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Mental health is an issue in America, and many other countries, during the best of times. In 2019, the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a study that revealed that 51.5 million Americans were living with a mental illness. That number equates to nearly 1 in 5 American adults, and that was before our world was thrust into a viral pandemic! Our country has been through more trials over the last year than most of us have seen in our lifetime and it has had a strong effect on those of us suffering from diagnosed (or undiagnosed) mental health disorders. As someone who suffers from both generalized anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder, I understand how difficult this year has been, and it has been difficult, make no mistake about that. For those of you who are reading this and suffering as well, I hear you, I feel for you, and you are not alone. This will not last forever. You will feel happy and healthy again.
I would like to preface the following tips by stating that I am not a licensed counselor or psychiatrist. The tips I am going to share with you are things I have learned from countless hours of therapy and appointments with my doctor and have applied to my own life with success. Steve Maraboli author of "Life, the Truth, and Being Free" writes "Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't." We don't have the power to change our genetics. We don't have the power to control what is happening in our country and the world around us. But, we have control over what we eat. We have control over what we expose ourselves to. We have control over how we start and end our days. Let's start taking control of our mental health. Let's make 2021 a year of triumph.
Tools and Tips for Reclaiming Your Mental Health
1.) Begin your morning gently
Your morning routine sets the tone for the rest of the day. Keep your phone out of it. I found it really difficult to break the habit of picking up my phone and scrolling through social media first thing in the morning, so I started leaving my phone charging my phone overnight in the kitchen instead of my bedroom. If that's what you need to do, then do that. Studies have shown that the bright light and blue light from your screen triggers an anxiety-mimicking response in the human brain, so starting out your day staring at a screen is probably not the best choice. Give yourself an hour to wake up, make a cup of tea or coffee, eat breakfast, and get dressed and ready for the day before looking at your phone.
2.) Practice Gratitude
Start your mornings off with a mindset of gratitude. Instead of focusing on all the negative things happening in the world, sit down at the table with your breakfast and either mentally or physically make a list of ten things you're grateful for. They can be as specific as being thankful for the health of a loved one or as small as being thankful for your breakfast. Either way, train your heart in gratitude.
3.) Censor yourself
Know your sensitivities and your triggers. If you are someone (like me) who gets the sweats when reading the news, don't read it! Ask your partner or a friend to keep you informed about the really important things, but do yourself a favor and delete the news apps on your phone. Censoring doesn't just apply to keeping yourself away from the news either. If you're going through a rough time and you notice that certain T.V shows, movies, songs, or other things are making it worse then take note of that and love yourself enough to turn them off. I promise they will still be there when you're back on the upswing.
“Wall your life, guard your heart and mind your mind! A life without a wall least
blocks something! A mind without a wall accepts anything at all!”
― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
4.) Be Mindful About What You Put in Your Body
There are several vitamins and minerals your body needs in order for your brain to function correctly. If you do not get these vitamins or minerals, it can exacerbate and worsen the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Some of those vitamins are Vitamin D, a Vitamin B Complex (or at least Vitamin B-12), Magnesium, Calcium, Zinc, Omega-3 fatty acids, Lithium, and Iron. There have also been many studies that have found that taking a probiotic supplement (either in pill form, Kombucha, Kefir, etc.) every day can greatly lessen the anxiety and depression symptoms. Did you know that there are more serotonin receptors in the gut than in the brain? Gut health is very directly linked to mental health. You don't need to start any crazy diet in order to start feeling better mentally. The best way to eat is to make sure you're eating whole, natural foods and that you are eating a good variety. I think this is so important that I am going to dedicate a new blog post to this topic so stay tuned!
4.) Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is defined by Merrium-Webster as "the quality or state of being mindful" and "the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis also : such a state of awareness." I can not express to you the importance of this enough. Being mindful of your body in any given space, what your body is feeling, your breath, your thoughts, and your emotions, gives you back control. Mindfulness is not necessarily an easy thing to achieve and that is why I write that you need to practice it. Practice mindfulness throughout the day, observering your breath and the sensations in your body, and you will get better and better at it. Help yourself regain control in your life.
5.) Don't Give Up
This last one is the most important. Do not ever give up. Never lose hope. There is always a solution. Research further ways to help yourself, change the way you're eating, change what you are reading, watching, or listening to. Schedule an appointment with a therapist or psychiatrist (I see both) so they can help you develop the tools and come up with a plan to get you back to where you need to be. There is always a way. Most of all, be KIND and GENTLE with yourself. Forgive yourself for feeling this way. Get rid of all those guilty feelings I know plague you at night. Be kind to yourself on this journey because it is a journey and it's a hard one.
I will leave you with this one last thing, remember that healing is not linear. There is no "right" way to overcome something so personal and abstract as mental illness. Celebrate your successes and hug yourself through the trials. I promise you the sun will shine again.
References
“NIMH » Mental Illness.” National Institute of Mental Health, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml. Accessed 17 Feb. 2021.