These baby steps helped me improve my mental health.
A journey from darkness to Light.
I hit my rock bottom and lowest during my third year of medical college. That year, I had to deal with a lot of stuff, from academics family, and finances. Also, my grandfather fell sick.
I didn’t know what to do. I had my posting in psychiatric wards but never had the guts to talk to them, even for once. Maybe I was afraid; maybe I thought they would judge me.
Forgiving myself
I am a very practical and methodical person, so I always blamed myself for things going south. And that somehow was hurting me subconsciously. So that’s when I cut the weight on myself. I forgave myself for my choices, my actions, my past mistakes, when times were wrong, when I let myself down. It’s like I erased everything and thought of rewriting my story. Yes, you can rewrite your story.
Setting routines
To reach somewhere, you should exit from somewhere. I thought of organizing my time and days. Just to analyze where I am investing the most time. Read a few journals of people who have been through this phase emphasized having a routine. Because it makes you disciplined and engaged, and the ideal mind is a devil’s workshop after all.
Becoming a morning person
Carrying forward the above point, I started waking up early. It’s just a personal observation that days are pretty organized for me when I wake up early. Because I get most things done early, thus the entire day is so easy for me. The surroundings are so calm and poised, that meditation and deep work can be done so effectively.
Moving my body
Heath is holistic. It’s physical, mental, and social are the three pillars of health. Thus when one goes down, the other has to stay strong. Since my mental health was down, it’s only my physical and social health.
I started taking care of my body. I used to run(mean, I still do), but hitting the gym simply wasn’t possible for me because of the tight schedule. Exercise, whatever form it is, aids your body and mind too. It secret endorphins, which act great in your mood and elevate the same.
Sharing about it.
I am an introvert, so I don’t open up to a lot of people. But talking about my feelings and what I was going through helped a lot. It decreased the burden on me. I started talking to my friends(very few of them) and started taking care of my relationships. I started writing about it mostly online.
End note,
This is my journey of healing. I am still doing all the above things even now, though I am over that phase. People, it’s always the small things that matter the most. So please don’t stress too much, take those baby steps, there’s light on the other side of the tunnel.
