7 Helpful Ways To Speed Up Your Mental Health Recovery

“This is the story of somebody who understands. Looking back, I remember the first time I asked my mother to go with me to a psychiatrist after a traumatic event in my life.

She went crazy!

She could not fathom the idea that her daughter was going to be evaluated by a crazy people’s doctor…

Oh, mom, how the times have changed, and for the better!

I feel that nowadays, mental health is finally getting the attention it deserves, without the misconception that it’s only for crazy people.

It hurts to know that so many people had to go through so much, just for this day to finally come, when we could sit down and openly talk about mental health.

What it is, what implies, and what we can do to better it.

I didn’t go to the psychiatrist until about a year ago. I still had that misconception that was instilled in me that I should feel ashamed for seeking out help… Well, guess what?

It was the best thing I could have done!

At first, I admit, I was a little receptive, with my mother’s face in the back of my head the whole time. However, as soon as I actually met the psychiatrist, it was smooth sailing and nothing like what I had expected. I went into the office a little ashamed, but once in it, I relaxed, I talked about so many things I had inside, and I felt like I could breathe again.

All my life I dealt with my mental health in the unhealthiest ways you could possibly imagine. Many months after giving birth, I had the worst anxiety and depression, to the point that I did not want to get up from bed to eat or shower. If I would have never gone to the psychiatrist, who knows where I would have ended up.

That’s why I am so open to speaking about mental health with everyone and everyone! There are so many healthy ways to deal with mental illnesses, ways to help you cope, and make your mental health recovery faster. Below I will share with you some tips I have come across, and that have personally worked for me.

These things helped me to reach a faster mental health recovery and turn my life completely around – from a sad, depressed soul to a light-filled being, radiating positivity and love.

Mental Health Recovery: Yes, You Can Help Yourself Feel Better

1. Get moving

Get up from that couch or bed, and do some physical activity.

Studies show that just a 10-minute walk or light exercise increases brain chemistry which will leave you feeling happier after. Many people have a misconception that in order to exercise efficiently, you have to go to the gym, and that is complete baloney! With YouTube, it’s so easy to find quick and effective workouts for free, that I personally have benefited from many, many times, especially those times when I didn’t want to see or talk to anybody.

2. Go outside

Obviously, if it’s raining, put this tip off until it stops, but if you look out your window, and the sun is gleaming, with blue skies, trust me and go outside! Even if it’s just for 5 minutes, step out your door, and just breathe in that beautiful day. You will also be boosted by Vitamin D, which people with a deficiency in such vitamin usually suffer from depression, heart diseases, and even weight gain. Trust me, you will feel brand new, and you will be speeding up your mental health recovery as well.

3. Avoid alcohol

This was one of the coping mechanisms I had, and I have to admit, it would only make me feel more empty and depressed. Once I lowered my intake (by a lot) is when I began to feel like a completely new person. My attitude towards life changed, I started losing weight without even dieting, and I can just say I feel brand new, and what’s a better way to feel than that?

4. Journal daily

When we think about journaling or writing, we usually imagine a girl with a diary that has a lock. But trust me, once you move past that, and actually start, it will become so soothing that the day you go without writing, you won’t feel like yourself. When you journal, you are able to express all your emotions and feelings with no one to judge you, it’s just you and that journal. It’s a perfect activity for your mental health recovery time!

5. Have a daily gratitude list

This is another one of my favorites, where I can just sit in peace even for just 5 minutes, clear my head and just think of all the amazing things I am grateful for, and it has so many amazing benefits! Just to name a few, it lowers your blood pressure due to the relaxed state you are in, relieves muscle tension,  reduces anxiety, and improves depression!

Every morning or every night before bed, make a list of all the things you are grateful for, this will help you to start shifting your focus more toward the positive in your life, rather than focus on the negative. And it takes about 5 minutes a day!

6. Read

It can literally be any genre, whatever appeals to you.

Reading improves your mental health a lot, and it’s way more interesting than a movie because you get to create your own visual movie depending on what you are reading. Sometimes we get so caught up in the daily routine, that we forget our brain needs exercise, just as our body does.

To speed up your mental health recovery, try to read anything positive and beautiful every single day.

Related: 3 powerful books that make you stronger immediately

7. Maintain a healthy diet

No, not a restrictive, 500 calories a day diet, I mean a healthy diet overall, veggies and fruits, your daily needed carb intake. Remember, we are what we feed our bodies, therefore if you have a really unhealthy lifestyle, what do you think your body is going to reflect?

Related: How to eat your way to better mood

Don’t forget your water! Water has so many amazing benefits, yet sometimes we can go a whole day without a sip of water. Make it a daily goal to increase your water intake, and make it fun! Color up a jug with hourly goals, or write it down, heck, start a challenge with all your friends!

To Speed Up Your Mental Health Recovery, Even More, Turn To Self Care

… Which includes 5 dimensions or parts to it:

• The first is Physical Self Care, which includes fitness, diet, and doctor checks – overall your physical well-being.
• The second dimension is Intellectual Self Care, which involves more of being mindful and present, more positive rather than negative, and constantly learning something new and exciting for you.
• The third dimension is Social Self Care, which is making sure that you have supportive people all around you, that will pick you up when you are feeling down.
• Spiritual Self Care is another very important one, which is the beliefs and values that guide your life.
• Finally, the fifth dimension of Self Care practice is Emotional Self Care, in my experience – the most important, where you are aware of your feelings and emotions, and learn how to change your mindset and views on things when you feel negative and down.

Related: Why is self care so important

Don’t forget that everything is temporary. Just because you had a bad day (or bad encounter), does not mean that it will completely ruin your life. Learn how to control the self-criticism inside your head, whenever it tells you something negative. Stop, evaluate the thought, and change it to something more helpful.

Related: How to stay positive when life keeps giving you problems

At first, it may seem a little hard to control your thoughts, but the more you do it, the better you will become at staying strong even when unpleasant situations arise.

Don’t forget to constantly work on your mental health recovery, even on the days that you are feeling great and ecstatic, don’t forget the routine you have established! If you journal, exercise, or read daily to relax, continue that practice.

Taking responsibility for your mental health recovery is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, and for those around you.

These are the tips that personally helped me get out of my slump and start a whole new life – with goals and aspirations, all while still dealing with my mental health recovery. I have learned that it’s okay to ask for help and that every day is not going to be a perfect day.

And that’s okay! What matters the most is how we react to those not-so-perfect days.

Attitude is everything.

If you face your mental health recovery with a negative approach, you will receive negative outcomes.

However, if you go at it with an exciting and positive approach, you will reap nothing but great results.”

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Amber & The Team

Co-authors at ShineSheets.com

"We love to research problems, examine studies, analyze solutions, and share with you ideas that make life healthier. You can learn about us and our editorial standards here. Have suggestions or feedback to share? Send us a message!."