BAD DAY ≠ BAD LIFE

RAZZ writer Megan Thomas shares their personal experience of mental health struggles alongside tips for maintaining your own mental health.

Over the last few years, life has been tough. Our world has changed in unprecedented ways: COVID-19, war, cost of living crisis. Adulthood is full of new pressures, and it is no surprise that we sometimes need a helping hand.

Maintaining your mental health is just as important as your physical health. You wouldn’t ignore a physical injury, so don’t ignore your mental health. This article intends to give you some simple advice on what steps to take forward based on my own experiences of a mental health crisis.

Disclaimer: I am not a trained medical professional. These tips are taken from my own experiences of therapy, counselling, and medication. My advice should not be taken as a replacement for official medical advice. If you are in a dark place, I urge you to see your doctor. You are never too far from recovery.

“Maintaining your mental health is just as important as your phsyical health. You wouldn’t ignore a physical injury so don’t ignore your mental health.”

1. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET

It might seem obvious at first, but a positive mindset can be the motivation for getting out of bed in the morning. Whilst changing something you’ve been doing for years can be difficult, seeking counselling helped me actively rework how I thought about myself and the world.

Stop making self-deprecating jokes:

Seriously, stop making them. It is detrimental to your mental health to constantly belittle yourself for the sake of laughs. Instead of beating yourself up, big yourself up. The more you say something, the more likely you are to believe it.

Set yourself manageable goals:

Massive goals can be very overwhelming. Split your tasks into manageable, bite-size pieces that are easier to swallow. If you have an essay due, break it down into steps. What do you need to do first?

If you’re having a bad day, set yourself some simple goals: get out of bed, brush your teeth, eat breakfast. Not every day will be the most productive, but every step forward is positive.

Challenge unwanted thoughts:

If you have a recurring negative thought, why not challenge it? Weigh up the facts. How true is it really?

This is a technique commonly used in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to treat a range of mental health conditions, primarily depression. It takes a bad thought and puts it on trial, turning it logical.

To find more information, search ‘Cedar NHS Talking Therapies’.

2. THERAPY AND COUNSELLING

Despite what you might believe, you do not need to have a diagnosed mental health condition to seek counselling or therapy. Although we are making improvements, the stigma surrounding mental health support is still strong. Remember that every person has mental health, whether it be good or bad. Most people will struggle at one point in their life.

You are not alone.

Therapy and counselling are great places to start, and most people only need a few sessions before they are back on track.

Counselling

Counselling is a talking therapy offered by many uni versities, including Exeter. It gives you an opportunity to work through your issues in an impartial space. The what you are willing to put in. I personally found that counselling was incredibly helpful in getting what was in my head out into the open.

Therapy

There are many different types of therapy available, but the most used for mental health is CBT. CBT seeks to break patterns and cycles of unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. It can help you to change your mind set and make getting through life easier. This is available on the NHS.

3. MEDICATION

If you’ve been feeling low for a while, medication can give you a much-needed boost.

Like many others, the lockdown of March 2020 was the hardest time of my life. As a 16-year-old, my looming A-levels were overwhelming. My uncertainty about the future led me to a dark place.

As a minor, the options for me were limited. I took counselling and was prescribed some anti-panic attack medication. Although they helped, there was nothing that could get me out of the hole I had fallen into. I felt hopeless and afraid that maybe I would never recover.

At first, the idea of starting repeat medication for the unforeseeable future was utterly terrifying. I didn’t want to take socalled ‘happy pills.’ I feared what might happen to me or how they could change me for the worse.

Ultimately, my drive to get better overpowered my fear.

As soon as I turned eighteen, my doctor prescribed me Sertraline, a common type of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhib- itor (SSRI). In simple terms, the medication is used to elevate your mood through increasing serotonin.

It gave me the boost I needed to pull myself out. Even though it was scary, taking that step forward truly changed my life.

For a while, I was embarrassed to be taking them. I felt like a fraud, almost guilty for feeling better. It took me a while to realise that it didn’t matter what anyone else thought of me or my medication.

“Even though it was scary, taking that step forward truly changed my life.”

According to an article by the BBC (July 2022), the number of people taking antidepressants is rising every year. Between April and June 2021, 20.5 million antidepressants were prescribed in the UK. It seems like a lot, but I believe the increase is no surprise.

There is nothing to be ashamed of.

I have been taking antidepressants for over a year, but most people only need them for a couple months. When combined with therapy or counselling, the little boost can get you going again.

4. BE KIND TO YOURSELF

Overall, the most important thing I have learned is to be kind to yourself. No matter what has happened in your past, it does not define your future.

A bad day does not mean a bad life. Recovery is not linear.

“No matter what has happened in your past, it does not define your future.”

Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62094744 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prescribed-medicines-review-report/prescribed-medicines-review-summary https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/medicines-used-mental-health-england/medicines-used-mental-health-england-quarterly-summary-statistics-april-june-2021 https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/wellbeing/resources-and-services/counselling/ https://cedar.exeter.ac.uk/resources/iaptinterventions/ https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/

Illustrations by Bethan Oakley