When you're having a rough day, it can be easy to stay focused on the negative. It can be easy to get stuck in the cycle of thinking that everything is bad and everything will always be bad. One suggestion that my therapist made, which I know sounds super cheesy, is to keep a gratitude journal.

Psychological resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress. It can be seen as the ability to "bounce back" after difficult experiences. Some people are more resilient than others, but it is a skill that takes practice. It is something that you can improve, which can help improve your life overall.

A common type of distorted thinking that people experience is the fixation on the negative things that happen. There could be a day full of positive experiences, but if a tiny negative experience happens, our brains can get fixated on it and it washes out all the positive things.

I know I mention all the time that it's important to get help when/if you need it. But it's not always as simple as that. There are often a number of barriers to getting the help that you need.

I am not a parent, so a lot of times I don't feel qualified to talk about parenting concerns. I don't know what you're going through and I don't know what's right for your family. But I do know a lot about mental health in general and I hope that I can provide some resources if you don't know where to start.

Mental health is an area, like many others, which does not get a lot of money, whether through grants or government budget or donations. There are a lot of ways to spend that money, but it's critical that it gets spent efficiently. What aspect of mental health spending do you think are the most important and what do you think isn't a good value? Is there an area of spending that I haven't thought of? Let me know!

Mental health diagnosis and treatment is often difficult because there are no or very few biological tests that doctors can conduct, instead relying on the person's own experiences, thoughts, and assessment. When doctors do run tests, it is often to rule out physical disorders such as Vitamin D deficiency, prion disease, or a thyroid disorder. There are tests that measure serotonin levels in your blood, but those levels are not necessarily correlated with the levels in your brain.

Medication for a mental illness is definitely not some sort of "quick fix." It's not like you just take some pills and things get better immediately. Mental health medication takes time to work and the first one you take may not even be the right one for you.

Mental health conversations have come a long way. People are more and more willing to talk about what is going on in their life and if they are struggling. People are able to get help. So, it surprises me when I still hear some people talk about a fear of taking medication.

You may already know the main National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number (1-800-273-8255), but did you know there are few specific crisis phone numbers?