Depression and other mental health problems are devastating experiences that may affect you in the long term. Mental illness and symptoms of it (anxiety, addiction, fatigue, depressive episodes, physical illness) can affect you physically and mentally, even impacting your self-esteem and relationship with others. Luckily, there are positive coping mechanisms you can practice no matter how serious your mental health challenge feels. Small habits build over time and can be used as holistic methods of improving your outlook or even your symptoms. Whether you are experiencing depression or other serious mental illness, follow the steps below to increase your quality of life whenever possible.
Seek Professional Help
Seeking professional support is the first holistic step towards managing any mental health condition. Professionals are available at each step of your treatment to help diagnose, treat, and promote recovery when possible. For severe depression or suicidal thinking, see a mental health crisis center with licensed psychiatrists to evaluate and support you. For addiction struggles, consider enrolling in a detox center to learn the steps to success in recovery at your own pace. For mild anxiety or unexplained fatigue, you may consider seeing a licensed psychologist to uncover the emotions behind the expression of your pain. You can also research mental health organizations that provide community and solidarity for people in your situation so you never have to feel alone. Seeking professional help sets a healthy foundation for managing any mental health condition.
Find Ways to Vent
Mental illness is extremely draining, both physically and emotionally. There is no shame in feeling lost or discouraged in your struggle, but there is no need to go through it alone. Developing a strong support system can give you healthy spaces to release emotions or energy around people who care. Consider enrolling in a support group with others who can relate and empathize with your worst days. Call an anonymous helpline if you feel stable but would like to let go of issues without speaking to someone you know. Venting can even look like reaching out to a loved one when you feel your environment overwhelming you. The grounding effect of leaning on someone who cares about you can ease some of the burden of living with mental illness and feeling alone.
Nourish Your Body
Nourishing your body whenever you can is likely to ease some of your pain and protect your body against lifestyle-related symptoms of your mental illness. For example, depression can cause extreme fatigue and lack of energy that can be supplemented with higher energy meals. While eating high energy food will not “solve” your depression, it can certainly recharge your body and protect the energy you do have. You can also take advantage of healthy meal delivery or grocery shopping if you experience frequent depressive episodes that keep you stuck at home. With technology, you have more options to preserve your quality of life with no extra effort to you if your diet is suffering from depression. Lastly, consider working with a registered dietitian or nutritionist if your mental health impacts your eating frequently to prevent malnutrition.
Stay Active
Staying active while experiencing severe mental health challenges is rarely possible. While it is not realistic to expect yourself to find energy or motivation to work out during an anxiety attack or in short term recovery from addiction, you can implement daily habits that help. Wherever you are now is a great starting point to find opportunities in your everyday routine to keep yourself energized and moving. Ask your therapist to conduct walking sessions when it is nice out. Stretch before bed if your anxiety impedes your sleep. On good days, consider a run outside to bring positive vibes into your day. On bad days, allow yourself the flexibility of not sticking to your routine and feel confident that you will resume when you are well.
Find Ways to Rest
Finding opportunities to recharge is just as important as staying active. Since mental illness is so physically draining, you will need to prioritize your resting time to restore your strength. Ask your psychologist to show you how to properly meditate and practice healing affirmations. Building your thought patterns is a method of growing your resilience, especially since mental health is so dependent on your way of thinking. There is no shame in taking mental health days from work if you feel it will benefit your experience and ability to perform. When living with mental illness such as depression, even performing daily tasks can drain your energy and motivation. Challenge yourself to rest when the phases of your mental illness require you to simply take a step back and let go.
Practice Self-Discovery
Personal development is not always possible when you are in the depths of your struggles with mental illness, but you can incorporate it into your long-term lifestyle anyway. Learning from the challenges and maximizing your good times are both habits you can get into no matter how serious your mental illness is. If you suffer from depression, perhaps you practice journalism to notice which environments promote your best days. If you are in addiction recovery, work with your treatment provider to understand the coping mechanisms you need to move past your illness. If you are manic, learn about the activities that light you up and bring you purpose and which ones are signs that you require support. When you live with mental illness, self-discovery is just as possible if you are willing to learn from the challenges as well.
Seek Positivism
The last holistic method of managing your mental illness is to seek and incorporate positivity into your daily lifestyle. The intentions behind your actions are always either to hurt or benefit yourself, so consider why and how you do things daily. Even reframing your daily actions can make a world of difference in how you view your experience with mental illness. For example, you can view taking anxiety medication as “dealing with your mental illness” or “taking the best care of yourself possible”. You can eat something healthy because you “have to” or you can do it because your energy levels and severity of your symptoms will drastically change based on how you eat. Seeking positive in the smallest actions can help you feel your best no matter how much you are capable of doing each day.
There are many holistic ways to deal with serious mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and addiction. Everybody has a unique experience in their daily lives that can be improved with reframing, positivity, asking for help, and improving small habits. Although mental illness can cause you to feel lost or out of control, you can regain that feeling by taking control over what you can. You are always in control of who you ask for help, how you nourish your body, and when you take a step back from an overwhelming situation. Learning how to find positivity and rethink why and how you move through your day can improve your confidence and coping skills in healthy ways. The next time you feel discouraged by your fight with mental illness, implement these skills and watch your lifestyle feel more manageable.