and differences.
Therapy 101
Sometimes, even when we’re doing all the right things to stay well, we may still need help. The stress of the last two years is making us all more aware of the need to support our mental health. Therapy can help us build new skills and fill our toolbox so we have what we need to manage the road bumps in life. We’ve put together some information on therapy to help you know when and how to get help.
How to Start “The Conversation”
Telling a loved one that you’re worried about their mental health may seem like a tricky conversation. But it’s very important and can be as easy as checking in with that person to let them know you care about them and that they are not alone. That conversation could even save someone’s life. We asked several Integral Care therapists to weigh in with tips on starting the conversation.
Family Support Tips & Resources
To successfully support a loved one and stay healthy, family members benefit from their own dedicated support and education plan. Often, accessing this kind of help is the best first step in helping a loved one and is the equivalent of putting your oxygen mask on first before helping someone else on a plane.
12 Simple Hacks to Calm Emotions
Managing your emotions, especially in times of stress and anxiety, isn’t easy. Our brain’s limbic system handles both our emotional and physical response to emotion. And when that system is over-activated, it can be hard to come down. Luckily, there are simple tools to help calm you down and feel more grounded.
Wait… That’s Self-care?
If you follow the Pinterest or Instagram portrait of self-care, you can get a very rosy picture of someone getting a massage, taking a fancy vacation, or doing a juice fast with a big smile on their face. There are many myths around self-care, even with growing interest and awareness of self-care to promote mental and physical well-being.
Mental Health Resource Guide
Our mental health and is just as important as our physical health. Whether you’re experiencing depression, physical symptoms of stress (like headaches and difficulty sleeping), or a more serious mental health issue, professional help is available. Regardless of whether you have health insurance or not. Check out this list of options for free emotional-support.