Mental health takeaways

(from thousands of journal entries and personal struggles)

You know when you have weak eyesight but you don’t quite realize it because it didn’t happen overnight? You might have realized it for a while but sort of learned how to live with it thinking it’s normal? When you finally give up and decide to visit the doc because you are not able to see the score of the tennis match on your tv? Or unable to read your book properly? And when the doc asks you try different lenses and you can finally see crystal clear again?

Mental health is similar to that very similar to that experience. You realize you are feeling constantly sad, not motivated enough but start to think it’s normal and learn to live with it.

You don’t deserve to live like this. You are so much more than that. You are amazing and I am very proud of you. So don’t be very hard on yourself and this is not the end of the world.

While I can just tell you hey it’ll all be okay in some time, that would be extremely shitty on my end. I do not know your story and even if I do, I don’t have any right to tell you it will all be okay and you don’t have to do anything. Well, I am no therapist, I have compiled a list that has helped me a lot personally (yes there are a lot of things you’ve read before a thousand times before), but trust me, they help.

1. I go stand under the shower. A hot long shower. Even if you feel shitty afterward, at least you will feel a little lighter and fresh.
2. You are probably sitting on your bed with crumbs of food and laundry on the side. Get up and declutter, Change your bedsheet and pillowcases or at least make your bed.
3. Before going to sleep, put on a nice podcast and put some drops of lavender essential oil on your pillowcase. You will feel so much relaxed.
4. Drink tea. Green tea for the days you don’t feel like making tea. My holy grail-no dairy, I like it black, I add ginger and cardamom seeds. And finish it off with some honey and lemon,no sugar.
5. Pet a dog. If you don’t have a pet dog, go feed a stray.
6. Journal. If you are struggling with a decision, make a quick pro-con list. You will feel so much better immediately.
7. Declutter your social media. So important, Half of our insecurities arise from looking at others and get eventually affected. If something or someone is triggering you, UNFOLLOW OR MUTE immediately. We don’t need an extra burden on our lives now, do we?
8. Talk to a loved one or a friend, but understand their limits. They can get overwhelmed too. Also, they might love you but sometimes fail to understand. Don’t feel disheartened about it, every person has their capacity. It’s totally okay.

I go to therapy but I know how overwhelming the whole process can get. It took me a great deal of energy to find a therapist with whom I clicked, whose meds actually suited me and several other factors. Not just the mental exhaustion, therapy is not cheap, I am not going to lie. Also in small towns or cities finding a good therapist can be extremely challenging. I have researched a lot of ways of finding an alternate way of therapy.

1. Acknowledge your emotions and feelings first. Accept it’s okay to feel what you are feeling and record your feelings, write on a piece of paper or record your voice or take a video. Sanvello is an amazing app, the best thing is premium is free!
2. Listen to podcasts that can help. My personal recommendations- The hardcore self-help podcast, Mental Illness happy hour, The hilarious world of depression. Feel free to add more to the list!
3. Be a part of or set up a support group of people going through similar things.
4. Organize virtual gatherings! I found a very cool podcast- Together Apart hosted by Priya Parker on this topic.
5. Smile more often, not for others, for yourself, you have a gorgeous smile! :)