Practical tools
A self-check tool, guidance on supporting a friend, and curated resources — organized so you can find what you need without having to wade through everything.
Work through these five areas and see your results. This is a reflection tool, not a clinical assessment.
Stress & Pressure
How much does the pressure you feel weigh on you day to day?
How often do you feel like you can't slow down, even when you want to?
When something goes wrong, how long does it take you to recover?
Burnout & Energy
Check any that feel true right now:
Sleep
On a typical night, how many hours of sleep do you actually get?
How often do you wake up feeling rested?
Connection
How often do you feel truly understood by someone in your life?
When things get hard, how likely are you to reach out to someone?
How much do you feel like you have to keep up an image around the people close to you?
Identity & Self-Relationship
How much of your sense of self-worth is tied to how you perform or achieve?
When you imagine a version of yourself that isn't achieving anything, how do you feel about that person?
How often do you feel proud of yourself for who you are, separate from what you've done?
What to say
What not to say
Online Therapy
Virtual counseling for students, often offered free through schools and universities. Good first step if you're not sure about therapy.
uwill.com →Subscription-based therapy matched to a licensed therapist. Text, audio, or video sessions. More flexible than traditional therapy.
betterhelp.com →Low-cost in-person and online therapy ($30–$80/session) for people who can't afford standard rates.
openpathcollective.org →Articles
Washington Post, 2019. The research that initially called attention to high-achievers as a vulnerable population.
Read article →The New York Times 2026. Practical, honest, and direct.
Read article →The Athletic, 2026. Performance psychology applied to real life.
Read article →The actor best known as Wesley Crusher writes honestly and without shame about living with chronic depression and generalized anxiety. One of the more unguarded pieces you'll find from a public figure.
Read article →Long before athletes talking about mental health was common, Donovan opened up about depression, stepping away from the game, and what it cost him to keep it all inside.
Read article →Podcasts
Dr. Santos teaches the most popular course at Yale, Psychology and the Good Life with ~25% of Yale undergraduates taking it. She has put the lessons into cool episodes that cover things like Making the Grade, Calm Can Be Courageous and Stepping Off the Path of Anxiety. I like how she shares stuff she's struggling with herself, and times when she decided to take a break and reassess.
Shankar is that cool older brother you wish you had. He tackles tough subjects without hesitation, looking for the one counterintuitive study or obscure behavior that reframes something you thought you understood about yourself. What I like about Hidden Brain is how it treats me as someone who wants to be genuinely surprised, not reassured. Most mental health content moves toward comfort, and Hidden Brain moves toward discomfort in a good way.
It's important to find a therapist you like, you trust, who gets you and sometimes someone who looks like you. Dr. Bradford creates space for therapy that's rooted in the specific cultural, social, and historical pressures Black women navigate. She's cool - check her out.
Sometimes I just need to laugh. I really like Paul Gilmartin, a comedian and self-described sufferer. He interviews guests about trauma, addiction, depression, and shame with a candor that clinical podcasts structurally cannot match. What makes it engaging is Gilmartin's own ongoing struggle, he's not a recovered host offering wisdom from the other side, he's someone still in it, trying to figure it all out.
Nervous about starting therapy? Wish you could listen in on other people's sessions from the comfort of your own room. Dr. Perel records actual therapy sessions with real couples. This sometimes feels more like parent stuff, but it's still helpful to hear how people work through anger, sadness and frustration. There's some moments of self-recognition and second hand healing.
Looking for official stuff? The American Psychological Association's podcast talks to researchers about their latest work. If you like hearing from the person who ran the study, explains the caveats, the methodology choices, tradeoffs and the actual uncertainty, this a great option for you.
Books
The leading argument for how smartphones and social media rewired adolescent mental health. Worth reading whether you agree or not.
View on Amazon →Bruce Springsteen's account of writing Nebraska while working through depression and anxiety. A rare look at how one of the most celebrated artists of his generation quietly fell apart and found his way back.
View on Amazon →Courses
Free. Based on the same research as The Happiness Lab. One of the most-enrolled courses on the internet.
Videos
The Harvard Study of Adult Development in 12 minutes. One of the most-watched TED Talks ever.
Watch on TED →Michael Phelps on Olympic athletes and depression. Honest and unexpected.
Watch on HBO →A coach who leads with empathy, not ego. Ted Lasso is one of the best fictional portrayals of male vulnerability, pressure, and what it actually looks like to ask for help.
Watch on Apple TV →"Rafa" delves into Nadal's mental health throughout his life, including the effect his formative longtime coach, his Uncle Toni, had when he conditioned a young Nadal to equate suffering with success. The series is available on Netflix.
Watch on YouTube →Call or text 988 (U.S.). Free, confidential, 24/7.
Text HOME to 741741. If talking feels like too much, start here.
1-800-662-4357. Free referrals to local treatment and support.
National Alliance on Mental Illness. Great for finding local support and understanding what you're dealing with. nami.org →