• Manage anxiety
• Reduce stress
• Cope with depression
• Control your symptoms and improve your mood

• Try to write every day by setting aside a few minutes in order to journal regularly.
• Make it easy by keeping a pen and paper nearby (you can even utilize your smartphone).
• Write or draw whatever feels right to you. This is your private space to discuss and create whatever you want.
• Use your journal as you see fit.

https://ig.ft.com/uber-game/

Money Bingo

https://www.abcya.com/games/money-bingo

Break the Bank

https://bizkids.com/games/break-the-bank

Hit the Road

https://mycreditunion.gov/financial-resources/hit-road-financial-adventure

World of Cents (Elementary School)

https://mycreditunion.gov/financial-resources/world-cents

Claim Your Future (High School)

https://fame.claimyourfuture.org/game/

Time for Payback (High School)

https://www.timeforpayback.com/

• Listening to songs that build your confidence before taking a test or doing a difficult task

• Avoid music that raises your energy level an hour before bed time

• Sharing music with a partner or a child can be a way of getting to know one another and strengthening your relationship - try a music game where one person shares one song they like and then the other person shares a song they like that has a connection to the first song (e.g. If 1 person shares "Free Bird" then the next person might share a song about being free or has a bird in it)

• Listening to calming music can lower cortisol levels which can reduce stress

• Create an emotions play list (you can do this alone or with a friend or family member) - pick an emotion then compile a list of songs that elicit that emotion or help you when you feel that emotion. This activity can help you express the way you feel when you can't find the words.

• If you are stuck listening to music you can't turn off and you find it irritating, head over to the Physical Wellness column and check out the Box Breathing exercise!

Access the activity through the link:

https://www.greenchildmagazine.com/nature-scavenger-hunt/#h-nature-scavenger-hunt-ideas-printables

Dayton, OH has many places where families can learn about the community and its history:

• Hawthorn Hill- where Orville Wright lived.

• Paul Laurence Dunbar House- where poet Paul Laurence Dunbar lived.

• US Air Force National Museum

• Carillon Historical Park

• Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

• The Dayton Art Institute

Visiting these places can lead to conversation and new experiences!

When you engage in new practices and challenges, it develops new neural connections in your brain. Playing an instrument engages both sides of the brain. As a result, you’re able to remember things better and your memory also strengthens.

It’s thought that when you engage in a repetitive creative motion such as strumming a guitar or playing with piano keys, it triggers dopamine – the ‘feel-good’ hormone.

Playing musical instruments also brings down high blood pressure, normalizing them. Which is related to greater emotional and mental calm.

Learning a new language can positively affect your mental health by:

• Improving your cognitive functions. While you are learning a new language, your brain is getting its own workout in!

• Allowing you to develop new perspectives and ideas. Learning a new language puts you outside your comfort zone, where there are ideas, people, and cultures different from your own!

• Boosting your confidence. Learning a new language allows you to feel more confident in your language learning abilities and other skills!

Creative arts are used in supporting mental health care in a variety of ways. Art therapy uses creative means to treat mental illnesses and improve mental health. It can involve various treatments, such as theater therapy, dance movement psychotherapy, music therapy, poetry, pottery drawing, painting and craft therapy.

Financial stress is one of the top reasons for divorce in the US. Building a budget as a family can help you strengthen your relationship, build trust with one another, increase feelings of safety and security, and prolong the healthy life of your family.

Here are a few tips for starting the process with your mental health in mind:

• Set a date in advance to discuss a budget without planning to actually start it yet. Every person in your family needs time to think about budgeting before jumping into the process.

• Money tends to carry a lot of emotional weight. Be patient and compassionate as you talk about money with your partner.

There are various ways to more deeply acknowledge and work with this eco anxiety feeling. Here's a list of some activities (with thorough explanation) that may provide you and others support...

1. Participate in ecotherapy; work with a counselor who specifically provides opportunities for ecotherapy that will deepen your mind, body, and spirit's connection to the Earth.

2. Go outside and into nature ritually! By bringing yourself away from society's busy lifestyle and by spending more time walking amongst trees, it is scientifically proven that your cortisol levels and blood pressure will decrease.

3. In the following books you'll be able to expand your awareness into eco anxiety as well as learn about the healing power of nature-human connection...

