It’s not rocket science to realize that you need to avoid certain things to get healthy. It can boil down to needing more exercise, or it can mean that you need to eat less carbohydrates. However, that’s not necessarily what we’re discussing here right now. We’re actually trying to understand what you can do to overcome a mental illness in the best ways possible. Yes, the things that may have got you into this rut to begin with are obvious to avoid, but what should you do? In fact, how should you cope by not only preventing an illness, but how do you overcome it once you have it? If these are some of the questions on your mind, then you’re at the right place. I’m going to list the 10 best ways to cope with a mental disorder. Just be sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.
1. Exercise
Exercise is a great way to deal with having either anxiety or depression, let alone other mental disorders. While, at least to begin with, it may take some motivation to get into, it certainly helps and gets easier. There’s no doubt that it — no matter the issue at play — makes a huge difference in your well-being. If it does not take care of you entirely, there’s nothing to fret. It can still help significantly; you have to keep at it. We all know about the endorphin rush and feelings of accomplishment you can induce from an exercise routine, and it actually works. Although it seems like commonsense, it does not hurt to point out what some people may not know entirely.
2. Diet (The 10 Best Ways to Cope With a Mental Disorder)
Diet is very important when trying to accomplish this gaining and maintaining of health. It’s without a doubt a great idea to keep a check on your diet, because what you eat can make a difference. Not only will certain food groups help you, these foods can have a greater effect on a diet as a whole. It’s not only about what you eat, it’s how you eat — it’s always about the greater affect of the body and mind. It is not always about “being on a diet,” because it is about maintaining a healthy and long-term eating habit. It’s not always about calorie restriction when you can also make this a part of your daily routine, especially if you have to lose weight.
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Losing weight can make a large change in your outlook, especially if it’s part of the reason you make be anxious or depressed to begin with. Eating plenty of vegetables, getting your daily vitamins through food, and eating plenty of healthy fats can make a huge difference. Intermittent fasting is also very beneficial to a healthy mind and body, considering that it can help your brain and body. Find the diet that helps and works for you, but there are diets out there with this benefit in mind. The ketogenic diet is great for producing ketones and reducing hunger cravings. Unless the reason you’re depressed is about not eating enough or your favorite foods, there’s no reason none of this can help.
3. Therapy and Mindfulness
Therapy is a great way to discuss or release your issues in a healthy way that does not involve compromising or hurting yourself and others even more. You could write in a journal or diary, talk with a friend, go for a walk, meditate, or even see a therapist. Therapy can come in so many forms that it’s almost too much of a general thing to do to include on this list. Afterall, there’s only so much you can do beyond unmitigated will and determination in overcoming a mental disorder. These things can help with this process, but they may not entirely fix it and can take a while. Having a mental illness go into a so-called remission is tough, and you can only expect so much.
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The main point is that you can discuss your problems in a confidential way without worry of judgement. That’s the job of a therapist — to make sure they’re taking care of their client. One of the key tenants you will often take from any kind of therapy — CBT and DBT therapy — is mindfulness and motivation. It’s simply about making that first step in the right direction, but it can take some getting used to. Knowing that things can get better is good, but having realistic expectations to avoid disappointment is better. Things may not always seem perfect immediately, but they will get better. You only have to work at it and learn to appreciate the small things in life … .
4. Supplements
Supplements can be a great alternative to prescription medications for mental health defects. Just because they’re all natural does not mean that they cannot come in extreme handy. There are numerous supplements and vitamin stacks on the market that you can take — in addition to a good diet — to help you with depression or anxiety. If you want something for depression, then you can consider vitamin D. If you’re anxious, you can take a vitamin B complex supplement to help ease the added pain. Afterall, you can find many listed online for added personal use to help with improving your state of mind.
5. Medication
Medication may seem like the thing you’re trying to avoid, but it can be a healthy option depending on the problem and medication you use. Dosing is very important, so having this discussion with a doctor is crucial to having a positive outcome. Along with having a proper diagnosis, a “med” does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. Medication is only supposed to help you get over the hump, but it is not supposed to make you rely on it forever.
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Regardless of all of this, having something to ease you out of a mental challenge is always useful when dealing with a disorder. Having a medication at hand is something you should not be ashamed of, even if you must take it for long periods of time. Just understand that it’s very important not to overdo it when taking medication, considering some of the side effects can be harmful. Medications can also have withdrawal symptoms involved, so be careful if you must use them.
6. Humor (The 10 Best Ways to Cope With a Mental Disorder)
Humor is great at relieving stress because of it’s ability to release dopamine and serotonin in the brain. Laughing and learning a little bit of comedy for yourself can be productive at keeping that wave of happiness going. Watching a funny movie or even doing a routine yourself can have awesome effects on your mental health. If you want a great long-term distraction and coping mechanism, humor is one of the better ways to go. Just be sure to not bring anyone else’s self-esteem in the process; this can affect you.
7. Sex (The 10 Best Ways to Cope With a Mental Disorder)
Sex is great, just like exercise, at releasing endorphins. Maybe you’ll realize that the one thing you’re missing in life is having someone to squeeze. It’s a nice way to make you feel a little bit better, because oftentimes, what makes people depressed is lacking “love.” All of those insecurities you may be dealing with can go away once you realize there’s less to prove. It’s not to say that relationships or anything sex-related can’t cause problems, but it’s always worth a try. If you can’t get the sex, then masturbation is an obvious and great working alternative. It can offer just as much without the strings attached too firmly.
8. Mental Stimulation
Mental stimulation is great at keeping you engaged and invested in something. Keeping yourself busy and invigorated is important, considering that it can help with feelings of boredom and depression. Yes, the problem is finding something to do, but it’s about making it a habit to stay out of your head. You can easily take of this, especially if it’s simply boredom, which this is often mistaken for depression. Either way, finding something stimulating to keep yourself busy is always a nice way to reset your brain. If you make a habit of it, you’ll find that you’ve gotten through most of what was getting you down.
9. Going Outside
Getting outside of a room and your brain is key to finding at least a little success in maintaining emotional freedom. If you stay stuck inside all day, you will become miserable. It’s not only this, because you will not feel like there’s more to the world than what your mind allows. It’s important to force your brain to realize what can steadily be lost from lethargy and claustrophobia. Getting outside can provide you with new activities, opportunities, and even that pesky vitamin D. Beyond this, simply going for a walk or going out to eat and interacting with others is great motivation. It does not matter if you’re inside or out, but it is important in gaining and maintaining your mental health.
10. Writing
Writing down your feelings, experiences, or dreams can give you relief from negative feelings. It’s always about riding that wave of positivity that almost everyone relies on from day to day anyway. You can often find out what’s upsetting you; there’s nothing stopping you from doing it properly. Not to mention that it can also give you a sense of accomplishment in beginning to appreciate the smaller things. You see, not only can it keep you busy, it can give you a place to escape to. It can also give you a chance to confide with yourself through “self-therapy.”
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Writing, in a sense, can give you catharsis through a better therapeutic understanding of your problems. There are plenty of ways to keep yourself from feeling down in the dumps when dealing with a psychological problem. It’s much the same as any other issue when compared, but you just have to keep at it. Get out a pen or pencil and a piece of paper, and begin writing. You can write in a journal or diary any day, and understand how your self-awareness can come in handy. Just be sure to not become too irrational in your happiness once you realize the help that you can attain.
