Your physical and behavioral health are both part of your whole health. One aspect of behavioral health that the VEBA Resource Center focuses on is self-regulation. Self-regulation is how we deal with stressors, and lays the foundation for everything else we do. It’s the ability to monitor and manage your energy states, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in ways that are acceptable and produce positive results such as well-being, loving relationships and development.

It Takes Just 5 Minutes a day practicing self-regulation to improve your physical health, resilience and ability to face difficult life circumstances.

Continue reading for ways that the VRC works to support your and your family’s behavioral health, including providing resources to help you learn how to self-regulate, and stay in touch with us on social media as we share other behavioral health support information and resources.

Download this FREE Toolkit!

Learn all about the power of self-regulation by downloading this free toolkit, including a Mental Health Calendar for 31 different daily self-regulation ideas that you can do in just 5 minutes!

Please fill out the form below to download the toolkit.*

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*Submitting your email will subscribe you to our VRC newsletter, which will continue to provide you with tips for your best behavioral health. You may opt out of receiving these emails at any time.

How the VRC Supports Your Mental and Behavioral Health

At the VRC, you will find many holistic services that support our Members’ whole health. All of the activities and tools you have access to at the VRC can help you strengthen your self-regulation. You will find options like fitness classes, acupuncture, nutrition classes, yoga, and more. Explore our class calendar to find live virtual and in-person classes at our Mission Valley or Kearny Mesa locations.

Questions about what your VEBA benefits can do for your and your family’s behavioral health? Just contact our Advocacy Department here or by calling 888-276-0250.

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Mind & Body Classes

Below are some featured classes, however we encourage you to view our full class calendar for additional mindfulness and movement classes!

One man doing guided meditation yoga self care practice at home
Ready for Today Meditation
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 6:00 am & 6:25 am

Start your day with meditation to help you to be ready for what comes your way. Studies have shown that daily meditation can improve focus, memory, stress level, and mood. You’ll only need a quiet setting, a comfortable place to lay or sit, and an open attitude; we’ll guide you through the rest. 

Young black woman sitting on floor in workout clothes smiling
No Sweat Energy Boost
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12:00 pm & 12:25 pm

A mini workout designed to ignite your metabolism and boost energy levels without breaking a full sweat. This can be done in a small space and in any attire. Come as you are!


A group participating in a mindfulness meditation session, mental health
Meditation Foundations
Wednesdays at 8:00 pm

Through a guided practice and simple awareness of body and breath, you will cultivate a state of calm focus, enabling you to respond to life in an aligned and open way.

group meditation in yoga studio, breath exercise, men and women meditating and breathing with closed eyes
A Deeper Breath
Sundays at 9:00 am & 9:25 am

An interactive stress reduction class where you will learn about different forms of energy, and how to use energy to move towards wholeness. This class incorporates the use of singing bowls, breath work, and movement to promote deep relaxation.

Self-Regulation Videos

To learn more about specific ways to practice self-regulation, check out these videos below. For more on overall well-being, visit our YouTube Channel.





Self-Regulation Articles

For additional articles on mental health and more, visit our blog.

Book Recommendations

Mindfulness

Growing Up Mindful: Essential Practices to Help Children, Teens, and Families Find Balance, Calm, and Resilience

BY CHRISTOPHER WILLARD

Growing Up Mindful helps parents, educators, and counselors learn how to embody and share the skills of mindfulness that will empower our children with resilience throughout their lives.

How to Bullyproof Your Classroom

BY CALTHA CROWE

Stop bullying before it starts. A variety of practical strategies are described in this book to prevent bullying and create a safe, inclusive elementary classroom where kindness and learning flourish.

The Way of Mindful Education: Cultivating Well-Being in Teachers and Students

BY DANIEL RECHTSCHAFFEN

The Way of Mindful Education is a practical guide for cultivating attention, compassion, and well-being not only in these students, but also in teachers themselves.

A Mindful Nation

BY TIM RYAN

A Mindful Nation shows how the benefits of mindfulness apply to the current challenges that affect each of us in our own lives and in our communities.

Mindful Compassion

BY PAUL GILBERT AND CHODEN

In this book, you’ll learn how traditional mindfulness and compassion can work in harmony to offer a new, effective, and practical approach to overcoming everyday emotional and psychological problems.

