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Directories and Resources:
Psychology Today Therapist Finder – filter by specialty, telehealth, insurance, location
Choosing the Right Mental Health Provider - Learn about different modalities of therapy
American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress - support groups for healthcare professionals
Emotional PPE - If you are unable to locate a pro-bono therapist via Therapy Aid, Emotional PPE also has a directory of pro-bono clinicians serving healthcare professionals
Introspective Spaces - Building reflective community for women in healthcare
Open Path Psychotherapy Collective – sessions $30–$60
Inclusive Therapists – culturally responsive, identity-affirming care
EMDR International Association directory
Somatic Experiencing International directory
Identity-specific directories:
Black Mental Health and Wellness Resources
Asian Mental Health Collective
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Trailhead: Surviving long hikes without losing yourself
The goal is not to burn yourself down to prove how much you care. The goal is to outlast systems that depend on exhaustion, like a forest fire that consumes quickly versus a managed fire that sustains the ecosystem.
Some trails are harsh. Some days are storms. Some nights are dark and silent. You need strategy, care, and pacing.
Coping Mechanisms 🌿
Physical Movement
Hiking, wandering, or walking without a goal
Dancing
Stretching, yoga, or simple movement (some examples: Bad Yogi, Yoga with Adriene)
Strength training or cardio
Cold water or warm drinks to reset your nervous system
Breathing exercises: inhale like smelling pine, exhale like blowing smoke from a fire pit
Releasing Built-Up Energy
Controlled yelling or screaming - Into a pillow, in the car, in the woods.
Punching a pillow or mattress
Jumping, running, or shaking it out, literally
Writing everything unfiltered and then shredding it (letting the paper ashes carry the weight away)
Creative and Restorative Fuel
Art, music, journaling, or crafting
Gardening or tending plants
Cooking or preparing nourishing meals
Sitting outside, observing nature, or doing nothing
Grounding During Anxiety, Panic, and Depressive Episodes 🌲
Anxiety says: the path is unstable. Depression says: conserve energy, wait for the storm to pass. Panic says: the bear is too close.
Grounding Tools:
5-4-3-2-1 sensory check: name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste
Press your feet into the earth and notice the support beneath you
Slow, long exhales like blowing out a lantern
Name objects around you out loud
Move your body in a way that feels safe and contained
These techniques help you stay anchored in the present, not lost in the storm.
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Strategies for Balance 🌿
Think of these as campsite rules for mental safety:
1. Choose Your Viewpoints Carefully
Use multi-perspective sources like Ground News to avoid blind spots.
Rotate trusted local and international news for broader context.
Pick a few Substack writers/journalists to follow, and only read those newsletters for a month. It’s a good practice in self-discipline, boundaries, and limited news intake. Here are a few we recommend:
Avoid endlessly scrolling social media: it’s like going outside in the cold, with no coat, and then expecting to be warm.
2. Set Boundaries
Check news at scheduled times (morning and/or evening, not all day).
Unfollow or mute accounts that leave you stranded in panic.
Have a ratio. For example, every 30 mins of news, you’ll do 1 hour of something that brings you joy.
3. Build an Information Campfire
One trusted source, one mental health check-in, one peer discussion.
Discuss your findings with peers, not just your own thoughts. Shared processing is warmth.
4. Humor and Levity 🌲🔥
Balance news intake with humorous content consumption - if we must coexist with the internet and its rapid output, we should at least enjoy it and laugh when we can.
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Digital Wellness Tools – tips and app recommendations
Tech tools to improve digital health
Digital Well-Being: Managing Screen Time and Promoting Healthy Tech Habits in Families
Focus Booster – Pomodoro timer for focus
Forest App – stay off phone and grow a virtual forest
Meditation and guided grounding exercises
Join others as birb friends! Finch
Crisis or grounding support if overwhelm spikes: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
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Food banks & pantries: Feeding America, AmpleHarvest.org
Community fridges & mutual aid: local Facebook/Nextdoor groups, Mutual Aid Networks
211 (U.S.): dial 211 or visit https://www.211.org/ for local resources
Community fridges and Buy Nothing groups
SNAP / benefits: SNAP Benefits