Taking Care of Your Mind, Body, & Soul

There's a lot that goes into maintaining your health.

It's quitting a bad habit, spending more time socializing, spending less time socializing. It's remembering to take your medication daily, nourishing your body, working out, or practicing yoga. It doesn't have to be a rigid routine that you follow, so long as you are checking off the boxes in all areas of your well-being.

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It's a long journey even just identifying what areas of rest, bodily function, and mental health are being neglected. You may have a current routine where you do all the things you 'should', but at the end of the day, you feel worn out and miserable. This means it's time to re-evaluate. Perhaps you're working out too much and not eating enough. Perhaps you're prioritizing the well-being of others over your own. You will have to make changes to remedy this imbalance.

Start with the little things.

Change your sleep schedule. Buy foods that nourish you properly. Set a reminder for your medications. Plan out your week in a notebook. Set goals for fitness. Make time for friends.

All of these things you must implement incrementally so that the change is not too much of a shock to your system. I recommend focusing on one area at a time.

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Getting enough sleep is so important, but you often overlook it. You want to stay up late to finish a project or spend a good amount of time relaxing. You feel that after the day you haven't had enough down-time, and it takes a few good hours to feel like normal again. Because of this, you justify staying up into the early hours just so you feel like you have given yourself enough time and space to reset from the day. While I understand the principle, it is not sustainable. When you wake up the next day you will feel bone tired and drag your feet to get out of bed. You may lack any ambition to complete the tasks of the day, and only truly feel able to once it's almost over. And so you repeat the cycle the following nights, weeks, months, and years, in a constant loop of being too tired and unfulfilled, these emotions warring with each other and preventing you from resting your body an adequate amount.

What's helped me a lot is sitting quietly with my thoughts at the end of the day, either in meditation or just lying in bed. I take account of what I accomplished, what I wish had gone better, and allow any thoughts to come up in my mind that I need to process. I give each thought a small amount of time to run loose in my mind. I let them play out and create scenarios, then I shut them off, clear my mind, and bring forth a new one. After a while of these mental gymnastics, I get tired of listening to all the rampant ramblings. I choose to focus on my breath, the feelings of my body connecting with the ground or my bed, and listen to the ambient noises of my room. Whenever a new thought pops up in my mind, I acknowledge it then bring my focus back to keeping my mind a blank slate, focusing on sensations rather than the feelings my mind conjures up.

I also like to envision a safe space, one where my mind is allowed to run free, but controlled. For me, this looks like imagining the home I one day wish to have. Surrounded by people I love, no work or financial stress: it's a state of bliss that allows me to erase the day and focus on something brighter. I settle myself into these calming emotions, which help me embrace tiredness with a sense of security holding me firm. If you try to go to sleep feeling unsettled, you will ultimately be tossing and turning all night, unable to shut off the wandering thoughts and happenings of your day. When you provide time to process everything before you get settled into a restful state, you will sleep faster and longer. In the morning, you should feel more rested because all of the burdens of yesterday have been laid to rest, you have a clean slate for a new day, and are mentally ready to take on new stressors.

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Eating properly and getting enough water are basic necessities, yet we often overlook them. Whether due to a busy schedule, you're not hungry in the morning, you feel too unmotivated to make yourself a meal, these necessities are pushed to the back of your mind.

I have struggled with my relationship with food for as long as I can remember. I would go into phases of not eating enough, then eating too much. I would work out for hours on end then not refuel my body in fear of 'erasing' all the progress I just made. It was extremely unhealthy and I'm still dealing with the repercussions of this.

I've learned that with eating enough food, I have mental clarity and more stable emotions. I'm able to deal with stress a lot easier when I'm properly nourished and feel more energized to start new tasks. Of course, this seems like an obvious result, but for such a long time I've viewed food as something to be earned. I would have to go a certain period of time without eating, workout for at least an hour and a half to get a smoothie, lose weight before I could start eating on a regular basis. I thought that I didn't deserve to eat because I was unhappy with the way my body looked. However, all that these bad habits did was stunt any real progress I could have been making. When you fuel your body consistently, you have more energy to give to the things you truly care about. My muscle mass would have improved, I likely would have shed those few pounds I wanted to, my body wouldn't have felt like it was crumbling from the inside. Overall, I learned that this self-punishment was not serving me, and I did not deserve this kind of treatment.