Gratitude and Optimism

Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life

BY ANGELES ARRIEN

What would happen if you made gratitude your focal point for one full year? This book presents a 12-month plan for making gratitude your foundation for daily living.

Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain: How to Retrain Your Brain to Overcome Pessimism and Achieve a More Positive Outlook

BY ELAINE FOX

In Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, Fox describes a range of techniques that can actually alter our brains’ circuitry.

Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence

BY RICK HANSON

Hardwiring Happiness is super practical, full of easy-to-use methods and guided practices to grow a steady well-being, self-worth, and inner peace.

Anger

Healing the Angry Brain: How Understanding the Way Your Brain Works Can Help You Control Anger and Aggression

BY RONALD POTTER-EFRON

Written by anger management expert Ronald Potter-Efron, Healing the Angry Brain can help you short-circuit the anger cycle and learn to calmly handle even the most stressful interactions.

Youth

Talking Back to Facebook: The Common Sense Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Age

BY JAMES P. STEYER

In this essential book, Jim Steyer offers a blend of advice and anecdotes that address the major pitfalls relating to kids’ use of media and technology: relationship issues, attention/addiction problems, and the lack of privacy.

The App Generation

BY HOWARD GARDNER AND KATIE DAVIS

The App Generation uncovers both the drawbacks and benefits of apps. The challenge is to venture beyond the ways that apps are designed to be used, Gardner and Davis conclude, and they suggest how the power of apps can be a springboard to greater creativity and higher aspirations.

Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain

BY DANIEL SIEGEL

In Brainstorm, Siegel explores how brain development impacts teenagers’ behavior and relationships.

Trauma

Executive Function & Child Development

BY MARCIE YEAGER AND DANIEL YEAGER

This book explains to professionals and parents how poor executive function (EF) develops in kids, what EF difficulties look like, and what creative and effective interventions can meet their needs.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

BY BESSEL VAN DER KOLK, MD

In The Body Keeps the Score, van der Kolk uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, while also exploring innovative treatments that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity.

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture

BY GABOR MATE AND DANIEL MATE

In this book, physician Gabor Maté dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems, chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise.

The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity

BY NADINE BURKE HARRIS

The Deepest Well explores how our bodies can be imprinted by ACEs—adverse childhood experiences.

Confidence

Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges

BY AMY CUDDY

Presence is filled with stories of individuals who learned how to flourish during the stressful moments that once terrified them. Readers will learn how to approach their biggest challenges with confidence instead of dread.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

BY BRENE BROWN

In Braving the Wilderness, Brown explains what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With a mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown changes the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.

Mindfulness Apps

Headspace: Mindful Meditation

Stress less, sleep soundly, and get happier. Headspace is everyday mindfulness and meditation, so you can make mindfulness a daily habit and be kind to your mind. Learn how to relax, manage stress, find your focus, and release tension in both the mind and body.

Calm

Calm is for anyone, whether you’re brand new to meditation or a seasoned expert. It’s also for anyone who needs a mental break, a soothing sound, or a peaceful night’s rest. Our guided meditations are available in lengths of 3 to 25 minutes, so you can choose the perfect length to fit your schedule.

UCLA Mindful

With this easy-to-use app, you can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere, anytime with the guidance of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. The app includes meditations in multiple languages.

Bambú

The # 1 app to meditate in Spanish. Bambú ofrece el mejor contenido en Español para meditar, relajarte y ayudarte a dormir. Con un gran catálogo de meditaciones guiadas y sonidos relajantes podrás descansar, conciliar sueño, dormir profundamente y gestionar situaciones en tu día a día.

Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame

Laugh and learn as you help a Sesame Street monster friend calm down and solve everyday challenges. This bilingual (English and Spanish), research-based app helps your child learn Sesame’s “Breathe, Think, Do” strategy for problem-solving.

Additional Resources

Care Navigation

If you’re looking for guidance on stress management or any other areas of health and well-being, schedule an appointment with a VEBA Resource Center Care Navigator.

Care Navigator speaking with member in a private session
Man outside smiling

Optum Resources

This toolkit from Optum shares resources on how to recognize if anxiety and stress are impacting your quality of life, as well as guided coping strategies and training courses for individuals and managers.

Access code: VEBA