I deal with long-term mental health problems, and I want to use this Vlog as a way of sharing some of the practical strategies I use every day to keep on top of things.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9b8qbLqUyRc%3Fhd%3D1
My problems began when I started coming off a long term drug. I came face to face with depression, which initially manifested itself in angry behavior and outbursts. I started counseling and taking anti-depressants. Both of these methods worked well together for me and after a while, things got much better.
Then along came redundancy!
The additional stress of being put off, coupled with a hasty decision to start my own business left me with zero motivation, feeling depressed and unable to get out of bed. As you can imagine, things began to spiral downwards quite quickly.
I’m back on track now, thanks to a combination of strategies. Counseling and therapy have helped me tremendously over the years, but I’ve also developed strategies that I implement every day to keep me on top of my game. I want to share them with you today because no matter what your current state of mental health is, these practices can assist in keeping your mind, spirit, and body working at full capacity.
My Practical Strategies for Mental Health
1) Recognising the Symptoms
It’s sometimes difficult to decipher whether certain feelings and behaviours are a small glitch in your day to day life or a more serious problem. Often it’s those people closest to you – friends or a partner, who see the problem before you do. That was the case with me. I couldn’t see that I was becoming antisocial, and it took a brave few people to discuss my behaviour and voice their concerns with me. Besides not wanting to socialise, other symptoms that something is wrong can include: extreme lack of motivation; wanting to stay in bed; feeling low for a long period; overwhelm and anxiety.
2) Routine
Putting a routine into place was the best thing I did to address my feelings of overwhelm. It also showed me that I was taking on too many things on and needed to pull back. This step was a difficult one for me to implement, but I can’t recommend it highly enough. I started keeping a diary and a list of things that I needed to do each day. Just the act of doing this reduced so many of my worries and gave me such a sense of relief when I was able to drop some of the activities that were bogging me down.
Setting a routine can be as simple or as detailed as you need it to be. For me it’s about locking in a time for when I get up, exercise, answer your emails and attend to certain projects. Having this structured plan gives me a solid coping mechanism to deal with the daily challenges of owning my own business. Try it and let me know what changes you see. You’ll end up loving it!
3) Exercise
I never considered myself a particularly active guy, but exercise is now a critical part of my day. There are clinically proven benefits of regular exercise and the release of natural endorphins that combat feelings of low motivation and depression. So there’s no excuse! Find something you like to do that gets your heart rate up – the benefits are massive.
4) Communicate
I find this one challenging, but it’s so important. If you have a bunch of worries and don’t want them to spiral out of control, it helps to talk to someone about it. Carrying around this stuff by yourself can be exhausting. Don’t let the thought that you’ll be a burden on someone stop you from taking action. Ironically, the more help I’ve asked for, the less help I’ve actually needed. Most people will be receptive towards helping you out – you just need to face your fear, get out of your comfort zone, or override your ego, and do it!
I find this one challenging, but it’s so important. If you have a bunch of worries and don’t want them to spiral out of control, it helps to talk to someone about it. Carrying around this stuff by yourself can be exhausting. Don’t let the thought that you’ll be a burden on someone stop you from taking action. Ironically, the more help I’ve asked for, the less help I’ve actually needed. Most people will be receptive towards helping you out – you just need to face your fear, get out of your comfort zone, or override your ego, and do it!
5) Positive Surroundings
Choose to keep company with the people who make you feel good and support you – in good times and bad times. Reach out and become part of a community of like-minded people (like Agency Mavericks) who understand you or share the same interests. Look at the people who you spend time with. How do they affect, support or influence you? If the response is a negative one, you may need to cut contact completely.
Finally, surround yourself with things that make you feel positive – books, pleasant surroundings, a light-filled environment, choose to spend your time in places that do you good!
I use these 5 strategies every day because they work for me. I’m in a good state of mind at the moment, and as a small business owner, I can’t do without these coping mechanisms. I’d love to hear the methods and tactics that help you get through your work and personal life. What works for you?
