Mental health is your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, how we deal with stress and other things. Mental illnesses can come from childhood trauma, abuse, neglect and more. Every mental illness is different and affects everyone in a different way. Some people with mental illnesses tend to not have the motivation or want to do anything, including self care. Self care is taking care of yourself so you are healthy. That includes hygiene, nutrition, and seeking medical care. Without self care your mental health can decline even more. You need to take care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally. It doesn’t have to be something big, you can go on a walk, call a friend, read a book or take a hot bath or shower. More ways to engage in self care is getting the right amount of sleep and making sure you’re drinking enough water. Teens require 8-10 hours and adults require 7-8. Sleeping too much or too little can make you have mood swings, trouble concentrating and more. So it is important to get the right amount of sleep. It is also good to take a break or go on a trip for a little while to get away from your surroundings and experience something different. You can organize or clean an area in your room or house, afterwards you will feel so much better that you got something done. Taking a break from electronics or social media is always a good thing to do and a good way to reduce stress. Doing these things can make you less stressed, minimize anger or frustration, improve energy, make you happier, etc. There’s so many ways to engage in self care and it is crucial for you and your mental health no matter what age you are. You always have to remember to take care of yourself and make yourself your number one priority because you can’t help others if you can help yourself first. You only get one of you so make sure to take care of yourself in every way possible!