Maintaining Mental Health In the Day to Day

“Inner peace does not usually look like being perfectly blissful or being pristinely calm. More often it is the awareness that tough emotions are moving through you without giving them control. You feel the chaos, choose not to give it any fuel, and intentionally move gently through your day.
Yung Pueblo

Last post of my series on mental health awareness! I hope this series has been encouraging and that you take away a new understanding of your relationship with mental health. Let’s be better friends to ourselves and others when talking about and supporting each other through our struggles and healing. The purpose of this series is to provide practical tools to start therapy, talk honestly with your friends, and maintain your growth after you complete therapy. To me, healing is not a one-time occurrence. It is a state of being that is both full of grace and perseverance. I’m happy to share pieces of my story in order to help raise awareness and reflect on the progress I’ve made. It’s hard to gain wisdom and clarity in the middle of a storm, but over time, they will come. I am not ashamed of my story. God provided the people and space to do His work, and I will tell of His goodness for the rest of my days.

With that being said, here are a few ways I’ve kept up with my mental health since completing my counseling journey:

Go on a walk or sit somewhere peaceful after a hard day.
Only share about my life and what I am going through with my close friends who I trust.
Maintain boundaries with family, dating relationships, and friends.
Don’t overcommit myself. Show up when it counts.
Voice how I feel in a moment or after a break, but don’t leave something unsaid.
Let go of feelings, people, or memories that are not supporting who I want to be today.
Eat meals regularly. Find foods that inspire me to try something new.
Get enough sleep if possible.
Get exercise in some way (yoga, swim, gym, hike, et.) alone or with a friend.
Get a hobby (mine right now is writing for this blog and reading).
Seek educational experiences related to a topic of interest.
Give myself grace when I mess up. Own it, learn from it, and move on.
Don’t go back to people or bad habits that do not align with my healing.
Maintain personal hygiene (shower often, nails, hair, etc.)
Be honest with my expectations of others and myself.
Drink water in a cute water bottle (makes it more fun!)
Go to church regularly.
Use my PTO and do something fun or relaxing.
Go on a hike with a friend.
Leave work at work.
Forgive myself and others. Forgiveness is a skill that not many people have.
Clean my house weekly.
Support a friend in their healing too.