One of the best conversations I had around mental health was with a friend who said to me, mental health, and working towards being okay in life is a choice as much as it is about support from our family and friends. Unless you make that critical choice to help yourself, no one can help you.
But when we talk about helping yourself, we often think about going to a therapist. If you have the means and opportunity, thatās amazing. But if you donāt there are a few things you can do in the meantime.
I. Take responsibility
One of my earliest lessons from my therapist was the importance of using the right words. Itās easy to say:
Itās my fault
Itās my motherās fault
Itās godās fault
Iām to blame
Iām horrible, Iām bad, I canāt do anything right
But as soon as you turn this into āI take responsibility,ā the tone and the way your body and mind react shifts. Try it now. See how your body reacts to Iām to blame vs I take responsibility.
Side note (which you can totally skip if you want): This is the difference between Inferno (blame) and Purgatory (responsibility) in context of the Divine Comedy. For the souls stuck in the Inferno, they will blame right from God to Satan to their neighbour for their misfortunes. For the souls climbing Mt Purgatorio, they know there is no one else but themselves who can climb the mountain and reach Paradise. So, they work hard, feed on the prayers of their loved ones and keep moving forward.
II. Donāt lie to yourself
Self-delusion ā Iām fine, thereās nothing wrong with me, itāll pass, itās just gas ā is the easiest way to derail your mental health journey. Use these words if someone asks you if youāre okay and youāre not in the mood to talk to them. But donāt use them when talking to yourself. Itās okay to have bad days but then acknowledge youāre having a bad day. Sometimes that acknowledgment takes away the sting of what youāre feeling.
III. Donāt advertise
I donāt like to talk about my issues and I donāt like to talk about how Iām coping. Even if I have had a discussion with my therapist, I donāt like to talk about it with others. Mostly itās because itās too personal and raw but itās also because I feel othersā opinions can sometimes have a negative impact on your progress. I mean how many times have you told someone youāre on a diet and how many times have you faced derision or why are you dieting pfft? You look fine. You should exercise instead.
Itās of course a personal choice. Some people find solidarity in community and via social media. I would still suggest you wait till the charge has somewhat reduced. If you feel the need to vent, a word doc or a tweet draft or a paper works just as well.
IV. Itās all about you
Donāt compare. This is another reason why Iām not for advertising. You have no idea the steps someone else has taken to reach where they have reached. I too share a sanitized version of what Iām feeling on my blog.
Your mental health is about you. Chart your own path. Find your own balance. Define your own peace.
V. Keep an open mind
I have found my epiphanies via songs, books, writing, conversations with friends, movies and sometimes just being. Mental health, much like life, is not a straight line. Be patient with yourself and be open to receiving your bodyās signals. Another lesson I learnt early on: your mind may confuse you but your physical body rarely will.
Bonus point: Write it down
I have a running note on my Evernote of all the sessions I have taken around my health, fitness journey and body image. It works as a good reminder that you have made progress; you are moving forward. Apart from that I also have a daily Gratitude app which sometimes doubles up as a diary entry or a rant. On a bad day, if I can remember one thing ā even if half my entries are around books and food ā it makes me feel hopeful.
How about you? What’s the one thing you do every day to take care of your mental health?
This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter
It’s a very important topic and you have written it in a very thoughtful and logical manner.
I don’t like to talk to anyone (about it or anything else) when I’m sad/disturbed (offline or online). Silence and solitude help me, like a therapy. And of course reading and painting and music.
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Yes I have found painting the best way to get my mind to shut up and just be. And thank you for your kind words š
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Metal health and talking about it can be tricky. While I was always impatient, after recovering from Covid I realised I have become more sensitive, more irritable, more anxious overall. Even minor things can develop into full-blown panic attacks. I am still trying to come to terms, talking about it with my spouse helps, as does social media ( I realised was getting mentally affected by the news).
I have also taken up Yoga , specifically Om chanting which is helping me in getting centred.
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Oh yes, I keep telling this friend of mine that make the social algorithms work for you. Curate your timeline and weed out accounts that cause anxiety.
So happy that you have found some way to manage your panic attacks. More power to you ā¤
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While I appreciate your efforts to write about traditional mental health approaches and concepts, I’d love to see you looking at the various forms of contemporary insanity in our country.
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Ha! Cannot really change the country so focus on finding my peace. I think your writing style is more suited to that in any case š
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That line, ‘I too share a sanitized version of what Iām feeling on my blog’ makes a lot of sense. For many days I had been thinking of how to write something I have been thinking about without fear of being judged. I often avoided talking about issues online unless I had too and even then it would be watered down several times. Putting up a sanitized version sounds doable.
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I hide my more charged emotions behind poems and fiction. And if I still find it too much, they just remain in my notes. But I do write them even if I don’t share them š
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Mental health has a bad name and even though all of us need some help at some time , we are reluctant to address it . I help myself with meditation , Omkar and prayer to help me get a focus and sense of calm . I also find that solitary walks help .
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I think if all of us can focus on finding our sense of calm, life would be so much better. Lovely tips Unishta š
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