Disclaimer- I’m really lucky to not struggle with mental health. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live with a mental illness and I have no intention to pretend that this list is a cure-all for mental illness. Instead, this is intended to be a list of how I take care of myself mentally.
Sometimes I find myself in the middle of a funk where I feel like I can’t do anything right. It’s like I’ve lost the ability to connect to the rest of the world. Everything that I do feels wrong. The way that I look feels wrong. The way that I woke up that morning feels wrong. I am wrong. When I get like this I know that I have to actively shift myself into a better mindset. Here’s what I do to reset my mental state.
- I’ll clean my apartment.
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You know what they say, “A clean space, is a clean mind,” Whenever I find myself in a funk my apartment is more than likely messy. When I stop taking care of myself I immediately stop taking care of my apartment. Just by cleaning my space, I feel instantly better.
- I’ll re-organize my google calendar, planners and evaluate my to-do list.
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One of the reasons why I might be feeling upset is because I’m overwhelmed. Reassessing my priorities and examining what I can cut out of my life helps out a lot.
- I’ll go to bed.
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I don’t sleep a lot. Sometimes if I’m really burnt out I let myself sleep as much as I need to. I’m really ashamed to admit it but sometimes when I decide to catch up on sleep I’ll pass out for a day straight. It’s not the healthiest thing in the world but, it makes me feel better.
- I’ll write in my diary.
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I like that I can be as ugly as I want while writing in my diary. I feel like getting out my feelings in a passionate but constructive way is such a mood booster for me.
- I’ll engage with escapism.
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If I can’t help but think about my life I’ll worry about someone else’s. After watching or reading something really dramatic my problems feel smaller and more manageable.
- I’ll put on makeup or nail polish.
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Focusing on myself even for a few moments makes me feel immediately better. I love the feeling of being a little selfish for a while.
- I’ll take a mental health day.
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If worse comes to worst I cancel everything so I can take a day off. It’s important to me to have a do-nothing day when I can’t shake bad feelings because I know that my work will be affected if I don’t.