If you battle with mental illness like I do, you probably know that the work doesn’t end when you pop a pill or leave therapy. There is A LOT more work to be done. Hard work.
Ultimately, keeping ourselves stable is our responsibility. Sure, taking meds and going to therapy is a big part of that, but it’s not everything. Our therapists can’t hold our hands every day, but they CAN equip us with the tools needed to help ourselves.
There are certain things that I have had to work into my day to day routine that play a huge part in keeping me both mentally and physically healthy. Some might seem simple and obvious, but trust me, to someone with mental illness, sometimes doing those simple and obvious things feels like climbing Mt. Everest.
Sleep. As I’ve gotten older, getting a good night’s sleep is a challenge. I have no problem falling asleep most of the time, but it’s staying asleep that proves to be more difficult. And while lack of sleep in and of itself is a side effect of mania, it is also a pretty common cause. If I don’t get enough sleep, I feel agitated, excitable, and reckless. So getting a solid 6-8 hours of sleep each night is really important for me. There are certain nights when setting aside the screens, doing a short meditation, or taking a small dose of melatonin is enough to promote a full night’s sleep, but others? I need the assistance of Trazodone, which I have to take shortly before I plan on going to sleep. It’s certainly not as heavy duty as most sleep aids (like Ambien and Lunesta which, frankly, scare me a little), but I do have to make sure that I hit the hay at a reasonable hour if I want to avoid the morning hangover. So the moral of the story is, GET SOME SLEEP.
Hydration. And I’m talking about water, here. Not coffee, tea, soda, or alcohol. Just good ol’ fashioned water. I’m not going to lie, this is one that I am still actively working on. For me, it’s not as simple as “just drink some water”. I am not choosing other beverages in lieu of water (except for my morning coffee). I just don’t get thirsty. Or maybe I don’t recognize when I AM thirsty and have learned to ignore it. I’m not sure, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m probably going to have to start setting an alarm on my phone to make sure that I do this one, simple task. Anyway, lack of hydration is bad for you both physically and mentally. I notice that when I don’t drink enough, I feel lethargic and crabby. My eyes, nose, and skin dry out. I get frequent muscle cramps. A whole bunch of no-good, not-fun things that could be resolved by simply drinking a glass (or bottle, or jug) of water.
Cutting back on the caffeine. I love coffee, but I have learned over the years that I can’t have too much. Caffeine is a huge trigger for my mania and I notice some pretty instant mood changes if I have more than my allotted two cups each morning. Even if I start feeling tired in the afternoon, I resist the urge to turn on my Keurig.
Meditation. When I’m feeling agitated or anxious, sometimes it’s REALLY hard to sit or lay down and meditate. So sometimes I just have to settle for some mindful breathing techniques to help settle me down. But if I can get at least 10 minutes of real meditation in, I notice a HUGE difference in my mood. And when I incorporate it into my bedtime routine, I find that I sleep much better than I would have otherwise. If you’re new to the process, guided meditation apps or YouTube videos are really helpful. But I’ve been doing it long enough that I often don’t need anything guided and I can do it on my own. Whatever way you can get it in is fine, though. Don’t overthink it. Learning how to properly meditate has been one of the most worthwhile things that I’ve done to improve my mental health.
Routine. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. I wrote a piece on rhythms and routines before and I highly suggest that you give it a read if you haven’t already. I often have to push myself to do things that I don’t initially want to do, but after it’s done and I’m moving along with my day, I always feel better. And falling into a routine is so much easier as time passes. It was extremely tough when I first started implementing it, but now? My schedule just falls into place.
Body movement. This doesn’t have to be an intense workout. It’s certainly not for me. Moving my body usually involves semi-regular yoga sessions at home, walking, and hiking. And housework, because I like to think that counts. I have a hard time with working out in the first place, so I tend to set the bar a little lower than most. My goal here isn’t to lose weight. It is simply to keep my mind and body healthy.
A well rounded diet. I am very careful about how I word this because I don’t believe in condemning any foods. But I notice that when I eat like garbage over an extended period of time (like on vacation or road trips), I FEEL like garbage. It took me a long time to view food as fuel, but now that I do, I’m a little pickier about what I do and don’t put into my body. And I say this as a former anorexic who refused to put ANYTHING into her body for a very long time. I still don’t have a very healthy relationship with food, but I have started listening to my body more. I need certain things in my diet to feel mentally and physically okay – proteins, veggies, dairy, good fats, etc. When I eat too much or too little of something, I feel it in a lot of ways. So I try to keep a lot of variety in my diet when possible.
Putting away the screens. I have noticed that too much time on social media is a big trigger for me. Not only does it keep me away from doing other things that I need or want to do, but the content is sometimes enough to send me running for the hills. Social media brings out the best and the worst in people and it’s often exhausting to navigate. Ain’t nobody got time for that. I prefer to put my time and energy elsewhere and focus on maintaining my sanity.
Self care. Technically, everything in this piece could be considered a form of self care. But this time, I’m honestly referring to the basics. Showering, getting dressed, maybe even putting on a little bit of makeup if it makes you feel more put together. One of the big things that can affect my mood is my skincare routine. I know it sounds superficial and maybe even a little shallow. But my face is the first place that you can really tell when I am in a bad place in terms of my mental health. I’m dried out because I’m not properly hydrating myself. I’m breaking out because I’m stressed. I have bags under my eyes because I’m not getting enough sleep. So after I’ve taken care of ALL of those things, I focus on my morning and evening skincare routine. Properly cleaning, moisturizing, and otherwise pampering my skin goes a LONG way for me. My skin physically feels better and my soul feels better too. And don’t let what I do pigeonhole you. Self care means different things for different people, so find what makes YOU feel good and carve out the time to do it.
Escaping reality. I know that this one sort of contradicts my “putting away the screens” argument, but hey, we all need some mindless entertainment sometimes. For me, it involves A LOT of reading. But if I’m just too tired to read, you better believe I’m bingeing a show on Netflix or Hulu. I mean, hello, the new season of Ozark just came out. So you know where I’ll be.
Saying “no”. This is, by far, the most difficult thing for me on this list. Setting boundaries is a very new practice and a constant struggle for me. I am a people pleaser… I don’t like potentially disappointing people or making them upset with me. I thought I was just being flexible, but in reality, I am constantly putting the preference of others ahead of my own. Therapy has taught me a lot about setting boundaries and teaching people how to treat me. It’s hard to go against your natural tendencies to do something uncomfortable, like saying no or drawing lines in the sand. But if you want to preserve your mental health, you HAVE to stop setting your peace aside because you’re afraid to rock the boat.
What are YOU doing to preserve your mental health? I would love to hear your ideas and the things that work for you.
Mind Over Mainstream 