How to Deal with Mental Illnesses at Home?
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Things You Can Do Before Consulting Your Therapist
It is difficult to live with mental illness. We can't attribute a clear solution to the consistent problem. Psychotherapy and medication are powerful treatments, but there are times when individuals with mental health conditions need more to relax, rejuvenate or even just to feel okay on a daily basis. Exercise, meditation, and being present are some of the self-help tips people receive. Many disability services in Tasmania have also recommended these basic tips. These tips are helpful for many people, and they can be beneficial to you as well. It is way less common to mention other proven methods. It is easy to incorporate many of these techniques into your daily life. You need time and patience to find the right coping mechanism, but it can have a huge impact on how you feel from the inside. We've compiled a list of some coping mechanisms recommended by a mental health professional that might be helpful to you if you haven't had success with those you've tried so far. ●
Being Aware of Your Your Own Emotion
The longer you live in denial of your feelings, the longer it takes to treat them, because once we acknowledge our feelings, we can then deal with them. When you're feeling anxious, allow
yourself a few moments to be anxious. You should let yourself be angry, followed by listening to some soothing music. In fact, the very same approach has also been adopted by many disability services in Tasmania. Keep an eye on your feelings. It is OK for you to feel a certain way, to allow yourself to feel that way, and then to take action in order to diminish that feeling. Having mental illness is an immutable fact, but how you cope with your symptoms is something you can choose. Although it is not simple, you can improve your emotional, spiritual, and physical health by learning, practising, and perfecting coping techniques. In terms of dealing with mental illness struggles, all the aforementioned techniques have helped many people tremendously. For those suffering from a mental illness to recover, they must be strong and persistent. You are incredibly strong for surviving despite the struggles you face every day, even if you feel powerless. Your fight can be helped by simple and practical methods. By applying these techniques, you will see a difference in how you live and feel about yourself. ● Training to Think Opposite to Emotions When you act contrary to your emotions, you are acting in the opposite way from what you would normally do. Suppose you have the urge to isolate yourself because you feel upset. Opposites-to-emotion command you to get out and interact with people. Meditation is a great way to combat anxiety when you're feeling stressed. You need to stabilise yourself when you feel manic. Meditation is also widely recommended by many experts and psychologists working in several disability services in Tasmania. The results of this technique are quite remarkable if you can achieve it. But it would certainly be one of the hardest to put into practice. ●
Breathing Deeply (It Works Like Magic!!)
There's nothing wrong with it being a cliché, but deep breathing really can calm anxiety. The 5 3 7 breathing method has helped many deal with anxiety. So, you need to take a deep breath for five seconds, count to three while holding your breath followed by 7 seconds of exhalation. The exercise has been the hot favourite of many therapists serving in different disability services in Tasmania. It clears the brain of any problems (or it will be soon) as a result of this gentle repetition. Eventually, your heart rate will slow, and once you begin to relax, it may not even register to you anymore that you were tensed moments ago.
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Reframing Your Thought Process
An emotional or stressful situation can be re-framed mentally by thinking about it differently. Traffic jams are a good example. There are times when you may think that your life is miserable. Traffic will cause me to be late. Is there a reason I always have such a difficult time? It might help to re-frame this thought, such as, "I'll still make it," even if the traffic is bad. I'm powerless to change the situation, so I'll just listen to some music or read a book to pass the time." When perfected, this technique can transform your perspective in stressful scenarios. But the skill takes practice and time, as you can imagine. ●
Being Conscious of Your Senses
You can also ground yourself by focusing on your five senses during a crisis. Instead of focussing on an object, this technique lets you experience each sense as it happens right now. Imagine being in class with a PTSD flashback. Put an end to this! Observe your surroundings. Watch how a clock's hands move. It feels great to be seated. Be attentive to the voice of your teacher. The chalkboard smells faintly. Put a piece of gum in your mouth. Taking a few seconds to run through your senses can keep you present and alert while you focus on what is truly real. ●
Accepting Bluntly
An individual who accepts something radical accepts it with his/her heart and mind, deeply and wholeheartedly. The notion that nothing can change a situation is included in this definition. Let's say you're about to be hit by a tornado. A tornado cannot be stopped; that's impossible. Accepting the fact that it will happen will give you the opportunity to act, to prepare, and to protect yourself. The worst thing that can happen to you when it comes to a tornado is sitting around hoping for one to stop or pretending there is none when it happens. Mental illness is no different. Trying to "get rid of it" or pretend it doesn't exist will only sap your energy, so never try to change the fact that you suffer from mental health issues. Embrace yourself. You must accept the situation. Once you have accepted the situation through which
you are going, don't put off the necessary steps.