My Mental Health Checklist
I’ve lived with anxiety for four years now. I say “lived with” rather than “suffered from” because within the last few years I’ve truly found ways to manage that anxiety rather than let it frequently spiral out of control. That journey took a long time and included doctors visits, medications, and therapy; but i’ve come a long way. Throughout that journey, I’ve created what I’ve come to call my “mental health checklist”. This is a written down list that I can easily refer to when the anxious thoughts start creeping in. The moment I feel my heart start to race or my mind start to fog over, I reach for this list and tick off the tasks until my anxiety begins to lift.
1: Eat something that fuels my body
Especially on days when I’m working from home, I tend to replace breakfast with an extra cup of coffee and promise myself I’ll do an “early lunch”. This usually leads to a foggy brain and teary emotions around 10am. Anyone else? Especially during times when I know my anxiety is prone to flair up (like, you know… a world pandemic?) I make sure to eat foods that fuel my body and mind such as protein and leafy greens.
2: Stay hydrated
Remember that whole “extra cup of coffee” thing? Yeah, that is my anxieties worst nightmare. Giving your body enough water is super important and guess what?! It’s even easier if you’re stuck at home. You can’t really use the excuse “it makes me have to pee all the time!” when you literally have nothing better to do…
3: Take a break from screens
Comparison and information overload are huge triggers for my anxiety. When this happens I sometimes have to force myself (yes, it can get that dramatic) to put my phone down and do something physically stimulating to clear my head of excess noise. Such as...
Click Here to Learn how to Forget Your Phone
4: Go outside
Man’s best friend definitely helps with this, but certainly is not a requirement. If possible, I leave my phone at home and go for a quick 10 minute walk. It doesn’t have to be a sprint and it doesn’t have to last an hour. Just a walk around my neighborhood helps me refocus and forces me to appreciate the world around me.
Click Here to Learn More Walking Benefits
5. Write it out
Sometimes my anxiety is so many thoughts bursting around my head that the only way to get rid of them is to put them on paper. I have an ongoing GoogleDoc that I can easily access from any computer or my phone for these types of entries. I find it helpful to have them all in one place because I can look back at them and remember other moments of anxiety that passed just like this one will.
Click Here to Learn More About Mood Journals
6: Speak to a loved one
It doesn’t have to revolve around your anxiety, sometimes it’s a simple call to a grandparent or long distance friend that makes you laugh. Or maybe it’s a moment of prayer. Remembering that I have people in my corner that support me helps me feel grounded and safe.
Your list probably looks different than mine but no matter what I encourage you to write it out! Maybe start by printing mine off and edit it to what works best for you. Either way, it’s important that you can easily refer to it during anxious times and add check marks as you go (who doesn’t love crossing things off a list?). And please remember that if you’re regularly struggling with anxiety or depression, RemedyLive is here to help. You are not alone.
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Written by Jamie Schueler
