Use household ingredients to make this therapeutic tool for stress relief and strengthening. Many individuals use stress balls as a tool for relief. Putty can be made at home as an alternative for stress relief or other uses such as easing arthritic pain.

Write the story of your life and use the practice of writing for self-affirmation. Writing your life story can have a positive effect on your mental health as well as cognitive functioning. Particularly when focusing on difficult events, writing can help you release feelings of tension while allowing your mind to make sense of chaotic experiences.

Start a new therapeutic hobby and and enjoy the meditative practice of macrame! Practicing macrame utilizes fine motor skills through finger and hand strengthening. Work on improving visual motor skills, hand eye coordination, executive function with sequencing, and stamina.

Learn how to reduce pain from arthritis through visualization and use your mind to help you overcome difficulties. Pain can release stress hormones throughout your body which can cause additional damage. Guided imagery is a way to use a meditative practice to stop your body from releasing stress hormones.

The American Heart Association indicates that stroke is common in the United States. Comprising one in every 19 deaths, stroke affects someone every 40 seconds. It is important to spread awareness during the month of May to help more people recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke as well as what it is, how to prevent stroke, and resources for recovery after experiencing a stroke.

Affecting approximately one in four adults in the US, arthritis is of the most common health conditions. During the month of May, we participate in Arthritis Awareness Month in an effort to draw more attention to this chronic condition and help more people in our communities understand it. Generally, arthritis is an inflammatory or degenerative condition which affects the joints throughout the body.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it's a great time to reflect on the importance of mental health in the workplace.

In today's fast-paced work environment, it's not uncommon for individuals to experience stress and burnout.

During the month of May, we have the opportunity to promote better hearing and speech. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) joins other organizations in observation of Better Hearing and Speech Month. It is rather common for individuals to experience issues related to communication, with at a minimum of 46 million people affected in the United States alone.

May is Mental Health Month. During this month, we aim to raise awareness about mental health, how common mental health disorders are, and how occupational therapy plays a role in treatment. Mental health issues can be categorized in many different ways depending on the individual.

This activity uses the metaphor of spring cleaning to promote self-care, organization, and mental decluttering. Participants will reflect on their physical and mental "clutter," then plan small actions to refresh their environment and routines — a little OT for your life!

Mindful Sudoku Puzzle Practice is a therapeutic activity that combines the cognitive challenge of Sudoku with the calming practice of mindfulness. The game focuses on improving mental cognition and promoting mental health.

Engage visual perceptual skills with a fun word-search! Celebrate the change of season and remind yourself of some of the words we think of when we think springtime. It is easy to print this out or use a device to find each word.

With the changing of the seasons, it is a great time to revisit our routine and incorporate new healthy habits! One easy way to “spring into health” with the spring season is to keep track of our movement. It is so important to move every day, and all movement matters!

Try this simple way to reach a place of calm when you are feeling anxious or stressed. Each card has ideas to engage one sense (and one wildcard to incorporate a random sense!) After you’ve printed out your cards, give them a shuffle, then choose a card.

Self-care looks different for everyone and sometimes it is difficult to decide how you want to engage in self-care. Our Self-Care Alphabet can give you a new idea to incorporate into your routine! Be sure to make time for yourself and prioritize the activities that will support your emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

We all have different abilities and can use support to keep our life more organized. Life skills develop over time and can be reinforced with regular practice of habits. See what’s included in our packet!

In our article, Autism Awareness — Caregiver Support, we talk about the numerous ways that caregiving is often a lifelong commitment to another, which comes with difficulties, stress, and adjustments along the way. For caregivers of all kinds, it can be one less item on the list to have a tool to keep track of things! Use our information worksheet to log the health and well-being of your loved one.

This craft uses fine motor skills to cut, trace and paint if you choose. Work on visual motor skills with tracing and cutting with accuracy, along with hand strength and dexterity to cut and assemble the house. We use our executive functions when following steps of sequencing correctly as well.

Planting a seed and tending to its growth uses fine motor skills with pinching, pouring, and scooping the seeds and dirt. Work on development of language skills to describe the items. This activity includes sensory exploration through different textures, socials skills to communicate and share (if doing with another person). Utilize executive functions through sequencing each step in the correct order.