Dealing with mental illness is never a pleasant topic, and with the 2020 virus and lockdown comes the reality of many more people dealing with mental health struggles. Around 1 in 5 adults will experience mental illness in some form.
Signs You May be Struggling with Your Mental Health
If you’ve never dealt with mental health struggles before, it can often be difficult to pinpoint when something is wrong. Feeling tired, anxious and suffering from low mood can all happen without it necessarily meaning that you have mental health issues, but it’s always important to know when there might be a problem, and when a low mood might be something more.
- Persistent low mood
- Restlessness
- Trouble sleeping
- Lack of motivation or energy
- Physical changes, like weight loss or weakened immune system
3 Coping Methods When Dealing with Mental Illness
- Know That it’s Not Your Fault
A huge part of the mental illness battle can be blaming yourself for how you’re feeling or feeling guilty for the way you’re being. It’s important to never blame yourself for anything you may be struggling with.
Overall, you should try to avoid feelings of self-blame or guilt, and understand that mental illness can arise in anyone, at any time. For more specific situations, it’s important, to be honest with how you’re feeling, and never feel guilty for having to say no to any situations which you don’t have the energy for. A lot of mental illnesses can rob you of the energy to socialize, leave the house or conduct your normal routine. So if you need to say no, do so.
- Find Professional Help
It’s important always to seek the help you need, no matter the mental health condition you’re struggling with. There are many supportive options out there to see you on the road to recovery, and for understanding what your mental illness means.
Your options include speaking with a doctor, seeking therapy or a rehabilitation service like psychiatric case management from the LA Team, being prescribed medication, or perhaps even a combination of all of the above.
Help is always available, and one of the key first steps is going to be to speak out about how you’re feeling and seek the support you need.
- Take it One Step at a Time
Mental health worries and anxiety can be exacerbated through overthinking and dwelling on the future. While it’s not always easy to avoid worrying and thinking ahead, trying your best to practice mindfulness and work in small steps can be a huge help. Mindfulness helps you to be fully in the moment and avoid your mind from wandering, as shown through practices like meditation. You can apply this to anything you do in your daily routine, like exercise or eating.
You should also be positive about any small step you manage to achieve, even if it’s as simple as getting out of bed or having a shower, as these actions can be very difficult for someone struggling.
Therefore, acknowledge the small wins and move one step at a time, at your own pace.