The importance of making time to eat, cooking a good meal for myself, and hydrating throughout the day, has become crystal clear to me in the last few months. I cannot operate the way that I want if I do not do these things. That's why I stress so much to take care of your health in this way. I know how hard it is to break the cycle of eating disorders, but being kind to yourself goes a long way. Start with positive self-talk to jumpstart the process. When you have those negative thoughts swirling around your head, question why you feel this way. Dig deeper into their root cause and reconcile with them. For me, a lot of it had to do with the way my father treated me growing up. He would often make comments about my weight, my appearance, and how much food I ate. This quickly morphed into my outlook. I internalized his little remarks and started to view myself in the way he did. Sometimes you'll find that at the root, there are deep pain patterns that are preventing you from moving forward. There is work to be done within relationships with yourself and others before you feel ready to submit to a healthy lifestyle.

It is necessary to deal with these problems as they arise. Have a conversation with the person who made you feel this way, if that's not possible, reflect inwards and strengthen the relationship with how you view yourself. Make it a habit to pack your lunch for work, even if it's a few small things, and challenge yourself to eat them all. You don't have to force yourself into eating three meals a day off the bat. Ease your body into it and handle what you can. Over time, your tolerance will increase and your mental strength will blossom. I know how difficult this is to start, but remind yourself of your goals and why this is so important to you. This makes it easier to keep trying even on your worst days, and prevail through all the negativity life throws your way.

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Medicating routinely is something that I struggle with. Either I forget to take my medication first thing in the morning, I'm not on my usual work schedule, or I've been in a mental fog, taking my anxiety and depression meds falls to the wayside. Sometimes it takes a few days for me to get back in the cycle of taking them regularly, and by then I feel the effects full-force. I feel my depression come back either gradually or altogether, I become severely unmotivated to complete my normal tasks, and I lose all interest in my hobbies. It begins to feel like every little task is impossible and not worth it. Around this point is when I remember the importance of taking them. It gives me the structure and support I need to continue functioning in daily life, as well as giving myself a much needed confidence boost. It provides me stability and more reliable moods, I can trust that my judgement is not clouded by negativity, and my sleep schedule is much more consistent.

I remember when I hadn't yet gone to talk to the doctor about getting medication for what I had written off as bad days that everyone experiences. I had convinced myself that my struggles weren't real enough to need medication to cope with my life and past trauma. I had minimized my emotions so much that I forewent seeking this professional help that I desperately needed. If I could go back in time, I would surely change this. Getting medication was one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself. It allowed the persistent negative fog that had been blocking my intuition to finally dissipate. I could see clearer and incidents in my life no longer made me revert to a state of immobility. I found that I could finally take action and be decisive about the things in my life I wanted to change. It gave me the courage to finally prioritize myself, in terms of relationships with other people, the jobs that I accepted, and, in general, the way I treated myself.

Now, after being on medication for nearly a year, I see a great change within myself. I have more confidence in my abilities, social situations are more bearable, and I'm on track to becoming the person I've always wanted to be. There are bad days, to be sure, but they don't seem as life-altering as they once were. I don't reach the same lows, they are now more of an uncomfortable feeling. I've learned to give these emotions the time and space for my mind to process them, instead of shoving them to the recesses of my brain, coming back at later dates to stunt my growth.

Taking your medication consistently, whether they're mental health related like me, or for chronic illness or other imbalances in your body, it is pertinent to your wellness. Skipping doses because you feel that you don't need them anymore or that you should be able to handle life without them is just an excuse that your mind makes up. It is those feelings of self-doubt coming to the surface and manifesting. They exist to dull your ambition and stop you from achieving what you desire.

