Lately, I’ve been doing really well. With therapy and medication, I’ve been able to cope with my mental illness and properly take care of myself. This week, though, my therapist reminded me to be prepared for when things might take a turn.
When we’re in a good headspace, it can be difficult to think about how we’ll continue to take care of ourselves when things are not so good.
It’s so important to have a plan for those moments. This week, I’ve spent a lot of time making a safety plan and setting goals to continue taking care of myself, even if it gets harder. Bad days are inevitable, but having a plan in place for when they come makes it so much easier to handle them.
Some of my biggest issues are withdrawing and isolating when I’m experiencing depressive episodes and overworking myself all the time. Because of that, I’ve set goals and boundaries for myself to help avoid both. To overcome isolating, my goal is to follow through with plans I’ve made and get better at initiating plans with others. To avoid overworking, I’ve set a boundary to limit the number of in-person shifts I work at my restaurant job per week. So far, both my goals have been going really well, and I’m proud of myself for making those changes.
Although I’ve seen a major improvement in how I feel, I also recognize that sometimes, things won’t work out that way. In those times, my plan is to both forgive and remind myself what my goals are and how I want to accomplish them.
I encourage you all to make a list of goals—and you can add to them as needed—to remind yourself what makes you happy and what works for you. Set intentions, and follow through on them. Start out with something small. It could be as small as folding your laundry as soon you finish doing it, which I’m definitely guilty of putting off. You don’t have to start with huge, life-changing goals. Just try something doable that you want to get better at, and remind yourself regularly of what you’re working toward. If you have a bad day and fail at one of your goals, remind yourself it’s ok and there’s always tomorrow.
As always, stay safe and stay healthy.
Xo,
Kayla W