For me the best way to take care about my mental health is:
- Spending time in nature
I live near forest so for me the easiest way is just go for a walk. Sometimes I’m overstimulated and being close to the nature helps me to calm down and find inner peace. I’m trying to be connected to nature using all of my senses and practice grounding whenever it’s possible. Looking at waves, touching sand, smell of herbs in warm day all of this makes me happy.
- Being creative
As you probably know I’m really creative person. Since I was child it helped me to regulate emotions and deal with difficult situations. Being creative reduce stress because my body is relaxed and I’m focus on being here and now, drown deeply in the moment. It puts me in the flow state. It’s like natural high when anything else disappears and you feel pure happiness.
- Eating healthy
And now is time to tell my mantra: hashimoto, pcos, insulin resistance it’s something what I have to deal everyday. As many probably know thyroid disease can affect mood and mental health often causing depression. So I have no choice and I have to eat healthy or suffer because of constant fatigue, difficulty concentrating or thinking. I’m vegetarian since 23 years but besides that I usually eat raw or healthy minimally processed food with low glycemic index to keep my insulin on right level. Because of my disease I see how huge impact have food for mood and mental health.
- Staying active
I’m trying to stay active even in minimum way. Do you know that feeling when you’re tired and you don’t want to do anything but still force yourself to go to the gym and after you go out from there in totally different mood. With this baby step you win battle of better mood for whole day.
- Talking about feeling, finding help
All of the above are nice when I’m in good mental condition, it helps improve my mood and keeps me happy but in the past I was in really dark place and I had to struggle with depression. In that time advices like eat healthy, go to the gym or find new hobby were totally useless because I didn’t eat at all and I wasn’t able to get up from bed. Years passed since I had to deal with it but therapy and medicines helped to go through it. It’s around 10 years when I’m in relatively good mental condition without any pills and I hope will be only better. I see the future in the bright colors.
@penny @missy @lust