Navigating my mental health has never been simple, sometimes it still doesn’t feel like it is getting easier. Everyday is different, some good and some not.
The hardest part has been trying to figure out why certain days I don’t feel good compared to other days that I do. I never seem to come up with a straightforward answer, or even one that makes sense. Over the past few months, there have been so many changes happening in my life that I would have never been able to prepare myself for. Struggling to find the positive side of it all has been a difficult process but it never stopped me.
Being someone that lives in constant fear of the future has led to the habit of overthinking. This generally causes a lot of the anxiety that builds up within myself which can lead to anxiety attacks. Navigating this has been extremely hard to do since I know that there is no automatic fix but something I have to work through.
The biggest realization I had come to was that a majority of the time my happiness would depend on another person. This was something I discovered when certain actions or comments by people in my life held the ability to impact my whole day or emotional well being. I always had a tendency to become attached to people in my life very quickly. This has been one of the hardest things to work through as a lot of the times I would try to remind myself that not everyone that enters my life is going to hold a permanent place in it, regardless of the impact they made.
While some days are harder, I have found ways that do turn things in a more positive direction. I found that journaling when I begin feeling an overwhelming surge of emotions has been incredibly helpful. Being able to put all my thoughts out on a piece of paper allows me to let all my feelings out with no fear of judgment.
Another activity that helps me is reading, while it is hard to get myself in the mood to read, when I do it changes everything. I love how lost I can get into a storyline allowing me to forget about my own thoughts and troubles for some time.
Having a support system has also made the biggest difference in my life. Knowing on my tougher days I can turn to the love and support of my family and friends has pushed me to see that I am surrounded by an overwhelming amount of love and support. Simply spending time with them, whether it be calling them on FaceTime or meeting for coffee dates, has given me a bright spot to look forward to in my week. They allow me to have a safe space where I can share how I am feeling without worrying about receiving any negativity or judgment.
I hope that by sharing my ongoing journey of navigating my mental health that everyone understands we are all going to have a different path in this.
Having hard days is okay, and completely normal. Finding those activities that you can incorporate into your life, whatever they may be, can make all the difference. This also goes for having a support system, I genuinely do not know what I would do without my family and friends through it all.
How do you maintain your mental health? Let us know @HerCampusSJSU!