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The words “mental illness” can take on a number of different meanings. For most of us, this term usually refers to a condition such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the like. However, in truth, many diagnoses fall under the umbrella of “mental illness,” and some are less visible than others. For example, technically, clinical depression (as opposed to situational depression, which usually doesn’t last long and goes away on its own) is a mental illness, as is generalized anxiety disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.
The reason that all of these conditions are referred to as mental illnesses goes back to their descriptions and symptoms in the DSM-5-TR—or simply, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, revised version. It does not refer to one’s level of economic status, education, or heritage. For example, someone can have mild to moderate anxiety and still be able to work, care for oneself, and function reasonably well otherwise. Still, though, the anxiety can be considered a type of mental illness.
Why do I say all of this? Well…no matter which kind of mental health disorder a person has, we all need to work toward dealing with that diagnosis and living the best lives we can. And there are certain things we can do in order to accomplish this. In my book, Mental Health Makeover: THE Five-Step Plan for Taking Charge of Your Diagnosis and Living a Happy, Balanced Life, I have outlined five crucial steps that someone with a mental illness (of any type—no matter how mild it may be) can take to ensure that they are doing their best from a health standpoint, and, by association, living their best lives.
I’ll outline those five steps here:
Putting together a winning mental health team: This step doesn’t refer only to having a good therapist, a good psychiatrist, or a good psychiatric nurse practitioner. It refers to everyone working in the medical and/or behavioral field who can communicate with one another and help you to work with your diagnosis constructively and make progress toward living your best life. Such a team can be the person who prescribes any psychotropic medications for you (such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, or anxiety meds), your general practice or “family” doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant, and your therapist or counselor. While it is your responsibility to keep this team informed about your progress, reactions to any medications, feelings, and life in general, do remember that they are here to work for you. As such, keeping them informed of everything mental health-related in your life and allowing them to communicate with one another is key to having them do the best job possible.
Finding your support system—and using it: While your mental health team is a great starting place for support, getting certain family members and good friends on board as part of your support system is also of paramount importance to you staying healthy. This doesn’t have to be a large group of people—just three or four people you’re close to and trust who can help to alert you when they see you’re not functioning as well as usual or that you may not be dealing with things as neatly as you could be. This is important because we are always the last ones to see when we’re not functioning as well as we once were. Of course, this support system will also be your biggest cheerleaders!
Practicing daily self-care: This is an important one. Taking care of yourself physically each day is crucial to you being able to function well and reap the benefits that come with having a winning mental health team and a good support system. This means that you are getting enough sleep each night, eating three (or several smaller) meals per day (including not greatly restricting or overdoing it on your intake), getting a reasonable amount of exercise and physical movement regularly, and staying connected with people you trust. While these may sound like very simple things, they really do go a long way toward keeping your mental and physical health intact, and skimping on even one can quickly show in negative ways.
Living a meaningful and balanced life: For many of us, we find meaning and value in maintaining a healthy relationship with our spouse or significant other, raising our children, or in doing work that we really like. If you are doing these things and doing them well, congratulations! You’re ahead of the game. If not, working toward them is going to be essential. Additionally, it’s important that we cultivate a hobby or interest that is a more selfish one—in other words, doing one or two things just for ourselves. We can’t identify ourselves solely in terms of being someone’s significant other or being someone’s mother or father. We need to have something for ourselves, as well, to ensure that our lives are truly balanced.
Finally, step five involves advocating for yourself and others: Is your anti-depressant not working as well as you think it should be? Tell your doctor or psychiatrist! Are people in your support network telling you that you seem to be more anxious lately? Tell someone on your mental health team! Not feeling like your marriage or relationship is going well? Tell your spouse or girlfriend or boyfriend! Standing up for yourself when you need something is crucial to your well-being. Once you learn to do this, you may be ready to start advocating for others who share your symptoms and situation. There are quite a few mental health organizations out there who need help spreading their message to others and advocating for their members. Check this out! Doing a bit of work for one of these, or even choosing to share your story, will make you feel great, and others will truly appreciate it.
While I can’t personally guarantee that working these five steps will make you instantly feel better or relieve you of your mental illness or mental health diagnosis, I can guarantee that doing these things will help to improve your life in infinite ways. I’ve been there and done that, and I do not feel that my mental health issues are that different from anyone else’s.
If you find yourself to be so inclined, go on Amazon and pick up a copy of my book. It is available in either paperback or Kindle form, and it’s a short, easy read. I wish you the very best on your mental health journey! You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Mental-Health-Makeover-Diagnosis-Balanced/dp/1092396330/
Laura Gray, LPC, NCC, PhD