How do you manage your current mental health?

Auticorn

Auticorn

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    I wasn't sure if this was an off-topic thread or not, considering it's somewhat health related so...

    Given that many of us here on PC deal with mental health issues... I was wondering how you guys manage it. I try to keep an eye on myself because of my anxiety. If it's triggered by some unknown reason, I always try to pinpoint what that reason is. Most of the time when it's giving me a hard time, I'll listen to music, take my "as needed" meds or play a video game. I also try to write down some of my thoughts if needed as well (though I tend to forget to do so tbh).

    So, as the title suggests... how do you manage your current mental health?
     
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    Generally I don't manage it, it manages me. It's either something I don't think about too much, or something I can do absolutely nothing about. When I'm in a state, I'm in a state. Nothing helps; not distraction, not trying to think my way out of it, not...anything. It is what it is and there isn't anything to be done about it but tolerate it. Just gotta take it one day/hour/minute/second (delete as appropriate) at a time.
     
    until recently, (well, about until November) i was taking antidepressants and had been seeing a counselor (in NY, until i moved to alabama and got another counselor but i turned 19 and now my insurance stopped and i can't really see one unless i have the money for it) and uh. now that those options are gone i usually try to manage it somehow. if i get in a really bad depression state like..suicidal and stuff and wanting to self harm (which isn't too often anymore unless something serious in my opinion happens to me) i usually try to calm myself down by playing some games on my phone or watching some positive videos on youtube.
     
    sumire said:
    until recently, (well, about until November) i was taking antidepressants and had been seeing a counselor (in NY, until i moved to alabama and got another counselor but i turned 19 and now my insurance stopped and i can't really see one unless i have the money for it) and uh. now that those options are gone i usually try to manage it somehow. if i get in a really bad depression state like..suicidal and stuff and wanting to self harm (which isn't too often anymore unless something serious in my opinion happens to me) i usually try to calm myself down by playing some games on my phone or watching some positive videos on youtube.
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    I used to be like that. Not suicidal, but I would self-harm often. Now, when I think of doing it... I try to think of things that I love such as my heroes Jack Barakat and Takeru from SuG. I try to listen to music as well because music gives me a lot of strength and power I need to not do those those things. Plus, I'm taking an anti-psychotic as well because it helps manage the worst of my anxiety depression (what I call it).
     
    I take a lot of medicines for it, and I go to therapy with my psychiatrist once a month! I really want to fully recover and not rely on meds.
     
    I simply review and identify myself inside. That's all I can do on my own.
     
    I try to plan ahead (like, I plan my whole month ahead of time) but still leave some "wiggle room" for changes of plans or unexpected things.
    That lowers my anxiety a bit (although I tend to forget to plan me-time...)

    I also tried going to my college's Psychologist office, but I didn't really like it there, felt I did nothing on the sessions I went to.
     
    I make sure to spend time with people I like, and do fulfilling things to keep up my self-esteem. If I can accomplish a goal I set out for myself, no matter how small or insignificant, it helps keep me in good spirits.
     
    I seem to have issues with depression, anger and mood swings. I've spoken with therapists when I was around 8 years old and I tried going to once maybe about 5 years ago and didn't keep up with it.

    The way I cope with mental health now is through bad habits. I smoke about a pack a day, I drink and I smoke weed multiple times a week just to keep myself from thinking about my life all the time. It works though but definitely not the best way to do things, it's just easier to do than other options. I've tried harder stuff but those are just the simplest to obtain. All these things manage my mood swings too which I suffer from pretty regularly meaning multiple times a day. One second I am fine and the next my roommate just says something stupid or asks me to do something and I just blow up or leave the room and stop chilling. It's kind of strange and they are always pointing it out about me. At work these things get in the way very much. Plenty of times I will have to stop working for a second and collect myself before continuing to talk to a caller because I am so close to either hanging up or telling him off. I can have a call that completely uproots a good mood and ruins my day entirely. And then that mood can lead to a few days of depression before I begin to feel a bit better. To be honest it is extremely exhausting to have to try and dance around people and knowing how much interaction I can handle before getting bored. Or planning what I do when I get home because I don't want to really hang out with my roommates because I won't feel up to it since I know it's probably gonna end in me being annoyed for half the time. That sort of planning usually leads to me being in my room by myself most of the time and that winds up adding to a lot of these problems even more because of the isolation. Maybe once I get a car or something I can take professional measures to take care of it since I can't have people driving me around all the time.

