How do you take care of yourself if you have a mental illness?

Self-care techniques and general lifestyle changes can help control the symptoms of many mental health problems. They can also help prevent some problems from developing or worsening. Self-care is vital to building resilience to life's stressors that you can't eliminate. Many of these techniques revolve around basic concepts that can be easily overlooked.

Keep up to date with regular doctor visits and prioritize them. Address health issues as they arise, rather than letting a busy schedule get in the way. While self-care can help people with mental or chronic illnesses, it's also been found that many people don't take proper care of themselves when symptoms worsen. Taking care of your emotional health means making an effort to understand your feelings and how to deal with them.

While many people tend to think that pampering themselves or letting themselves be carried away by the pleasures of guilt is like taking care of themselves, things don't end there. It can also help you recognize what activities or tasks are necessary for your well-being, alleviate the negative symptoms of mental illness or stress, or simply provide you with pleasure or relaxation. Your self-care options will depend on what works best for you, what you enjoy, and your energy levels, personality, and other factors. People are quick to parrot the benefits of self-care for depression, anxiety, and other mental or physical illnesses, but they don't recognize the amount of work that self-care can require or the difficulties of people trying to care for themselves and, at the same time, living with their symptoms.

Since self-care is the practice of taking care of your physical, emotional, and psychological well-being, it shouldn't surprise you to learn that it actually has an effect on your mental health. When you think of different self-care activities to try, think about these dimensions of your life and how you can improve them. You might feel better if you can openly share what you're going through with someone who cares about you.