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For Everyone
The first step is finding simple ways to manage your stress right now.
Mindfulness Meditation
Listen to these mindfulness meditations anywhere, anytime. Mindfulness can help manage stress-related physical conditions, reduce anxiety and depression, cultivate positive emotions, and help improve overall physical health and well-being.
Managing Stress
Developed by the Los Angeles County DMH + UCLA PublicPartnership for Wellbeing, Recognizing Stress is a brief video that depicts what many families faced during the COVID-19 Pandemic; job loss, online schooling, fears of infection, reduced access to group activities, and difficult conversations. In addition, mental health experts share strategies to recognize common experiences of stress and strategies to manage them.
Deep Breathing for Beginners
A guide shows you deep breathing exercises in 4 simple steps for improving oxygen uptake and reducing stress and fatigue.
Find Your Stress Busting Activities
Need help getting started? Use this chart from California’s Office of the Surgeon General to find new everyday activities to help you manage stress and feel better.
Tips for Survivors of a Pandemic: Managing Stress
This tip sheet describes some of the common reactions to pandemics and other disasters and suggests ways to deal with them. It also covers financial stress, signs to seek professional mental health help, and lists sources of help and support.
Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event
This brochure explains the signs and symptoms of retraumatization and gives guidance on how to manage the symptoms. It provides resources for building resilience.
Tips for Healthcare Professionals: Coping with Stress and Compassion Fatigue
This tip sheet explores stress and compassion fatigue, as well as signs of distress after a disaster. It identifies ways to cope and enhance resilience, along with resources for more information and support.
For Kids
The next step is finding easy ways to manage stress in your everyday life.
Once I was Very Very Scared
This story was written to help children and grown-ups (parents, teachers, and other important adults) understand how stress can affect children and ways to help them.
Butterfly Breath
Use this handout with your children to help them feel calm, manage tough emotions, shift their mood, and reduce their stress.
Tune In: A Mindfulness Activity for Kids
This video invites caregivers and their children to sit with one another and tune in to their own feelings, thoughts, sensations, and environments to bring calm.
Thought Bubbles! Mindfulness for Children
This video teaches children how to "blow" their thoughts away with a mindful meditation.
Breathing Butterfly
A stress relief app that offers guided meditations and games to help keep you calm and focused.
For Parents and Caregivers
Let’s find some active ways to help you make a change.
Anxiety Disorders in Children
To learn about anxiety in your children and teens, please see here.
Anxiety and Avoidance: How Negative Reinforcement Fuels Anxiety
In this excerpt from the Managing Student Stress and Anxiety Course developed by the DMH + UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence, Dr. Monica S. Wu, UCLA Center for Child Anxiety Resilience and Support (CARES) talks about ways to help your child with anxious feelings at home and at school.
For LGBTQ+ Youth
Let’s find some active ways to help you make a change.
How LGBTQ Youth Can Cope With Anxiety and Stress During COVID-19
This resource includes words of comfort and tips for managing stress and tense emotions.
Supporting LGBTQ Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Parents and caregivers can follow these tips, from experts of the Los Angeles County DMH + UCLA Public Partnership for Wellbeing, to support their LGBTQ youth during physical distancing.
Additional resources can be accessed at learn.wellbeing4la.org.
About Mental Health
Let’s find some active ways to help you make a change.
What is Mental Health?
Many things affect our mental health. Learn more with this video.
What is Depression?
Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world but many of us don’t know much about it. Watch this video to learn more.
Mental Health Literacy Pyramid Explained
This video clarifies the differences between Mental Health, Mental Distress and Mental Illness.
Child Mind Institute: Depression
The resources here are for parents of children and teens who might experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and more.
Free Apps
Let’s find some active ways to help you make a change.
Sanvello: Anxiety & Depression
A place to feel better: Sanvello gives you clinically proven therapies for dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, or whatever you may be going through.
The Safe Place: An App for Black Mental Health
This app offers tips and strategies to manage the changes brought on by COVID19, including staying in touch with others and connecting with faith virtually. It lets you keep track of the strategies that work for you.
PTSD Coach
If you are a Veteran with symptoms of PTSD, this app may be helpful for you.
Mindshift App: Work Toward Daily Mindfulness With Mindshift
MindShift is an interactive app that uses scientifically-proven strategies based on cognitive behavioral therapy to help you relax and be mindful, develop more effective ways of thinking, and use active steps to take charge of your anxiety.
