If you suffer with mental health I am sure you are already aware of the darkness that comes with it. This is something I am all too familiar with… this can happen a lot and at the moment this is something I am struggling to get out of. So thought what a better way to try than to explain this to those who don’t understand or maybe just write down how it feels.
Being so low can be such a painful thing as no matter what you do your can’t make your way out of it. Feeling like your life is worthless and pointless, not wanting to be here and feeling as though you are surrounded with negativity and pain. There are a few things which you can do to help you make your way out of the darkness, some of these include;
Going to your GP
The first step of professional help is always your GP/ local doctor as they will be able to listen to your concerns and ensure that you are pointed in the right direction of help. This could be going to A&E as you can seek help from the mental health professionals… if you can’t get hold of your GP and you are concerned for your own safety then you can make your way to A&E for support. Your GP and A&E can get you seen by the crisis team who are a support network of professionals that can come to your home and support you with your worries and concerns. They can provide support to get you out of your lowest.
I am currently under the crisis team at the moment and I have to say that they have really helped me with some ideas and tools to use to help me through my darkness. These include doing a comfort box and having a safety plan. I will go into more details about these in another blog post.
Speaking to loved ones
Your loved ones are those who know you best and if you are feeling low make sure you speak to them to let you know are struggling, as they can provide some extra support in those times of need. They will also be able to keep an eye on you to ensure that you are not becoming a danger to yourself or those around you.
Your loved ones care and want to help, so letting them know allows them to be apart of the recovery journey with you. Remember you are NOT alone!
Doing things that make you happy
This is important as there might be something as simple as having a cup of tea that brings you a bit of comfort. But this can change from person to person so not everyone is the same, so do not forget that. Some of my favourite things to do which bring me a bit of comfort are;
- Having a cup of tea with a loved one
- Knitting
- Having a good natter with my best friend
- Calling and speaking to my niece.
- Going through photos and remembering the good times.
- Sitting with a Candle
- Evening writing this blog
Get out of the house
I know this can be difficult when you are feeling low, but remember this is important as you need to see those you love and keep your mind busy. Sitting in the same 4 walls day to day will not help you, as this will just mean you have more and more time with your thoughts. I know this can be good from time to time but doing this all day does not do us any good. Being negative will just encourage more negative behaviours… remember negativity breads negativity.
Treat Yourself
This is something which I do a lot, I can’t help treating myself from time to time. But if you do something good such as going to see a loved one and this has been a challenge treat yourself this can be to an early night, face mask or a new pair of shoes. Whatever makes you happy! Just remember to reward yourself for the achievements you have done that day or week. You could monitor this by a goals diary or through your diary (this is if you are super organised like me!) Sometimes for me it could be getting out of bed and getting dressed, when going through the difficult times this is my hardest challenge. So I will then treat myself with a new book or a nice hot cup of tea.
There is a lot of things we can do to help us get out of the darkness. When suffering with mental health the darkness is something we all become familiar with and it is never easy to get out of; sometimes we need a little bit more help than we usually would. Life is hard and unfortunately this is just the way it is. However, we cannot let this defeat us and we need to work through the hard times and come through the other side. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.
What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger!
The darkness which we experience isn’t nice and can become scary, but do not let this become you. Life is like a rollercoaster and is constantly up and down this is the same for those who aren’t suffering with mental health. There is nothing we can do about this, life will throw some shit at us from time to time but don’t let this beat you. You are stronger than you believe and I am sure you have gone through a lot worse. Don’t forget that just because you have gone back to the darkness doesn’t mean you are ‘back at square one’ as this is just part of the recovery process and you are still getting to where you need to be. You have just taken a few steps back but you will back on track once you have taken the actions advised prior.
As my consultant as said to me previous you just be need to prepared for your relapses and become stronger to be able to deal with these. The darkness can feel like its not going away but trust me it can get better. Take each day as it comes and remember that you have done this before so you can do this again.
Stamp Out The Stigma 