Self-care for the whole you
Mental health and wellness. Mental and emotional wellness are important parts of your overall health. Being good to your mind is just as important as being good to your body — and that means living a healthy lifestyle, paying attention to how you feel, and doing simple things to take care of the whole you. Here are simple things you can do to stay mentally and emotionally strong
| Stick to a sleep schedule | Move your body, lift your mood | Find your words |
| Lack of sleep affects your mood, mental sharpness and ability to handle stress. It’s also linked to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. To create a healthy routine, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day — even on weekends. |
Exercise can release tension, tame stress and improve your sense of well-being.
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Speak up if you’re struggling. The people in your life are there for a reason, so be honest with your loved ones if you’re having a rough time. They can’t help unless they know you need their support. |
Simple ways to be kind to your mind
Take a moment. Take a breath. Take time for self-care. Explore our broad range of self-care resources — including apps, audio activities, articles and more — designed to help you thrive in mind, body and spirit.
Small acts of self-care can have a big impact. These practices can help you wind down, find calm and feel better. Here are some healthy steps you can take now to support your total health. Find out more at Wellness resources | Kaiser Permanente.
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Classes and |
Healthy lifestyle programs |
Online |
Wellness coaching by phone |
| Connecting with others who share similar experiences can be incredibly powerful. Our classes and support groups are taught by trained instructors, designed to help you strengthen relationships, change unhealthy behaviors, cope with stress and more. Some classes may require a fee. |
Get personalized advice, encouragement and support to reach your health goals — entirely online at no cost to Kaiser Permanente members. In these programs, we’ll recommend some simple activities for your daily or weekly routine that can help you:
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Take an assessment and share the results with your doctor. We offer self-assessments for:
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Making healthy lifestyle changes can have big mental health benefits. A wellness coach can help you get started, overcome obstacles and achieve your goals — including reducing stress, quitting smoking and more. |
View the 2020-202 May Healthy flyer - English | Spanish.
Your guide to COVID-19 Vaccine Information & Updates
Kaiser Permanente continues to vaccinate our members and the public against COVID-19 and we’ve now administered more than 3.2 million vaccine doses in California. The fight against this disease will be won by getting more vaccine doses to more people. Starting April 15, we began reaching out and offering vaccine appointments to members 16 to 64 who are at high risk of complications due to COVID-19 based on their medical history.
We look forward to receiving enough supply to vaccinate everyone who requests an appointment. As vaccine supply increases in over May, we’ll be able to open more appointments and vaccinate everyone even sooner.
How to get a COVID-19 vaccination
We recommend that all who are eligible get vaccinated as soon as they can. Here are some ways to sign up for a vaccine:
- Request an appointment at Kaiser Permanente on kp.org/covidvaccine.
We’ll continue to add appointment availability as we receive more vaccine supply. We kindly ask that you don’t email your doctor for an appointment as they can’t book vaccine appointments for you. Individuals who don’t have access to kp.org may call 1-866-454-8855 (northern California) or 1-833-KP4-CARE or 1-833-574-2273 (southern California) for assistance. Please note that we are currently experiencing high call volumes and you may experience longer than normal wait times. - Find an appointment on myturn.ca.gov. People can look for available vaccination appointments at many locations in their area, including mass vaccination hubs and other authorized vaccine administrators.
- Go to your neighborhood pharmacy. Vaccines are also available at many local pharmacies at no cost.
If you would like more information, visit kp.org/covidvaccine.
Support Your Total Health with Calm and myStrength
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. To support your total health, Kaiser Permanente members have access to Calm and myStrength apps. These wellness apps can help you navigate life’s challenges, and make small changes to improve your sleep, mood, relationships, and more. They’re not intended to replace treatment or advice, but they can help you build resilience, set goals and take meaningful steps toward becoming a healthier, happier you. Access the apps or find other helpful resources by visiting kp.org/selfcareapps.
Calm — an app for meditation, mental resilience, and sleep
Calm is the #1 app for meditation and sleep — designed to help lower stress, reduce anxiety and more. Kaiser Permanente members can access all the great features of Calm at no cost, including:
- The Daily Calm, exploring a fresh mindful theme each day
- More than 100 guided meditations
- Sleep Stories to soothe you into deeper and better sleep
- Video lessons on mindful movement and gentle stretching
myStrength — an app to improve your awareness and adapt to life
myStrength is a personalized program that helps you improve your awareness and change behaviors. Kaiser Permanente members can explore interactive activities, in-the-moment coping tools, community support and more at no cost.
- Mindfulness and meditation activities
- Tailored programs for managing depression, stress, anxiety and more
- Tools for setting goals and preferences, tracking current emotional states and ongoing life events, and viewing your progress
Monthly Challenge
The May challenge is “Be Positive”. The Be Positive challenge invites you to not complain for the next 31 days. For some, this may seem impossible. Your mind might be filled with complaints that seem completely valid to release. Don’t be discouraged. Tackle these thoughts one at a time and you will eventually conquer the habit. Until you do, when you slip, restate the complaint as a positive thought and call it progress! When we give out positive thoughts instead of complaints we find the world around us becomes a more pleasant, enjoyable place to live.