Coping with mental health flares

Coping with mental health flares is something I have had to work on and get good at over the years. I have struggled with my mental health since my mid-teens and have recently found myself fighting with my thoughts, so let’s talk about it.

Mental health struggles

These last few weeks have been really a struggle for me, and I think sometimes it takes a little longer to realise and do something about it. I generally practice mindfulness, but I have been struggling with it, which is usually one of my first clues, but this time I missed it.

The world feels overwhelming at the moment, government wanting to again hit out at the disabled community, wars and a lot of anti-trans discourse. I am someone who likes to speak out and be an advocate especially in person with someone.

However, many of these things I don’t feel I can speak out about because of conflicting emotions or seeing people being bullied for speaking out, and so I have stayed quiet online. I find this in itself so hard to do because it is a privileged position to be in but sometimes for my own mental health I have to do.

On top of this I saw someone I am very close to, doing something that shocked me and made me see them differently. It wasn’t something illegal just unexpected and that really shook my thoughts and feelings around them and our relationship to one another.

As well as this, I have had friends talking to me about things they are struggling with, which has just made it even worse. Of course, I am there if a friend needs me, but then sometimes they need help with things out of my depth or that bring back my own experiences.

It is so important to be your own advocate and your own best friend, especially when you have your own mental health problems to deal with. And this week I need to be that, I need to put on my own oxygen mask and get a bit stronger, while I’m coping with mental health flares.

So, I thought I would revisit an older blog post where I shared some tips and tricks for dealing with bad depression days. I gave some good ideas and I wanted to expand on them, so let’s get into it.  

Different ways to cope

• Mindfulness – This is of course number one, being mindful allows you to track your thoughts and realise they are getting dark quicker. Practicing this every day is a wonderful way to be grounded in the moment and to appreciate the good times so much easier. It also helps us to really stay present instead of getting lost in past memories or getting anxious about what is coming in the future.
• Self-care – Depression tries so hard to take this from us, even getting out of bed, eating or taking a shower can feel like mountains. My Grandad always told me to take a bath if I am feeling depressed, and I have always stuck by that. Cleansing is such a magical way to rid yourself of negative energy, if a bath feels too much clean your teeth or wash your hands. Start small and look after yourself so that you can cope better with flares.
• Meditation – I love meditation and do it most days, recently I have been following a wonderful youtuber who uses art meditations. I have been using art to get lost in the sound of the pencil on paper and being creative has been wonderful. It is not something people think of when it comes to meditation, but it has been helping me so much.
• Rest – Quite often I find I struggle the most with my mental health if I have been trying to do too much. It is so important at times like this to slow down and take some purposeful rest time. I have been having more naps and moments away in quiet rooms alone so I can feel a little less overwhelmed.
• Furry friends – For me, time playing with, cuddling and just being with my dogs is so important. If you have a pet try being mindful and spending time with them, they love us so much and it helps me to see myself through their eyes. I also love to cuddle my teddy bears and people who love me, it all helps us to feel loved and worth fighting.

I know how hard coping with mental health flares can be, and I hope that these ways I have found work for me will help you. We all need to encourage and help one another in a world that feels cold and selfish at times. Let me know in the comments what you do to help your mental health so we can help one another.

Thank you xx

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