Since the beginning of this online era, the problems related to mental health have been increasing day by day. One might take it as an underlying disease, but, in my opinion, as well as in the opinion of the medical professionals, it is more than that. It is not only some kind of disease, but it is a condition which affects not only the functioning of the brain but also the normal way in which the body performs.
In particular, we can take an example of a mental condition like obsessive-compulsive disorder. In this disorder, the ability of a person to be tidy all the time gets pushed to the limit, as they can go to any extent just to stay tidy. But to others, it may just seem like a normal habit in excess. However, the person suffering from this disorder may feel the need to tidy everything up, and they may become so obsessed with it that they begin to tidy even the things that have a slight untidiness about them.
The most important question now confronts the person suffering from this disorder.What should they do now? Should they go and consult a doctor? Or just try to cope with it? The answer is quite simple, really. First, they should try to cope with the disorder, and if they are not able to do so and the disorder keeps on growing, then they should surely go visit and consult a doctor.
After being through a brief period of mental health problems and reading a tonne of articles, listening to many podcasts, and watching hundreds of videos on the web about self-coping with mental health conditions, I concluded that one must try the 6-steps formula to cope with their mental health conditions.
- Try to distract yourself. Yes, you read it right. The first and easiest way is to distract yourself by just doing the things that you like. For example, you can try journaling, painting, listening to music, or watching movies, or you can do whatever your hobby is and can easily distract yourself from your mental illness.
- Take deep breaths in and out for 5–10 minutes and relax. It is the most basic thing that we all do, and it also helps in calming and relaxing our bodies as well as our minds.
- Try to observe. You can do it by observing your surroundings as well as the nature around you. If you want, you can also explain and tell someone; you can even write about it in a notebook; or you can even draw it if you want to.
- Do self-care. By self-care, I mean anything regarding taking care of your body, like taking a warm bath, doing skincare, taking yourself to an amusement park, or anything else that you enjoy doing.
- Feed your senses. By feeding, I do not mean literally feeding them real food, but making them feel relaxed. Like, you can wear clothing that you like the most, and in that way, you are feeding your sense of vision, or you can even listen to some cool music while sipping on something that you like, and in that way, you are feeding your sense of hearing as well as taste.
- Calm down your body. To be honest, in this step I never rely on that much, but it has been beneficial to many people whom I know. In this step, you can lie on the ground and close your eyes, and you can relax by slowly letting go of every emotion and feeling. Other than this, you can use stress-relieving toys and can relax with things like slime, kinetic sands, pop-ups etc.
Thus, these are the 6 steps that are beneficial for you in self-coping with your mental health conditions. These are not approved by medical professionals, but they are quite decent and effective.
