---
title: Taking Care of Your Mental Health and Learning Self-Care
description: "No matter who you are or where you live, the past 2 years have been especially\ndifficult for everyone around the world. Living in the US far from your friends and family\nduring a pandemic can be very hard to go through."
---

<https://blog.approachusa.org>

# [Taking Care of Your Mental Health and Learning Self-Care](https://blog.approachusa.org/taking-care-of-your-mental-health-and-learning-self-care)

 Written by [Ellen Willborg](https://blog.approachusa.org/author/ellen-willborg) | Jun 29, 2022 7:24:32 PM

No matter who you are or where you live, the past 2 years have been especially  
difficult for everyone around the world. Living in the US far from your friends and family  
during a pandemic can be very hard to go through. Making sure your VISA status is  
legal or worrying about war around the world can be stressful. Maybe you are a parent  
juggling both school and kids, or you live alone and haven’t seen your family in a long  
time. To help ease these feelings of anxiety, depression, or loneliness, it is so important  
to take care of your mental health and learn self-care.

Even before the pandemic started, I, like many others, struggled with my mental  
health. I had daily anxiety and even struggled with panic attacks, and decided to go to  
therapy. If you have gone through something similar, you are NOT alone. Talking about  
your mental health is just as important as talking about your physical health. Do not be  
embarrassed to ask for help.

Some way that I helped improve my mental health was by practicing self-care.  
Everybody practices self-care in ways that work best for them. For me, that means  
calling my sister, taking a relaxing bubble bath, or spending time outside in nature. For  
others, that may mean watching a good movie, eating a homemade meal, or playing  
video games. Sometimes it means setting boundaries with people or having that difficult  
but necessary conversation.

Take some time and think to yourself about what you enjoy doing and what truly  
makes you feel happy. Then, set aside specific time for your self-care. You might decide  
to take a walk in your favorite park once a week, or you might choose to watch an  
episode of your favorite TV show after your kids have gone to bed. It’s not easy when  
you have a busy schedule, but it becomes a time that you look forward to and  
eventually becomes a healthy habit. We have a phrase in English that says, “You can’t  
pour from an empty cup,” meaning you can’t help others until you help yourself first.

[View full post](https://blog.approachusa.org/taking-care-of-your-mental-health-and-learning-self-care)

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