Your Mental Health is in the
ORANGE ZONE.
Your mental health seems to be NOT O.K.
You may experience a limited range of emotions- like only sad, angry, afraid, or happy, and they persist for longer periods of time.
Your interactions with others are mostly unsatisfying and may leave you confused or drained.
You are likely struggling with sleep- either sleeping too much or too little, yet you feel tired when you are awake.
You might notice a change in your appetite.
Your work/school performance is deteriorating.
You may notice that you are engaging in riskier behaviors, such as increased substance and alcohol use, having unsafe sex, and driving at excessive speeds, to name a few.
You may notice low risk thoughts of suicide, meaning you do not have a plan, access to means or intend to die.
You’ve likely experienced mental health challenges in the past, and you may be experiencing some of those indicators over the last 2 weeks.
You may notice higher scores in 2 or 3 Indicator Sections.
You may relate to some of these images.
That said, everyone experiences each Zone in their own way.
What you can do for your Mental Health…
There is some urgency in the Orange Zone to choose actions and engage in wellness practices that will support your mental health and decrease the likelihood of moving into the Red Zone.
Recommendation #1
Reach out to a trusted person, community, or organization that can help, including mental health professionals.
If you wrote or recorded a letter to your future self in the Yellow Zone , try to make time to listen to it.
Make an agreement with your support network, including actions they can take if you move into the Red Zone.
If possible, take at least two days off from daily stressors to focus on your mental health. Try to involve at least one outside source of support.
Recommendation #2
Share your crisis plan with others and communicate what kind of support would be most helpful for you to receive now.
You might try these prompts. “It would be helpful if…You contacted me more…You contacted me less…You check-in on me via phone…You check in on me via text…You ask me to meet up for a walk or another physical activity that helps your mental wellness.”
Mental Health Connect ORANGE ZONE Resources and Services
As your Mental Health Ally, we offer a variety of services and resources to support you on your journey to maximize your mental wellness.
We offer concrete tools and action plans that answer key questions like What can I do? and Where can I find help?
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Professional mental health guidance can help keep you on track. This may be offered as brief Solution-Focused or ongoing long-term therapy to address the results of the indicators within your Self-Check-In. Counselors will review the Physical, Emotional, Social/Behavioral, and Cognitive Indicators with you and co-design a plan to help you reach your goals. Mental Health Connect offers mental health counseling for folks across socio-cultural, gender, sexuality, and neurodiverse identities. We are queer affirming and committed to eradicating anti-blackness and all other forms of racism.
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Mindfulness practices are varied and have been shown to positively impact holistic wellness. Exercises can often be done anywhere and anytime, cost nothing, and require no tools. These skills empower you to respond to and care for your unique needs.
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Meet with an MHC team member alone or with 1 or 2 folks from your trusted support network for a single session to design a wellness plan. Support network sessions help build network capacity to support mental health needs.
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At your request and with your consent, we may work with your trusted support network to assist them in developing skills that support your mental wellness.
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We invite you to take a moment to practice wellness and connect with MHC in a brief meditation.
Mental Health Crisis Response Quick Links
If you are experiencing adverse physical health conditions, such as chest pain, vomiting uncontrollably, persistent headaches, call your primary care provider, go to the nearest urgent care/emergency room or call 911 immediately.
If you are experiencing thoughts of death or dying, call 988 for a crisis response well check, text "Help" to 741741, call Trevor Project's crisis-line 866-488-7386, or go to the nearest emergency room.
If you are struggling with alcohol and other drugs, call SAMHSA's National Helpline 800-662-4357.
Let’s Work. Together.
Interested in learning more about ways we can support your mental health?
We're ready to partner with you. Send us a note.
Prefer to leave us a voicemail or message?
Call or text (831) 274-3274.