You may feel that you're not worth it, that what you're contributing to the world doesn't matter, that your voice does not deserve to be heard: I'm here to tell you that these are fabrications of reality. You have a purpose on this earth, you are worthy of love and respect, you will grow into the person you have always dreamed of. Your necessity for medication does not make you less than, it just means that you need a little bit of support to help you function. Never be ashamed of this fact and never let it prevent you from reaching out when you need someone to rely upon. Talking about these types of things with close friends and family members you trust will go a long way to normalizing them in your life. It will aid you in moving past any mental barriers that have been set up in your mind, ones that have been placed there from past trauma, toxic relationships, and your own inhibitions. Treat yourself with the respect you deserve, and watch the ways in which you grow.

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If you're anything like me, the idea of planning out your week in a journal, notebook, or planner may seem daunting. The rigid construct of making plans and sticking to them may not be your forte, and so you shy away from locking yourself into decisions. This is an idea I have subscribed to for a very long time. I would view planners as my mortal enemy, their endless blank pages or unchecked to-do lists taunting me with just a glance. I find it hard to plan ahead, due to anxiety surrounding making plans with others and because during my childhood, there was impermanence around every corner. I grew up with divorced parents, which meant I split half my time living with one or the other. I would pack up my whole life in a suitcase and depart from the place I had just gotten settled into. Plans with friends and time for myself was not something that I could think about for long as they just didn't fit into my life. And so, scheduling events and things that I wanted to do was something that I never learned to prioritize.

Now, in my adult life, this has had an impact on my decision-making skills and my ability to plan ahead into the future. I had become so accustomed to living according to other people's schedules, that I never learned the importance of my own. Since I now have my own bills to pay, a job to show up to, and a pet to care for, I've learned that I must carve out time for myself. It is not selfish for me to do this, but rather essential to progressing in my life. As we get older, the more responsibilities we hold; this is the natural progression of life. Ultimately you will learn that you have to be the one looking out for yourself, the onus is on you entirely. Other people are busy with their own lives and don't have the time to help you figure out your self-worth. You have to choose to make yourself the main person that you look out for.

With this comes figuring out how to construct your days. I recommend starting with the things that are most essential to you. Maybe you love working out and want to carve out an hour for that each day. Maybe baking is a pastime you enjoy tremendously and want to set aside a day on the weekend just for that. Maybe you haven't been connecting with the people you love recently and want to make time to see them. Find out what your core values are, the things that bring you joy, excitement, and fill your cup, so to speak. Make sure that these are the first things you are putting into your planner at the beginning of the week. Another thing that I like to put in my planner is my work schedule. For me, I like the satisfaction it brings to be able to check off the work day once it's over. And at the end of the week, seeing that I was able to get through all that I did, fills me with a sense of pride. I also like to keep a record of my intake of medication. Each day I will write down 'take meds' and check it off as soon as I take them. This way, I don't have the chance to forget if I took them or not. One final thing I like to do is placing reminders to slow down, reset, and take time to prioritize self-care. When it's written down in front of me, it is very hard to ignore. Having that constant reminder to be better for myself helps uplift me and shifts my negative mindset on any given day. It helps me to know that I am capable of pulling myself out of a funk and that things are not so desolate as they might currently seem.

Keeping on top of your planner allows your brain to dump its contents out and not have to retain so much. Appointments, meetings, birthdays, you no longer have to rely on your memory to store them. It frees up so much space for more important things, which is where I see much benefit. I can conduct my days without worrying about what's to come since I already know I've taken care of them for the week. I know how much time I have for creative projects, seeing friends, and for myself. Maybe this isn't for you, and that's okay. There are many other ways to track your days, such as planner apps, journaling, and leaving yourself voice notes of upcoming events. Find what works best for you and integrate it into your routine. You will surely see their reward.

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These are a few things I've recently implemented into my life to improve quality and clarity. I'm trying my best to keep on top of what brings me joy and what doesn't. Determining this for yourself helps to balance your mental and physical health, and strengthens the connection that you have with your mind, body, and soul. Amazing things can happen when your will aligns perfectly with your capabilities. Do your best to meet them where they're at and see what improvements you can make.

Remember, a little bit goes a long way: don't stress yourself out about being perfect. Each person has a unique experience and you will have to try many different methods to find what works for you. Have patience, faith, and trust yourself. At your core, you know what combination of things will fulfill and enliven you. Let your intuition guide you to higher places and never forget your worth.

You have so much to give in this life, I can't wait to see what places you'll reach.