7 Ways I Manage Mental Illness

Seven years in therapy have taught me how to partially combat anxiety and depression. There are no cures for my complex PTSD or type 1 bipolar disorder, but there are ways to manage the mental illnesses.

While medicine does play a critical role in balancing moods and chemicals, there are many things you can do that can help. What my therapists and I have done is learn how to turn the volume down on the chaos. Here are some tools we’ve used.

Music in the shower: Many of my flashbacks and fear-based thinking happen in the shower. The trick to calming those thoughts is to listen to music. I’ve made a playlist for the occasion of positive, upbeat music that inspires, such as Meghan Trainor’s I Love Me. I don’t shower in silence anymore.

Self-care: It’s hard to practice self-care when you’re in a depressive state, but the smallest thing can make a difference. Brush your teeth. Comb your hair. Get dressed, even if you don’t have plans to go anywhere. Self-care can be micro, but it has big results.

Tap into the senses: There’s a skill called 5–4–3–2–1 Coping Technique for Anxiety. With this tool, you awaken the senses, bringing yourself back into the present moment. Notice five things you see, four things you can touch, three things you hear, two things you can smell, and one thing, such as gum or coffee, that you can…