Pause. Check In. Repeat.
October 7, 2025
October is Mental Health Screening Month—not just a call to action for clinicians and healthcare systems, but a reminder for all of us:
🧠 Check in with yourself.
🤝 Check in with your people.
💬 Ask twice. (Most of us answer “fine” the first time out of social etiquette.)
This isn’t about pathologizing normal human emotion. It’s about pausing long enough to notice—How am I really doing right now?
🪞 Screening is not a diagnosis. It’s a doorway.
Think of a mental health screening like you would a routine health check-up or a smoke alarm test. It’s not the whole story—it’s a starting point.
📌 Context matters!
When you’re checking in with yourself—or someone else—gather a little context first:
🌅 Has your routine shifted? (Are you on a night shift? Has daylight savings arrived again?!)
🧬 Any recent medical changes? (New diagnosis, illness, recovery?)
💔 Has there been a relationship shift? (A new love, a loss, a conflict, or unexpected distance?)
🧾 Are you feeling financial or housing stress? (Even low-level, chronic worry counts.)
🪫 Have you felt emotionally drained for more than a few weeks? (Sometimes burnout sneaks in quietly.)
🌈 Or maybe… things are going surprisingly well—and you're not sure how to trust that.
Mental health exists inside the ecosystem of your life. Checking in means you’re paying attention.
🧠 Mental Health Insight
In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, awareness is the first step. It’s what helps us move toward our values—even if we’re not ready to take action yet.
So your check-in might lead to different next steps:
💭 Maybe I just need to sit with this feeling and gather more clarity.
🪫 Maybe I’m not ready to make a change, but I want to acknowledge something hurts.
🛠️ Maybe this is the moment to adapt, set a boundary, or ask for help.
⏳ Maybe the only step today is noticing—without judgment.
💡 Self-reflection isn’t self-indulgence. It’s care.
Mental health screening doesn't mean Googling symptoms until 2 a.m (or is it ChatGPTing now?).
It means creating space to listen—then decide if anything needs follow-up.
One feeling at a time. One step at a time.
📚 Resources
📖 The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Kristin Neff & Christopher Germer (2018)
📖 Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett (2019)
🎧 Therapy Chat Podcast – Episode: “What Your Anxiety Might Be Trying to Tell You”
📄 Tool – Self Check-In Checklist
Track your physical, emotional, and mental state across one week—and see what patterns emerge.