    Lol, sorry guys didn't mean to get so personal about it. But if it can help someone else to know different perspectives than that is always a good thing.
     
    I try to find one positive in everything that I do. Whether it be something small such as a credit card sale at work or even taking extra time to make sure a certain part of my house is clean. The feeling of accomplishment is one of the strongest things you can have to help curve any form of depression.
     
    Mostly I try to keep myself occupied with other things. So far that's been the best method for me. If my anxiety gets too bad I can take a sedative which for me takes the edge off, but I've never been fond of medication and that's been even more the case since my anti-nausea meds nearly killed me and my anti-depressants made me want to die. Doing fun things definitely works best lol.
     
    I talk to my friends! One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was trying to isolate myself from people when my anxiety and depression got particularly bad. It made me feel a lot worse not having anyone to talk to. Since I've been more open about it, I feel a lot better knowing that there are people I can talk to if I need to. Mostly though I just make sure to spend time hanging out with my friends. It means that I can put all of my energy into having fun with my friends, rather than worrying all the time. I definitely feel a lot happier around them.

    Other than that, I often listen to music to help myself feel better. I used to listen to a lot of sad music but I realised that made me feel a lot worse so I've been making the effort to mostly listen to music that is happy and upbeat. It's definitely been a big help. As other people have said though, just doing things makes me feel more accomplished and happy. Cleaning my room, reading through a whole book or just getting up and going for a walk around the neighbourhood makes me feel better. I'd really like to manage my mental health better though so I'm going to also see a therapist in the near future. I'm hoping that they'll be able to help me learn some new ways to cope.
     
    I go to work. Sitting at home before finding work was completely mindless and damaged my mental health a lot. I'm already a naturally paranoid person who's prone to anxiety, so bottling that up and sitting on the computer helped none. Interacting with others, even if it's just from communicating with co-workers or a few customers a day, helps a lot. I recommend finding things to do as early on as possible so your mind doesn't adjust to always playing games or being on the computer; it doesn't have to be limited to work or school. You'll lose your mind otherwise.

    Remus said:
    One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was trying to isolate myself from people when my anxiety and depression got particularly bad.
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    Agreed!
     
    I bottle my anxiety up, usually for weeks, until I rage it out on my boyfriend and he patiently talks sense into me. But yeah, the thing that works the best even when I feel awful, is to force myself to socialize. It's a good thing I don't live alone.
     
    i manage it badly

    well actually i have a hell of a lot more good habits now than i used to. i take my meds regularly, though they are a low dosage that only dulls my anxiety, not erases it. i prefer that though because when i'm on a higher dosage i fell like i'm not really here, you know?

    i've gotten better at removing myself from stressful situations, taking a break, putting on music or requesting loud shit be turned down when i'm on edge. i identify triggers/stressors and figure out ways around them and ways to cope with them- it helps a lot if i am prepared for things.

    as for my pretty horrible executive dysfunction, the best thing ever is my bullet journal. a habit tracker, a schedule, and a task list. keeps me from just wasting my life away. also making achievable short-term goals keeps my anxiety regarding failure in check because i am doing things. i am doing good, helpful things for my future self.

    my mood swings are really the only big problem? i'll go like a week or two being happy and functional and feeling great, and then i'll take a hell of a dive and get fucked up for another week or two. not enough to be considered bipolar like my cousin is but significant enough that it stands out.

    actually i guess i manage my anxiety pretty well. my executive dysfunction and failure issues are being consistently worked on. my ASD symptoms are pretty much nonexistent bc i dealt with that long ago. i just don't know what to do about my mood swings cause i'm not even sure what causes that shit lol
     
    i don't really have THE BEST coping mechanisms, but i usually just resort to distractions like playing video games.
    before that, i would pull stupid things just to get people to feel sorry for me and i was fueled by that validation for a long time.

    the best thing you can do for you is work on building your self-esteem. that's how i'm coping.
     
    I have suffered from depression and anxiety. I do not talk extensively about it. Some days are better than others and I think the older I get, the better I handle things.
     
    Lots of exercise and fresh air.

    Has helped me more than any pill ever has.
     
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