Mental health is a highly complex topic, yet when someone is struggling, the go-to response tends to be the same: see a doctor or go to therapy. That said, you can use many other resources besides this when times are tough. When seeking mental health support, you and your doctor may discuss a care plan: a plan of action featuring “tools” to support you when you need it most.
Since everyone’s experience is different, one key aspect of this involves tailoring it to your own personal needs. Depending on the situation, a care plan might involve a short-term hospital stay, trialling a new medication, or any one of the “tools” in this article. If you are considering trying any of the tips below, speak first with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you to do so.
1. Creature Comforts
Spending time with animals offers many benefits for health and wellbeing including companionship and a sense of purpose. Ask your doctor about pet therapy, or getting an emotional support animal (this requires a Wellness Wag support animal letter online that must be signed off by your doctor). If you feel you would struggle to care for a pet properly, there are also many other ways to spend time with animals, such as volunteering at a local shelter.
2. Seek Community
When we feel down our response might be to self-isolate. While in some situations, time spent alone can be beneficial, there is a big difference between the choice to be alone and loneliness.
Besides interacting on social media, joining a local community project or club or simply walking can help. Suppose your current condition (for example social anxiety or agoraphobia) affects your capacity to do this. In that case, a licensed therapist can help you reconnect with others more gradually, structured.
3. Find Support
It’s important to note that for many people, it’s not as easy as simply “getting therapy”. Many factors, including socioeconomic background as well as generational and cultural differences can create barriers to support for those who may need it most. This is where resources like community mental health support can come in useful, offering a lifeline to people whose mental health struggles may be affected by multiple other difficulties, and vice-versa.
4. Build Self Care Habits Slowly
Developing a consistent self-care practice is essential for your mental health, but if you want to fix your sleep schedule, develop a strict exercise regimen and overhaul your diet all in one weekend, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Instead, take things slowly and see how one positive change affects the next. For example, if you are well-rested, you may feel more inclined to exercise, after which you might start to crave healthier foods.
5. Find What Works
Life would be so much easier if we knew exactly what to do for our mental health, but because it is so subjective, more often than not finding what “feels right” involves a degree of trial and error. Talk therapy doesn’t necessarily work for everyone: it may be that art therapy or body-based (somatic) therapy feels more helpful. While the list of potential “tools” may appear overwhelming, this process involves narrowing down this list by process of elimination until you find practices that work for you.
6. Consider Medication
This “try it and see” process can also be applied to finding the right medication. In some situations (for example, if you are at risk to yourself or others), taking certain medications may be more necessary. While taking medications for mental health is less stigmatized than it used to be, some may still feel discomfort about taking them. Ultimately, this is a personal choice, however if you have any concerns or if you want to stop taking a certain medication, speak with your doctor about tapering off them slowly.
7. Get Moving
The mind-body connection has become a well-known concept in recent years, enabling us to see how mental and physical health impact each other. Regular exercise not only supports physical health but also releases natural “happy chemicals” (such as endorphins) while helping to promote sleep. Rather than aiming to hit the gym five days a week, starting slow (especially if you have a condition such as chronic fatigue) and doing something you actually enjoy will motivate you to keep going.
8. Build Resilience
In addition to time, give yourself some grace: setbacks and slip-ups can (and very likely will) happen, but learning from them and persevering is also a great way to build resilience in recovery. This can also apply to trying new approaches: if something isn’t working for you, try and see this as a cue to change direction, rather than quitting altogether. For instance, if you don’t gel with your current therapist, or if their particular modality feels unhelpful to you, try seeking an alternative therapist before writing off the idea altogether.
9. Validate Your Emotions
One principle of mindfulness centres on taking a more neutral stance regarding emotions. Socially, many of us are conditioned to view certain feelings as “bad”, and that they should be repressed or even ignored. However, seeing emotions for what they are (experiences that come and go) can help us to acknowledge that everything (positive and negative) all passes in time. If you’re currently feeling stuck, it can be reassuring to know that things can change for the better.
10. Rediscovering You
Living life on someone else’s terms (rather than your own) can cause a great deal of mental distress. While it’s important to know when to make compromises, not knowing where our boundaries lie (physical, emotional or otherwise) or even denying or suppressing parts of yourself to please others may eventually lead to feeling burnt out and exhausted. While reconnecting with others is an important part of mental health recovery, reconnecting with yourself is key to regaining confidence and a greater understanding of what you truly want in life.
Write Your Own Story
In narrative therapy, creating a story of redemption can be helpful in processing difficult past experiences. This isn’t to deny or change the past – rather, it’s about shifting one’s narrative identity towards being the author of their own story, finding agency and empowerment.
Some may even derive meaning and purpose from transforming their experiences into creating art, or joining a cause they feel deeply about. Even the simple act of taking the first step to get support is in itself a transformative act, demonstrating strength and a sense that no matter how difficult things might feel at first, a brighter future is possible.