How to Recover from Mental Illness

Getting Help

Make an appointment with your doctor. Mental illnesses are ultimately disorders of the brain or of a complex relationship between the brain and your current environment. A general practitioner or primary care physician can listen to symptoms, potentially diagnose you, and prescribe helpful medications. She can also refer you to good specialists, such as psychologists or psychiatrists who focus on treating your specific mental health disorder. Your doctor may not be able to officially diagnose you. She may want to send you to a specialist who can do a more thorough examination (interview, questionnaires).

Get any needed medication. Mental illness can be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Drugs may be able to correct or lessen these imbalances. If your doctor recommends medication, discuss it with her and follow her directions closely and carefully. When starting new a medication, check in with your doctor regularly to discuss your progress and any side effects. It may take a long time and several different tries at various medications to find one that works best for you.

Consider psychotherapy. Therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and general counseling may help with all kinds of mental illnesses. Therapy can teach you to manage your symptoms, handle bad days, and solve problems that otherwise exacerbate your symptoms. Ask your doctor what sort of therapies would work best in your specific case. Set up intake appointments with several different therapists. Choose the one who works best with you.

Finding Support

Reach out to others. Disclosing your illness can be tremendously difficult and nerve-wracking but it is worth it. Go to people you love and trust, and explain what you are going through. You need and deserve support. They may be surprised at first, but once they understand, they will show you how much they love you.

Acquire a support person. Consider a spouse, a best friend, a parent, or an older sibling to be your go-to person in times of need. Your main support person will be there to see you at your worst. She will pick you up when you're down, listen to your tears, and be there for any medical emergencies. Her support is crucial. If you are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, tell your support person. She can help you figure out what to do next or help calm you down.

Spend time with your loved ones. Your body will tell you that it needs rest (which, often, it does), but total isolation is not good for you either. Make sure that you get time to hang out with people you love, even if it's as simple as snuggling on the couch and chatting or watching a movie. Emotional support will help you manage your illness.

Recognize that even people you haven't told can support you. Most people around you (even children) have probably noticed that you're struggling. Even those who don't know what you're going through can still love and support you.

Reach out to the online mental illness community. There is a large online community of people struggling to overcome mental illness (notably on Tumblr). These people post about self-care, mental illness, and general well-being. By reaching out to others in similar situations, you can exchange stories and tips.

Self Care

Prepare yourself. Doctors and therapists give you the tools you need, and it is your job to use them. Recovery begins with hope — the insight that things can get better. The Center for Mental Health Services (2004), a division of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (S.A.M.H.S.A), summarized how to begin recovery in their consensus statement: “Recovery begins with an initial stage of awareness in which a person recognizes that positive change is possible.”

Maintain realistic expectations. A better life is possible, and you can find it. But it will take time. Recovery is not a linear process. You will have bad days, relapses, and days you don't want to get out of bed. You will also have good days, full of laughter and hope, in which you are thankful to be alive. Recovery will mean that your average becomes better, and that you won't necessarily ever sink as low as you once did. When you have a bad day (or days, or week, or weeks), recognize that it's temporary. You're still in recovery, after all!

Meet your physical needs. Stress on your body can worsen stress on your mind. This is something you can work on now. Get eight to ten hours of sleep, fill around 1/3 of your plate with fruits and vegetables, eat enough food, and get 30 minutes of exercise a day. A five-minute walk around the block is better than no walking at all. Take baby steps as needed. Even small things, such as standing at work instead of sitting, can help you be more active. Eat three meals per day, even if you don't feel hungry. Mental illness can disrupt appetite. No matter what your weight is or what your stomach says, you need to eat.

Work on basic grooming. It can be difficult to remember to do this, but staying clean and fairly presentable may help you feel better. Take a shower, put on clean clothes, and brush your hair and teeth. Consider throwing on your favorite shirt, a comfy pair of pants, or a beloved accessory to make you smile. Try giving yourself a spa day on the weekends. If you are too tired to prepare food, clean, etc. consider asking loved ones to help you.

Cut stressful tasks and people from your life. Is your boss stressing you out? Maybe it's time for a new job or a new department. Does your grumpy uncle make you nervous and cause your symptoms to act up? Perhaps you don't need to talk to him at family get-togethers anymore. Your health comes first, so tailor your life to fit your needs.

Give yourself plenty of downtime. Work on your hobbies, spend time with people who make you feel relaxed, read books, snuggle with loved ones, and do whatever helps you feel calmer.

Make progress on difficult tasks. Try breaking them into little pieces (e.g. "find citations for one paragraph of my essay") and spacing them out across your day. Taking a small positive step can lessen anxiety.

Work on relaxation exercises. Your therapist may teach you techniques to help you calm down. Try spacing them throughout your day, or doing them all at night to help you fall asleep. Here are some examples of relaxation techniques that may be helpful to you: Meditation Guided imagery EMDR eye movements Engaging the senses Mindfulness Write a Mental Health Treatment Plan Deep breathing

Find ways to express yourself. Try painting, poetry, essays, music, dance, or blogging, or other activities that add meaning to your life. You may wish to share your writing with the mental illness community. This can help you let out your feelings and find ways to relax. Artistic expression may be a great way to connect with others who have lived through hardship, inspire happiness in people, or find hope for yourself.

Learn how to talk about your feelings. Your feelings are important and worth explaining to people. Being heard is important to your mental health. Reach out when you want to talk, or if you're having a hard time coping on your own. It's okay to ask for a listening ear.

Read your body's cues. It's helpful to recognize the signs of a difficult day, or the onset of an episode. What symptoms indicate things aren't going well? Which coping mechanisms can you employ to lessen things?

Look for things to enjoy. What in life is most worth living? Who do you love, what do you love, and what part of the day do you look forward to? Look for the joyful moments in life and live them. Not every day will be easy, but the good days will make it worth it.