Saying your going to change and making the changes that you need to make in order to be a healthier happier you, can be overwhelming, especially with any new diagnosis, lets narrow down the subject to something more manageable like depression. Just like with any mental health issue, you have to stay on top of your symptoms and be able to identify what’s going wrong with you before you can begin to treat the underlying issue. Depression is a common symptom of many mental health issues, the good news is that “there are many lifestyle changes and stress management techniques you can use to prevent or avoid depression.” [1]

How to Tackle Your Mental Health Issues (Ex: Depression):

• Identify the Issue – First off, what is Depression? “Depression is classified as a mood disorder. It may be described as feelings of sadness, loss, or anger that interfere with a person’s everyday activities.” [2] 
• How is the Issue Affecting Your Physical Health? – Have you noticed any changes recently to your health, such as your physical health. Its important to understand that some mental health issues can affect your energy especially your mood, “Symptoms may also be ongoing, or come and go.” [3]
• Are You Getting Help to Manage Your Symptoms? -Have you sought treatment, either requesting for therapy, hospitalization, or psychiatry? Have faith, according to mayoclinic.org: “In most cases, symptoms can be managed with a combination of medications and talk therapy (psychotherapy).” [4]
• Are You Able to Function, is Anything Slowing You Down? Is there anything interfering with your ability to function? If so is that within your control, or do you need help controlling those feelings or thoughts when it comes to your mental health, can you change on your own? Please note that “a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function.” [5] 
• Do You Exercise Regularly? Its been said that, “Exercising regularly is one of the best things you can do for your mental health.” [6]
• Are You Goal Setting? Its easy to get overwhelmed, so in managing your time wisely, its been recommended against over booking yourself, and make time for things like therapy, AA meetings, practicing mindfulness or meditation, [7] and to let go of things outside of your control (like what people think and avoid oversharing on social media).

Some of our mental health issues are related to how we feel about ourselves, and sometimes our mental health issues can be triggered by what we think others think about us. I for example, can be incredibly vulnerable to what others think, being a writer, by sharing what I have to think, there is bound to be endless opportunity for disagreement, when it comes to how I have been able to navigate through mental health issues, and whether my strategy for combatting mental health issues is in alignment with traditional models for adapting to each situation in life. There are no rules when it comes to managing your symptoms, maybe there are better ways for adapting than most people would like to admit, its not your fault. Remember that, keeping yourself educated on what your options are, is sometimes the best thing you can do for your health. One of the symptoms I recognized when it comes to depression, are changes to your social skills, I think over the years, combatting bipolar, and now being told that I have schizophrenia, is incredibly demeaning, and has made me very insecure when it comes to writing, writing less and spending less time than I have usually spent online as a writer. I just read on psychcentral.com, that “According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, joining a group or tribe and being accepted by others was critical to survival.” [8] Now this makes sense to me, not feeling alone, not feeling helpless, not feeling marginalized or defective, not feeling insecure, not feeling powerless, I think anyone with a mental health issue, or some kind of learning disability would agree, that is harder to cope, when you are thinking about what’s wrong with you, and forget about what life was like before you began tackling those symptoms that persisted for so many years and maybe left untreated, we cant all be perfect. And I know that once you want to get better, its easy to become a perfectionist about making sure that you are doing everything right and not wanting things to go wrong for you, it may take a few tries to get going again, please don’t give up. 

I for example am a huge advocate for talk therapy, Im not ashamed to share my progress on Instagram: @mymollydoll1985, and Im not afraid to share my wisdom along the way in the form of quotes on @mymollydoll_. That’s just how I managed my health, keeping track of what I think along with what I look like along the way, in the form of selfies. Conversations will change, depending on what you are doing with your life, people will be more or less interested in what you have to say, that’s just life, and competition I guess, there will always be someone out there better suited to address your needs in life, we cant all be experts. I think as a blogger, I have done my best to create a space in which I feel accepted, and by creating a space in which I feel accepted, hopefully that paves the way for more acceptances of people with mental health issues, it shouldn’t be a scary subject that causes you to avoid people in life, no one wants to feel that way avoided, or be looked at like there is something wrong with them. I think had there not been so many apps recently invented looking for clients with mental health issues, I don’t think that we would be such a targeted group, so enjoy the positive attention!

So when I say ditch the excuses, own up to your diagnosis, you don’t have to tell everyone, remember HIPAA, just be upfront if you are required to be upfront about it, you can always say, this is something I would prefer to talk to my therapist about, or I don’t feel comfortable disclosing this about me, or if youre in a new romantic relationship, share your limits, like I enjoy your company, but I am looking for someone who is there for me emotionally, I want someone that I can talk to, all of your needs can be met, it starts with who you decide to let into your life, and if someone is not willing to be patient with you, maybe theyre not for you, there are tons of loving and patient people in the world, who aren’t in a rush to make an Instagram post about it, just to show off to the world that you have love in your life, whos ready for that anyways, and you wont always get pictures with Senators, like I have, to show, he knows who I am, I have met him, and when I say Im doing my best, this is to show that I am doing my best, and would never behave in a way or speak in a way contrary to his best interests, and so it builds, more acceptances for you, and that’s what makes you an exciting person, that you set your standards high, no matter what condition you are in. Im someone who aims for the moon, and in case I fall short of that goal, at least I was admiring the right people in life to begin with. So its okay to worry what people think. What does that mean? According to psychcentral.com, “People with low self-esteem and those who grew up without emotional support are also more likely to care too much what other people think of them.” [9] My mom knows everything that I think, she even manages my day meds, how embarrassing is that, to suffer from addiction, and have to be given day meds each week, its been this way since 2018, that’s four years of not holding a bottle of day meds to myself, and maybe that’s something that I should be ashamed of, maybe that’s something that makes me more trustworthy, whatever it is, sometimes we cant get well on our own without help from others, so if there is someone in your life that can help you meet a simple goal, such as taking as directed, I know was a huge problem for me, then give your bottles to someone trustworthy, and only take as much as you need to manage for the week, that will surely keep you from Heath Ledgering yourself, don’t overdose! Limit how many pills are in your control, especially with all the emotional changes you go through getting started on meds, or being diagnosed, adjusting to life, its hard! I know Ive been there, and like with all problems “it gets better.” 

Reference:

[1] https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-avoid-depression

[2] https://www.healthline.com/health/depression

[3] https://www.healthline.com/health/depression

[4] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968

[5] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968

[6] https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-avoid-depression#1.-Exercise-regularly-

[7] https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-avoid-depression#6.-Maintain-your-treatment-plan-

[8] https://psychcentral.com/blog/mental-shifts-to-stop-caring-what-people-think-of-you#why-we-care

[9] https://psychcentral.com/blog/mental-shifts-to-stop-caring-what-people-think-of-you#why-we-care