How to make your load feel lighter

Having a mental illness is tough; living with someone that also has a mental illness is double the tough. However, it can be useful to have someone to lean on whom you can empathise with. It’s Sunday afternoon and this week has been draining so I want to share with you some of the things I regularly practise which give me enough motivation to continue to next week.

It’s important to note that mental illness is extremely complex and different people have different capabilities. It’s also important to note that while these things may make living with a mental illness more manageable, they do not make it go away.

11. Make a playlist of all your favourite music and/or watch your favourite film/TV show. This may not seem like a big thing however, I find that I sometimes need to shut myself off for a little while with a mind-numbing TV show or a song that reminds me of summer.

2.     On your better days, prepare your food in bulk and put it in a container in the fridge. This means that on your bad days you don’t have to worry about cooking anything, you can just heat the pre-made food up in the microwave.

3.     Also on the topic of food. Buy snack food! Keep plenty of snacks available in your bedside table drawer so if you really are suffering to the point where you can’t get out of bed, you still have something to eat (I keep cashews in my bedside table drawer as I read they were a natural antidepressant). 

4.     Write! I like to write lists because it makes me feel more in control of my life. I also find that writing my feelings down helps sometimes as I usually find it especially difficult to vocalise how I’m feeling. Writing letters is also quite therapeutic, especially if you’re finding it hard to talk to friends and family – send them a written letter instead.

5.     Find small, easy, inexpensive things that you enjoy doing. For me, it’s taking a walk, borrowing books from the library, drinking peppermint tea and watching YouTuber’s.

6.     And lastly, remember to celebrate the small victories. If I’m not well but I manage to drag myself out of bed and take a shower, I am going to praise myself for it.

Remember to always put your mental health above the needs and wants of others. This is something that is really tough, especially if you desperately want to look out for a friend. But, if it’s going to be detrimental to your health then is it really worth it? Plus, if someone respects you they will understand.

Credit to Emm Roy for the artwork