Mental illness can be scary, it is easy to feel like you are the only one going through it. For me, living with mental illness has been like a constant game of whack-a-mole. One day I might feel great, almost normal. Then the next I’ll find myself hiding in my room again, convinced that someone is trying to kill me.

These are the moments when I have to rely on my support network. Thankfully, there are many ways we can help ourselves get better and stay better when an incident hits. Staying connected to friends and family; practicing healthy habits and making use of medication.

Medication Helps Me Think Clearly

In case of any medical condition, it’s important to speak with a doctor when you notice the first signs of a mental illness. Getting diagnosed and prescribed medication is the first step toward feeling better. The medication helped me with a range of symptoms in combination with therapy, healthy eating, and regular exercise. Medication can be used to treat anxiety, and depression and helped me in managing the symptoms like mood swings, insomnia, etc.

The Value of Therapy

Therapy helped me against mental illness and develop skills to stay healthy. It helps me process and understand my past including the trauma I experienced as a child. Unfortunately, people often associate therapy with weakness or a sign that you’re “crazy.” In reality, therapy is a sign of strength: It shows that you’re willing to put in the hard work to get better.

Exercise Helps Me Breathe and Stay Grounded

The exercise proved crucial in managing and preventing anxiety and depression. It has helped me to regulate neurotransmitters in the brain that are often out of balance in those with mental illnesses. Exercise proves effective for me to reduce stress and anxiety, improve self-esteem and mood, and strengthen my immune system. Exercises that involve your whole body and make you break a sweat will have the most impact. Activities like yoga, swimming, hiking, or dancing all proved helpful. Exercise doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment, but it does need to be regular. Even 10 minutes a day can be enough to make a positive impact. Exercise also helped in improving sleep.

Nutrition Helps My Brain and Body Function Better

Eating healthy is one of the best ways to boost your mental health and avoid future bouts of illness. For me, eating a balanced diet of fresh vegetables, proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats worked best. There are no dietary cures for mental illness, eating well can make it easier to manage when you have an illness.

Conclusion

It is crucial to listen to your body if one strategy isn’t working, try another. If one strategy is helping a lot, keep performing it as much as you can. There’s no instant fix for mental illness. It can be a lifelong mission that needs a lot of self-care and support. But with the right assistance mindset, we can all get better. We can all prosper despite our challenges.