5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Mental Health
If you clicked on this post and you’re reading it right now, then you’re probably sick and tired of your mental health basically holding you hostage. I completely understand. I was in your shoes about 2 years ago.
In 2019, I was about 14 years deep into depression, 10 years deep into anxiety and 15 years into PTSD. I was completely drained, exhausted and frustrated. I felt like my entire life, every decision I made and my emotions were controlled by these three disorders. That’s when I decided I was done. I was ready to take back control of my own life.
I’m going to assume that you’re in that place and ready to start your journey. You probably have struggled to start. It’s a challenging process but so worth it. Here are 5 things that I did at the beginning of my journey:
Journaling & Gratitude
I know, it probably doesn’t sound very useful, but just trust me. Start writing out how you feel. Whether you’re having a depression episode, anxiety, panic attack, insomnia, or just a bad day, write about it. Every thought, every feeling, every action, everything. Write it all down. Then, at the end of the day, write what you learned in those moments. This can be triggers, the physical effects, or even about the environment. Don’t overthink it.
For the gratitude portion, list three to five things that you are grateful for every day. You can do this first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. I don’t recommend doing it in the middle of the day because your emotions or activities can influence how you think. Start with small things that you need everyday (water, food, clothes, etc.) then slowly add bigger things (family, friends, work, etc.). This makes you feel like you have so much more to live for by turning 5 big things into 15 smaller things.
Exercise
This one actually has some science behind it. I recommend reading this article about how exercise has a positive impact on mental health. From my personal experience, when I exercise, my mental health tends to be better. Overall, I feel better and that makes a huge difference.
Give your body energy - food & water
I’m sure there is some scientific research with this, however I’m going to tell you my experience. My diet before I started my mental health journey was horrible. I was drinking more Dr. Pepper than anything, ate out for nearly every meal, and always had ice cream or candy in my house. I gained a lot of weight. After getting so sick of eating out, I started only eating one meal a day. This was equally just as bad for my physical health as my mental health. I lost 40 pounds super fast. I felt a little better, but I also felt weak and fatigued all the time.
It’s important that you give your body the right amount of nutrition, as well as healthy nutrition. Make sure you’re eating enough but not overeating,slow down when you eat, and drink a ton of water. I’m not a nutritionist or physical trainer or anything of that nature. However, I can tell you that my mental health got so much better when I started taking care of my body. It also gave me so much more energy.
Find something you enjoy and do it
This can literally be anything. Watching sports, crafting, painting, reading, or whatever it may be. Find something that you like or are passionate about and put all your focus into that when you are having a mental health episode.
For me, it was photography. I loved taking pictures so I spent a lot of my time looking at other’s photography, trying new ideas, and practicing editing. I put a lot of time into it and it kept me focused on something tangible, which allowed me to feel accomplished and proud.
Meditation
I know, you might be rolling your eyes, but hear me out. I didn’t believe in meditation and I still struggle to believe that it works for a lot of things. However, it has worked in a few situations I have been in. I first started using it to help me fall asleep. I have major insomnia so I was desperate. I’m not kidding when I tell you, I was asleep in 10 minutes compared to my normal two hour frustration. I still resort to meditation to help me sleep sometimes.
If you get nothing out of this post, I want you to take one thing. Mental Health is not a one-size-fits-all. Everyone is different. Everyone handles mental health differently. There is no special formula. I encourage you to try these in different ways that may work for you. Again, it’s not a one-size-fits-all, so what worked for me, may not work for you.
I wish you the absolute best in your journey and hope all the best things for you. Remember to keep moving forward. You are worth it.
Which one of these are you trying first? Let me know in the comments below.