   "Generation Dread" by B.W.

   "The Nature Fix" by F.W.

   "The Well-Gardened Mind" by S.S.

   "Braiding Sweetgrass" by R.K.

https://dayton-unitedway.org/volunteer-opportunities/

https://www.daytonohio.gov/1027/Get-Involved

https://stvincentdayton.org/volunteer/

https://www.soche.org/volunteer-opportunities/

https://www.daytonmetrolibrary.org/volunteer/

Being in nature can:

• Increase your happiness.

• Decrease feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression.

• Increase cognitive skills.

Cleanliness and mental health are interrelated. A clean space can reduce stress, increase productivity, and improve overall well-being.

Ohio Benefits Applications: https://ssp.benefits.ohio.gov/apspssp/indexOHLanding.jsp

Food:

https://ohio.gov/residents/resources/food-assistance

Housing:

https://medicaid.ohio.gov/families-and-individuals/citizen-programs-and-initiatives/hc/housing-info/HousingForumQandASession5

Utilities: https://www.occ.ohio.gov/utilityassistance#:~:text=Ohio%20Housing%20Finance%20Agency&text=Utility%20Assistance%20Plus%20provides%20eligible,through%20local%20Community%20Action%20Agencies.

Disability:

https://das.ohio.gov/employee-relations/benefits-administration/disability-site-area

Unemployment:

https://jfs.ohio.gov/

Why is teaching recycling to kids important?

• It allows kids to start thinking about the environment and how they can play a role in helping to protect it.

• It allows kids to develop a sense of responsibility and discipline.

• Kids are able to understand where waste ends up and the importance of reusing and repurposing.

Here are some tips that can help you cope with retirement depression and finding new purpose in life:

-Embrace Change: adjust your attitude, acknowledge your emotions, set new goals

-Seek Social Support: strengthen your social network, enroll in a retirement transition program, join a support group

-Find New Purpose and Meaning: find part-time work or volunteer, nurture new hobbies and interests, get a pet

-Manage Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: spend time in nature, practice gratitude, get active

-Look After Your Health: get quality sleep, eat a healthy diet, challenge your brain, add structure to your days

-

A concept used to describe the optimal zone of 'arousal' for a person to function in everyday life.

When a person is operating in their optimal zone, they are able to effectively manage and cope with their emotions.

In this module you can click on what you need. There is information about saving for a home, college, taxes, and personal finance basics. No registration or cost, just click and go.

Spending time with animals has been shown to decrease cortisol (the stress hormone) and lower blood pressure, reducing feelings of loneliness, and boosting mood (NIH, 2016). If you don't have a pet at home, consider volunteering or even just going to visit animals at your local shelter!

• The City of Columbus and Jewish Family Services are partnering to offer free, professional, one-on-one financial counseling as a public service.

• Available to anyone 18 and over in the Columbus area.

• Interpreters are available in most languages, including sign language.

• Most sessions will be conducted virtually but can be scheduled in person as public health conditions allow.

• Information discussed with financial counselors is entirely confidential and will be kept private.

• Sessions can be scheduled at ColumbusFEC.org or by calling 614-237-9675 

Self regulation helps us manage our emotions and impulses. Practice your self regulation skills and read about the importance of them!

This link will provide you with some ways to support your mental and financial health and avoid turning to harmful coping practices.

Decide how much physical activity is right for you and your fitness level. Pick an activity you enjoy—for example, gardening, doing chores around the house, wheeling yourself around in your wheelchair, or dancing—and find ways to include your favorite physical activity into your everyday life.

This game helps build both non-verbal communication skills and the ability to recognize different emotions in self and others to help with empathy. Use the feelings wheel above for ideas of emotions!

How can early career exploration be beneficial to children?

• Boosts motivation.

• Allows for exploration and risk-taking with fewer immediate consequences.

• Helps students understand the range of career options available to them.

• Provides relevance to what students are learning in school.

Budgeting teaches the importance of:

• Planning ahead and allocating funds for saving, big purchases, and emergencies.

• Contributing to building effective long-term planning skills.

Feeling scales can help you

• Identify your emotions.

• Communicate your feelings to others.

• Practice coping skills.

Morning movement can help you:

• Make healthier choices.

• Establish a healthier mindset.

• Boost your metabolism.

• Sleep better.