Caring for mental health

Staying Mentally Healthy in the

New Normal

In this Module – you will understand how

self-compassion can become a tool for
building mental resilience.

You will identify self-care essentials that you

may apply for strengthening mental health
Monkeypox
what?
 The ongoing Covid-19
pandemic, combined with
the sudden extreme
uncertainty such as the
threat on monkeypox …

threatens our mental

health, and ramped up
our anxiety levels- putting
us on high alert.
Other things that might be causing you stress
A heavy workload

Upcoming exams

Very limited “down time”

Transitioning to new environment

Difficult subjects
 How are
you, really?
According to the World Health
Organization (WHO)…

MENTAL HEALTH is “a state of well-

being in which the individual realizes his
or her own abilities, can cope with the
normal stresses of life...

can work productively and fruitfully, and

is able to make a contribution to his or
her community.” (Galderisi et al., 2015)
How do we stay
Mentally Healthy

and Resilient in
challenging times?
What Mental or Psychological
Resilience is
Psychologists define
mental or psychological
resilience as the process

of adapting well in the As much as resilience

face of adversity, involves “bouncing back”
trauma, tragedy, threats, from these difficult
experiences, it can also
or significant sources of
involve profound personal
stress. growth.
Palmiter, D., Dorlen, R., & Alvord, M. (2012). Building your resilience. American Psychological
Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/.
What Mental or Psychological
Resilience isn’t

Being resilient doesn’t mean

that a person won’t experience
difficulty or distress.
In fact, the road to resilience is
likely to involve considerable
emotional distress.
Palmiter, D., Dorlen, R., & Alvord, M. (2012). Building
your resilience. American Psychological Association.
https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/.
While certain factors might make
some individuals more resilient than
others, resilience isn’t necessarily a
personality trait that only some
people possess.
Resilience involves behaviors,
thoughts, and actions that anyone
can learn and develop.
 You would not let this
happen to your phone.

Don’t let it happen to you either!

Self-Compassion and
Self-Care
as Tools for Building
Psychological
Resilience
 Ever heard of this
saying?

Sure, it’s a bit of a

cliché, but it’s true—
and it represents the
value of
self- compassion
With self-compassion, we
give ourselves the same
kindness and care we'd
give to a good friend

We become an inner ally

rather than an inner
enemy.
(Neff and Germer, 2018)
 ELEMENTS OF SELF-COMPASSION
Self-Kindness Common Humanity Mindfulness
embracing acknowledging that we focusing on the
ourselves with are all flawed present
kindness, warmth, “works-in-progress” moment
forgiveness and
acceptance
 What is Self-Care?

Self-care is about taking

care of ourselves, so that
we will be in a better
position to take care of
others
(Raphailia, 2018).
SELF-CARE
Essentials
Take Care of Your Body Basic self-care
will keep your
Eat Healthy immune
system strong
and your
emotional
reserves full

Get Enough Sleep

Exercise Regularly
26
REVENGE BED TIME
PROCRASTINATION
describes the decision
to sacrifice sleep for
leisure time that is
driven by a

daily schedule lacking

in free time.
(Valle, 2021)
 Take Care of Your Body
Try Mindfulness Apps

Get A Warm Bath

 Acknowledge your Emotions

It’s normal to feel fearful,

anxious or stressed now.

Discuss your experiences

with relatives and friends or
share a laugh

(American Psychological
Association, 2020).
 Establish a Routine

Establish a
routine –
Frequent
breaks can
Get up, go to
help you
bed, and do your
re-engage in
work in the same
your work.
time every day.

Try to create a separate workspace, although you

should reserve your sleeping area for sleeping. 30
 SEEK OUT SOCIAL SUPPORT

Get and provide warm,

comforting, social
support by phone text
or using apps like
Zoom, Messenger or
Google Meet.

“Social Distancing” is actually a misnomer, it is actually physical distancing

while we work hard to stay socially connected. Let’s switch to that phrase!
31
 END THE WORKDAY WITH CLEAR
BOUNDARIES.

Put away electronic devices and work tools

at the end of your workday and set clear
hours in the day for work.

Set Healthy Work Boundaries

32
Limit Your Media Consumption
While it is good to stay informed,
especially about what’s happening
in your area.
But too much news — especially
social media — can add to your
anxiety.

33
Focus on things you can control
You can only
control your
While modeling own
good behavior and thoughts,
staying safe yourself, feelings, and
recognize that you behaviors.
cannot control what
other people do.

34
Find Ways to Manage Disappointment

Whether it’s a family

vacation, a new job,
wedding,
graduation
ceremony,
important events
Grieve those losses, then
may not happen this
year. reframe how you think
about these life events.
35
More Gratitude, Less Attitude

An attitude of gratitude
means making it a habit
to express thankfulness
and appreciation in all
parts of your life,
on a regular basis, for
both the big and small
things alike.
36
Mental Health and Learning
Mental health influences
learning process.

Managing trauma – such

as what we experienced
during Covid-19- affects
our ability to be present
and learn (Oxford
learning, 2021).
Mental Health and Learning
“Data and statistical
inferences almost always
proved that health has a
powerful impact on
education. Whether it’s
physical or mental, the
effect is similar and
noteworthy.” ----- John
Wick, 2021
 Mental Health and Learning

Lack of sleep resulting in learning ------ students who

did not get adequate sleep spend ‘lazy’ day at school.
Lack of sleep lead to poor concentration and diminish
energy.

Many studies noted that students with chronic health

conditions miss more school (absenteeism) than
students who do not have such conditions.
Absenteeism, in turn, is associated with lower
academic achievement (CDC, 2017).
Don’t forget to add
Self-Care to your
cart too!