Maintaining your mental health can be overwhelming or may even feel like a burden that is too hard to carry. Gallus Ogdoad is here to let you in on some strategies that you can use to help you get through your mental health battles and make your lows feel less low. However, before we get to strategies to implement let’s talk about actions to avoid.
Don’ts Of Mental Health
Don’t Ruminate
Ruminating thoughts occur when you have constant and repetitive thoughts about a situation or problem. Ruminating can be bad for your mental health because it keeps you in a space of negativity. In addition to this, ruminating thoughts prevent clear thinking which is never good if you are in a dark space. If you struggle with ruminating thoughts here are some ways you can break the pattern:
- Question your thoughts
- Create a plan to solve the problem you are dealing with
- Take action
Don’t Remain Idle
A key to making your mental health more manageable is staying proactive. Remaining idle can cause unnecessary stress, self blame, and cause issues to pile up to the point where they become unbearable.
Try To Avoid Environments That Negatively Impact Your Mental Health
Your environment has a big impact on the quality of your mental health. Social and physical environmental factors can take away from the hard work you put towards improving your health. Do you deal or have you dealt with any of the following on a regular basis?
- Social stigma
- History of abuse
- Family discord during childhood
- Early loss of a parent
- Poverty
- Lack of spirituality or religious affiliation
- Lack of meaningful work or hobbies
- Toxic relationships
- Lack of self-care and/or relaxation
- Sleep deprivation
- Smoking
- Substance abuse
- Pollution
- Hazardous conditions at work
If any of these environmental factors are impacting your mental or physical health it is important that you identify the severity of its impact, seek help, and limit your exposure as soon as you can.
Don’t Participate In Negative Self Talk
Words are extremely powerful. Especially the words we tell ourselves. This is why for the sake of your mental health it is important to not participate in negative self talk. Negative self talk feeds anxiety and depression and can lead to the following:
- Helplessness
- Low Self-Esteem
- Low Motivation
- Decreases in your ability to see opportunities
When you find yourself participating in negative self talk try turning the phrase into a positive one. For example, if you regularly tell yourself “I am not good enough” turn the phrase to “I am not good enough yet but I am getting closer each day”.
Avoid Comparing Yourself To Others
Don’t compare your journey to another person’s journey. It doesn’t end well because in the end we feel low, develop limiting thoughts, and never have the full picture. So instead of spending precious energy focusing on someone else’s life, invest your energy in YOU. When you go to make comparisons, compare where you are now to a time in the past. Good or bad you will be motivated to keep striving forward.
Do Not Let Mistakes Hold You Down
You are human. Mistakes happen. Don’t blame yourself so harshly that it keeps you from moving forward in life or feeling as though you deserve to live in sorrow. At the end of the day you are in control of how you respond to situations. If you make often get in slumps after making a mistake try the following:
- Whether it be sorrow, anger, or frustration let your body feel the emotions that come with your mistake.
- Write down what went wrong
- Create a plan for how you will avoid the mistake in the future
- Keep pressing forward and execute your plan when a similar situation arises.
Do’s Of Mental Health
Be Patient With Yourself
The state of your mental health did not get to where it is today over night. So give yourself some grace and be patient. After all, patience is key. As long as you are consistent in working on your mental health you will get to where you want to be in the end. Along your mental health healing journey remember that there are multiple ways to heal. If one way does not work for you try another and have fun exploring all the options.
Practice Affirmations
As mentioned earlier, our words are pretty powerful especially when it is our internal dialogue. Incorporating daily positive affirmations into your life that you say in the morning, at night, or throughout the day as situations arise can make a big impact on your life. Positive affirmations can change how you think and even how you handle situations that are triggering.
Identify Your Mental Health Triggers and Learn How to Take Their Power Away
For starters what is a mental health trigger? Simply put a mental health trigger is something that brings on or worsens symptoms of a mental health illness. Memories can also be brought to the front of your mind that relate to the trigger. Examples of mental health triggers include but are not limited to:
- Being exposed to imagery that reminds you of past trauma, addiction, or self harm
- Sounds
- Sights
- Smells
- Textures
It is important to note that mental health triggers are unique to the individual. So do not feel alone if none of the triggers listed relate to you.
Now that you are familiar with what a trigger is you can work on taking their power away. First, you’ll want to get good at identifying your own specific triggers and taking record of them. Ask yourself the who, what, where, and whys of the situation. Second, create a plan for how to deal with the triggers if confronted by them in your environment. Feel free to include friends and family in this step because they can be helpful too.
When making your plan to deal with triggers consider these three strategies.
- Problem Focused: Confront the stressor head on or create a solution
- Emotion Focused: Identify how you can manage your reaction to the stressor so it has less of an impact. This is a good strategy when you can not get rid of or avoid a trigger.
- Be Direct With the person causing the stressor: Sometimes misunderstandings happen and people don’t realize that they are being triggering. If you find yourself in a situation like this inform the individual or group and work with them to find a solution. If this does not work, set clear boundaries as soon as possible.
