I am not a medical professional. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, I would first and foremost encourage you to consider seeking counseling as well as employ the use of the a hotline to discuss your immediate needs with a person who is trained in assisting you. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. Though you may not have thoughts of self-harm, if you find yourself distraught this is a great hotline to process your thoughts with someone who is there specifically for that purpose. If you're like me and deal with slight yet chronic mental health issues, I hope these Five Fast Fixes will help you. On to our scheduled program...

Our mental health fluctuates as our life evolves. Everyday, we're facing advancement in technology, growth in our careers, new opportunities, lost chances and goodness knows what else. We're plugged into the political nonsense, the growing homicide rate of our city, the fluctuation in affordability of lifestyle... seriously guys, we all have a lot on our plates.

For me personally, I've made a lot of effort to recognize when I'm not feeling my best. I track signs that my mental health is deteriorating by keeping a bullet journal (#13 is pretty much all I do). Recently, I made the decision to resist relationships as I started realizing that my mental health was so easily brought down by catering to others. I also signed a contract as the Executive Sous Chef of a new restaurant opening in Baltimore after abruptly quitting my very comfortable corporate job. After six months of unfortunate events, I had realized that my place of employment was a catalyst in my growing instability. These are some pretty life-altering changes. Today, I want to talk about five things that are small enough to do in one day to possibly improve your mental health like it has for mine. If we're not taking care of our most fabulous grey matter, we're selling ourselves short.

1. Yoga. I say this to people and I'm pretty sure they don't understand how much this can change their lives. I'm not talking about balancing in King Dancer on a rock next to an ocean. I'm talking about passively stretching for 15 minutes or less. I have two routines that I prefer. One is great for waking up in the morning; the other puts me right to sleep. I cherish these 15 minutes. It's my time to quiet my brain, get my blood moving through my limbs and focus on my body. Gaiam has a great app that offers guided yoga.

2. Water. If you're not drinking water and you feel like crap... I mean c'mon people this is a no-brainer. Your brain, body and spirit needs hydration. Don't like water? Add herbs, tumeric/ginger root, citrus... etc. Keep a pitcher in your fridge.

3. Go for a walk. If you're having that day that it seems impossible for you to even leave your bed (and trust me, I have these all the time), force yourself out of that mindset and go walk for ten minutes. You'll probably end up walking further. Explore your surroundings and take it all in. People watch, check out free outdoor art, take some pictures. If you feel especially crappy, this is going to seem impossible. You'll have a huge decision to make... stew in your personal soup of misery or get the heck up and put on some pants.

4. Call an old friend out of the blue. I know, I know. That seems crazy. Not into it? Write someone a letter. Everyone has at least one person that they think "I should really call so-and-so..." fucking call them. They're not going to be mad. Don't be disappointed if they don't pick up, just leave a pleasant voicemail and maybe try someone else. When you get them on the line, focus on listening to what they've been up to. Ask questions. Be engaged. Maybe if you shift your thinking onto how someone you care about is doing, you'll focus less on how shitty of a day you're having.

5. Make someone else feel good. Sometimes when I'm feeling my very worst, I think of something I can do that would cheer up other people. If it's hot outside, make some lemonade and hit the streets. Give it out for free and talk to new people. Write positive messages on rocks and hide them around your town. Leave smiley face post-its around your school or office. I used to put tiny dinosaurs all over my community college. It made me happy thinking about someone finding my treasures.

Being an adult is hard. Being in your twenties and trying to navigate the societal differences between generations while questioning your life decisions is way harder. Taking on new challenges is terrifying. You're not alone in this. We all have poor mental health days. We all struggle sometimes with our own mortality. You're irreplaceable though. There's simply no one quite like you. You deserve to feel your best everyday. Be well and take care of that beautiful brain.