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Abstract

les I’m facing, what it’s like to live with mental illness, and many other things. This has helped me <i>tremendously</i>.</p><p id="1c17">Writing about my mental health <b>like nobody is reading</b> has been exceptionally freeing and cathartic for me.</p><h2 id="d3cd">2. Exercise</h2><p id="ae12">Even though it’s hard, I do my best to exercise every day, even just for 15 minutes. This has been helping me feel better not only physically, but also mentally.</p><p id="c6a8">What I did was browsing my favorite YouTube fitness channels and choosing some easy, short, low-effort workouts that I felt like I was able to do every day. <b>No need to overdo it, just to do it.</b></p><h2 id="6a26">3. Try not to close myself off (too much)</h2><p id="bd29">There is only one reason for this: I’ve been doing this for my entire life, and the result was the downfall of my mental health, a devastating mental breakdown and the current impossibility of living a normal life.</p><p id="477e">Now, I don’t want to hide anymore. I can’t pretend to be “normal” anymore. I’m trying my best to explain what is going on (what has <i>always </i>gone on) inside of my mind to the people around me, starting with my boyfriend, who knew I had some mental issues but had no idea about the seriousness and depth of them, and my friends, with whom I try to be as honest as possible when they ask me how I’m doing.</p><figure id="2645"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*ZHojbDYgT5Kdd_e2"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@davidmonje?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">David Monje</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source

Options

=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 id="bc9d">4. Breathe some fresh air</h2><p id="a99f">This is the problem: my OCD and phobias make it really difficult and stressful for me to get out of the house. But for me, getting some fresh air and sun is really important to feel better. So, what I do is open the window, put my elbows on the windowsill, stick my head out and look out for a while, breathing and soaking in the sun as much as I can.</p><h2 id="f84c">5. Pamper myself</h2><p id="9814">I’m very serious about this.</p><p id="7979">I love doing my skincare and haircare, it’s something that really makes me feel <i>like myself</i>. So, I try to be as intentional as I can about doing my skincare routine in the morning and at night, taking time to take care of myself, and appreciating every single moment I spend doing it.</p><p id="7c27">In conclusion, I think it’s important to focus on little but meaningful things, that are different for each one of us, that really help us feel like the better version of ourselves.</p><p id="d9b5"><i>VERY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I am not, in any way, a doctor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a medical expert of any kind, in any field. This article is not meant to suggest to you what to do or not to do with your mental health nor your health in general, it is not meant to define what type of behavior or what choices are best. Take this story for what it is: <b>my very personal story</b>. This means that your experience (past, present, or future) with mental health and health in general could be completely different from mine. This is just my story.</i></p></article></body>

5 things I do every day to help myself fight mental illness

Recovering from a mental breakdown isn’t easy, but let’s do our best.

Fact number one: I had a mental breakdown two months ago, after having neglected my mental health issues for my entire life.

Fact number two: my mental illnesses (OCD, phobias, depression, and anxiety) made it impossible for me to keep living in my own home but, at the same time, to even pack to go somewhere else. So, my boyfriend filled a suitcase with his clothes, put me in a car and drove us to another city, where we had an apartment for rent which contract we had just canceled, and made it possible for us to have a new beginning there.

Fact number three: since then, we’ve been trying to start a new life, and I’ve been trying to recover. The following are the things I strive to do every day to help myself heal.

1. Write

I try my best to write and publish something on Medium every single day. In the morning, when I wake up (which can be at any time, but I struggle to at least get up, crawl out of the bed, sooner or later), I eat some breakfast, then I turn on my laptop and write about the struggles I’m facing, what it’s like to live with mental illness, and many other things. This has helped me tremendously.

Writing about my mental health like nobody is reading has been exceptionally freeing and cathartic for me.

2. Exercise

Even though it’s hard, I do my best to exercise every day, even just for 15 minutes. This has been helping me feel better not only physically, but also mentally.

What I did was browsing my favorite YouTube fitness channels and choosing some easy, short, low-effort workouts that I felt like I was able to do every day. No need to overdo it, just to do it.

3. Try not to close myself off (too much)

There is only one reason for this: I’ve been doing this for my entire life, and the result was the downfall of my mental health, a devastating mental breakdown and the current impossibility of living a normal life.

Now, I don’t want to hide anymore. I can’t pretend to be “normal” anymore. I’m trying my best to explain what is going on (what has always gone on) inside of my mind to the people around me, starting with my boyfriend, who knew I had some mental issues but had no idea about the seriousness and depth of them, and my friends, with whom I try to be as honest as possible when they ask me how I’m doing.

4. Breathe some fresh air

This is the problem: my OCD and phobias make it really difficult and stressful for me to get out of the house. But for me, getting some fresh air and sun is really important to feel better. So, what I do is open the window, put my elbows on the windowsill, stick my head out and look out for a while, breathing and soaking in the sun as much as I can.

5. Pamper myself

I’m very serious about this.

I love doing my skincare and haircare, it’s something that really makes me feel like myself. So, I try to be as intentional as I can about doing my skincare routine in the morning and at night, taking time to take care of myself, and appreciating every single moment I spend doing it.

In conclusion, I think it’s important to focus on little but meaningful things, that are different for each one of us, that really help us feel like the better version of ourselves.

VERY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I am not, in any way, a doctor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a medical expert of any kind, in any field. This article is not meant to suggest to you what to do or not to do with your mental health nor your health in general, it is not meant to define what type of behavior or what choices are best. Take this story for what it is: my very personal story. This means that your experience (past, present, or future) with mental health and health in general could be completely different from mine. This is just my story.