Eat Nutritious Food For a Healthy Mind, Body, and Spirit
The food we eat has a direct impact on our mind, body, and spirit. I encourage you to journal about the food you eat each day and reflect on how the food makes you feel. In your journey you may notice that inflammatory foods have worse effects than anti-inflammatory foods. You would be right in this thought. Shifting to a more plant heavy diet will do wonders for mental, physical, and soul. Some of these wonders include:
- Reduced risk of cancer
- Improved gut health and digestion
- Reduced brain fog
- Improved Mood
- Healthy Skin
- Reduced inflammation
- Increased Energy
Interested in adding vegan recipes to your diet? Check out explore recipes from these great vegan chefs:
Go To Therapy
We saved the best for last. Drum roll please….GO TO THERAPY. In therapy you can talk through what is affecting you and dissect it with no judgment. Doesn’t that sound great! Not only can you unpack your troubles in a safe environment but you can also identify ways to cope and overcome them which is half the battle. It is important to note that during your therapy journey you may need to treat it like speed dating until you find the right fit. I know it sucks switching therapists after confiding in them but it is well worth it once you find the right therapist and type of therapy that works for you. To get your mind jogging about the different types of therapy available I have compiled a short list
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy works to help people gain greater insight into how they feel and think. The goal of this method is to increase your self-awareness and understanding when it comes to influences of the past on your present behavior.
Group Therapy
In group therapy people with similar experiences and mental health issues are brought together. During the group sessions the therapist (group leader) facilitates the sessions so they are focused on a specific mental health concern. This could be anything from anxiety to depression to trauma.
Pet Therapy
Pet therapy can be used to treat things like anxiety, or help people cope with diseases or cancers. This is because animals can trigger endorphins in the human body that boost serotonin and help one feel calm and happy. If you are not much of a dog or cat person don’t worry. Horses, rabbits, birds, pigs, goats, and more can be used in pet therapy.
Sound Therapy
Sound Therapy has been used by indigenous societies around the world to treat physical and mental conditions. Sound waves and harmonic vibrations are sent to the body through the use of instruments, including the human voice, drumming, hand-clapping, singing, dancing, and pulsating. The sound and vibrations help facilitate shifts in our brainwave state from beta to alpha, theta, or delta by using entrainment.
Holistic Therapy
Holistic psychotherapy is based in psychosynthesis. It focuses on your relationship between mind, body, and spirit, to understand and address the ways issues in one aspect of a person can lead to concerns in other areas. A core belief in this therapy method is that a person’s consciousness is not housed in any one part of the person. Instead, it is intertwined in your mind, body, and spirit. The first exercises in holistic therapy utilize massage and bodywork techniques to focus your attention on areas of tension in your body. These areas of tension are manifestations of deeply repressed emotions.
Feel free to check out these therapy methods and others with a professional to see what will be the best fit for you.
Additional Mental Health Resources
The information covered in this article is by no means comprehensive. Gallus Ogdoad encourages you to do further research on the best strategies for dealing with your mental health that fit your specific case. Please check out the following mental health resources to find therapists and other health services available to you that are LGBTQIA+ friendly.
- Therapy For Black Girls https://providers.therapyforblackgirls.com/
The Trevor Project https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/ – world’s largest crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people under the age of 25.
https://www.genderspectrum.org/articles/gender-spectrum-groups –
Therapy Tribe – https://www.therapytribe.com/
LGBT National Hotline – https://www.glbthotline.org/national-hotline.html – for people of all ages and offers a confidential, anonymous place to talk about issues including coming out, identity, bullying, safe sex, anxiety, and other concerns.
Trans Lifeline – 1-877-565-8860 – https://translifeline.org/ – devoted to offering care and support to transgender people.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 – https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/lgbtq/ – free anonymous resource for anyone who is dealing with suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
- Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) – https://www.glsen.org/resources/student-and-gsa-resources – Offers information designed to help students initiate change in their schools and local communities.
- GLMA Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality – http://www.glma.org/ – connects individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community to welcoming healthcare providers.
- True Colors United – https://truecolorsunited.org/ – focuses on ending homelessness among LGBTQIA+ youth. And providing educational resources.
- Pride Institute – https://pride-institute.com/ offers inclusive recovery programs for LGBTQIA+ people
- Pride Counseling – https://www.pridecounseling.com/ – online therapy to members of LGBTQIA+ communities
- PFLAG (Support Group) – https://pflag.org/ – devoted to helping parents, families, and allies support LGBTQ+ people.
- Q Chat Space – https://www.qchatspace.org/ – allows LGBTQIA+ teens to participate in online support groups that are professionally facilitated.
- It Gets Better Project – https://itgetsbetter.org/ – works to remind LGBTQIA+ youth that there is hope despite what they are currently going through
- LGBT National Youth Talkline – https://www.glbthotline.org/talkline.html –
- Love Is Respect – https://www.loveisrespect.org/ – 1-866-331-9474 – Offers resources for teens about healthy relationships and dating violence.
- The National Runaway Safeline – https://www.1800runaway.org/ – 1-800-786-2929 – works to provide resources and assistance to young people who have run away from home. They also work to help those who feel unsafe in their home or who are thinking of running away. They can provide assistance with transportation, shelter, counseling, and returning home.
Let your fluidity flow,
Gallus Ogdoad
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