🌼 Techniques to improve your mental wellbeing 🌼

Plus: What kind of perfectionist are you? Take the quiz

View this email online Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Life Kit editor Malaka Gharib  May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and here at Life Kit, we think a lot about mental wellbeing. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.   If you’re dealing with distress and anxiety, feel stuck in an unproductive thought loop or feel constantly down on yourself, here are some coping practices to help keep your stress levels in check.    Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR 🌪️ If you feel overwhelmed with negative emotions and you're not sure why you feel that way. Observe and describe the emotion passing through you and label its intensity. Maybe you're feeling dejected and you're at a 3 on a 0 to 5 scale of emotions. When you're able to observe your emotion, this can "loosen the grip" of your sadness, anger or stress and "not be engulfed by them," says Jenny Taitz, a clinical psychologist.  ♾️ If you’re stuck in a negative thought loop. Reflect on the incident in the third person. It might seem like an unusual approach, but research has shown that it can help people get out of their heads and promote wise reasoning. In a 2014 study published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers found that people displayed more wisdom when trying to figure out their own problems if they thought about it in the third person. 😵‍💫 If you’re in an anxiety spiral. If you can't seem to catch your breath, you're feeling anxious or you're having trouble focusing — find a way to snap out of it. "Go outside, go to the bathroom, call a friend, take a few deep breaths," says Dr. Kali Cyrus, a Washington, D.C.-based psychiatrist. Your nervous system is being flooded with stress hormones, making it hard to calm down or see things clearly. So you need to interrupt the feelings that are overwhelming you by changing your environment, she says. 🫠 If you feel knocked down a few pegs by failure. Find ways that this moment might serve you. How can it be an opportunity for growth? Instead of beating yourself up, focus on being as objective as possible. Set aside your ego to build an honest picture of the reasons for your loss to do better in the future. 🏆 If you worry you’re too much of a perfectionist. While perfectionism is linked to anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns, it can also be a good thing, says Psychotherapist Katherine Morgan Schafler. Perfectionists see how the world around them can be better – and when wielded in a healthy way, the characteristic can be a powerful vehicle for change, she says. Take this quiz to find out what kind of perfectionist you are here. 🚨 New podcast alert! 🚨 NPR is excited to announce the launch of Wild Card, a brand-new podcast hosted by Rachel Martin, premiering May 2. On this show, Rachel rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life’s biggest questions. She takes actors, artists and thinkers on a choose-your-own-adventure conversation that lets them open up about their fears, their joys, and how they’ve built meaning from experience – all with the help of a very special deck of cards. Listen to the trailer here and find the episodes on the NPR App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.   Newsletter continues after sponsor message Listen Sponsor-Free Support public media while getting expert advice on health, finance, relationships and more with Life Kit+. You'll get sponsor-free listening AND that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with making a difference. You can also check out loads of other NPR+ podcasts with benefits at plus.npr.org. Explore Life Kit+ Interview of the week Photograph by Aisha McAdams; Cover: Penguin Press In 'The Unexpected,' Emily Oster tackles the emotional toll of difficult pregnancies. The economist made a name for herself using data to challenge the accepted rules of pregnancy. Now, she's returning to the topic with a book on how to navigate its complications. Read the interview here. In case you missed it Eoneren/Getty Images How to plan your dream vacation. Sometimes you crave a vacation — but actually taking one feels out of reach. Maybe you're struggling to find the time or save up the money. Or maybe you just can't seem to launch those plans out of the group chat. Overcome that planning inertia and take the big trip of your dreams. Here's where to start your search, organize your logistics and enjoy yourself. Listen to the episode here. How to practice 'deep reading'. When was the last time you got lost in a book? These days, the act of 'deep reading,' or reading with intention, can be difficult to practice. Maryanne Wolf, an expert in the science of reading, explains what we lose when we skim — and how to create an environment conducive to deep reading. Listen to the episode here.  Curbing needle phobia in adults starts with making shots less painful for kids. Approximately one in four adults has a fear of needles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of those people say the phobia started when they were kids. Researchers developed a five-step plan to prevent what they call "needless pain" for kids getting injections or their blood drawn. NPR's Short Wave talks with Dr. Stefan Friedrichsdorf of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, who works with a team of medical professionals to implement the plan at his own hospital, about eliminating pain during shots. Listen to the episode here. Colorectal cancer rates are on the rise. Here's what to know. In the 1990s, colorectal cancer was the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Now, it's the first in men and second in women — and rates are rising among people under age 50. This episode, we explore how you can lower your risk and make sure you catch colorectal cancer early. Listen to the episode here.   This cake-shaped zine may help you have your happiest birthday yet. No matter how old you are, having a happy birthday is one of life's great pleasures, says birthday enthusiast Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming. You just need to figure out what that means for you. Print out the zine here.  Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? 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