I know what you are thinking: “how can a single article help me overcome my mental illnesses?” I’m not here to teach you how to solve your problems, and of course one single blog post won’t help you that much. And I won’t offer any type of self-help method or magical formula. I’m here today to continue the reflection I’ve started in a previous blog post called “Why do we have mental health problems?”. In summary, in that article I shared my story around mental health in the context of the 2020 pandemic, and I said that your problems come from the fact that no one has ever told you a good way to think and approach your own thoughts. Because of that, you’ve developed a disconnection with your own mind, falling into a state of unconsciousness. And the result of that is a mental diarrhea, which basically means that you are spitting out information without any control. Believe me, I already went through this and it’s terrible. I won’t enter in details regarding the problem itself, because I already did in that article, so what I’m going to do is share some things that helped me overcome my mental illness and let me be here today, writing for this blog. I will focus on some parts not the entirety of my personal process because it would be too much for the purpose of this platform. 

So, let's go. 

The first thing I did was to recognize that I was mentally ill. It took me some months to realize it and other weeks to really accept it. But, I did it. And, that was really tough. Assuming that I have that kind of problem was scary, because I never experienced such a thing in my entire life (and I expect to not have to  experience it anymore). This might have been your first time experiencing it as well, since the pandemic was a new time for all of us. Sometimes the first step is the most daunting, but it has to be done for you to begin your recovery journey. If you already made this first step, congratulations because you are on the right track. You already did one the most steps in your recovery journey. Just keep going. 

Second, I called for help. I talked to my parents about what I was feeling and thinking, and they supported me in every sense, from thinking about alternatives to treating it (like going to a therapist) to making jokes just for the sake of laughing. This was really important for me. But, I know that supportive parents are not so common. So, if you don’t have parents that would be willing to help you, or don’t understand what you are going through because of any reason, I do recommend that you talk to someone, like a friend or other relative. If your parents are understandable, I suggest that you go talk to them before anyone else, since they will know how to help you. And if they don’t know how to help by themselves, I’m sure they will figure out how to do so. 

I know it’s hard to do, since you have to tell someone you are in a certain way, ill. But, trust me, the journey is going to be so much easier if you do that. If you already did this conversation(s), congratulations. You are on the right track. Just keep going. And if you don’t feel comfortable sharing with anyone around, you can always contact me. We don’t know each other personally, but I would be more than happy to help you. If you want to do so, drop a commentary in this blog and I will reply to you. I am here if you want to talk. 

The third thing I did was to start reflecting on what used to bring me joy. What were the things that made me laugh? What were the things that fulfilled my childhood and could possibly help me now, being an adolescent? What were the magical moments in my life? What were the things that I was used to doing that took me to experience pure happiness? And, believe me, the responses for those questions are simpler than you may have thought. Basically, all of them rely on my time with my neighborhood friends (writing this is almost nostalgic), when we play and do fun stuff just for the sake of doing something. There was no societal pressure, career path to find, academic requirements to fulfill, insecurities, fears, parents pressure, discrimination, or anything that we might experience now. So, I decided to repeat some of those things. I went outside to play soccer and basketball, did some walks in nearby parks, talked more with my school friends, watched some comedy just to laugh, and some other things I can't remember right now. 

This helped me because I was reliving what made me so happy, so I was getting happier one day over another. I was decreasing the amount of thoughts by doing stuff that fulfilled my inner self. I don’t know what could be for you, but I recommend reflecting about what really makes you happy, in an internal questionnaire. What were the moments in your life that made you the happiest? Identify those moments and try to repeat them, not in the exact same way, but in a way that fits with your current state of life. (Oh, yeah, just one more recommendation: (re)watch Avatar The Last Airbender). 

At this point, I was so much better than in the beginning of the recovery journey, but I needed some other things that really sealed my improvement. So, I decided to try some methods I saw online that might be helpful for both mind and body. Actually, I just tried one, and it’s called the Wim Hof method. I don’t know if you ever heard of it, but I recommend checking it out. It’s basically a method that aims to reconnect yourself with your inner potential, through the use of breathing techniques and cold exposure. I will not explain the very details of it, but if you want to do it you’ll need to do a daily routine of breathing and cold showers. 

The first one I recommend is to start following the guides of Wim Hof, which you can find on the internet as “Wim Hof guided breathing”. They consist of deep inhalations and exhalations, and times of complete hold of your breath. The second one is literally taking cold showers, or doing other things to get cold exposure, like going to something with snow. And if you already live in a cold area, you need to do it as well, since it just works well when there’s physical contact between you and the cold, So, going outside with a lot of winter coats doesn’t count. 

I’ve been feeling the same benefits that method states: increasing in energy, better sleep, reduced stress levels, more focus and determination and a feeling of a stronger immune system. For the mental health part, it helped a lot, because I was able to get more control over my mind since my body was improving. When I started, it was the first time in months that I felt that my thoughts were not flying everywhere. I highly recommend you try it, if you haven’t yet, because there are only positive outcomes if you follow the guidelines. There are no contraindications or side effects, and the max amount of pain you’ll feel is a cold shower. So, check it out. 

The last thing I want to mention here in this article is something that I can’t say how to do, because it’s very personal, but it will definitely help you. It’s meditation. Yeah, you probably already heard of it from many different people, especially on the internet. But, I want to highlight that this worked very well for me and will help you, if you give it a chance. There are uncountable ways to do it and even apps that help you do meditation. I tested a lot of those different methods, from listening to inspirational music to guided meditation, and spent some time trying to figure out how to do it and what “methods” I’d like to continue using. When I finally stabilized my routine around some practices, I started to feel some really good changes in my mental health, until a particular day. This day was the watershed for me. From that point on, I no longer considered myself as mentally ill. I sat down for my meditation session before going to sleep, and it was the best sensation I had in a long time. I can’t explain exactly what it was, because I don’t really don’t know how to describe it. But, it was basically that: I felt a distance between me, my mind and my body. I think a good analogy would be seeing the traffic from above. Imagine you are in a hot-air balloon, and you see all the cars stuck in the traffic down there on the streets, but you don’t feel overwhelmed by them, like you would if you were actually there. You know they exist, but their existence doesn't affect you anymore. That was how I felt that day. I could see it in my mind from such a distance that it was no longer an integral part of me, and I was able to use it the way I wanted. As a result, my mental diarrhea stopped, and I could, basically, be happy again. 

So, these were my experiences. Sorry if it was too long, but I needed to share all of them. I hope you found something useful for you and if you have anything you want to add, just drop a comment. Whatever you decide to do in your life, I wish you all the best. It’s my blessing and hope that you find your path and live the potential you always were: an exuberant life.