First steps into Healing Journey

Hello and Welcome to our online community! I hope you get as much out of this as possible. Before anything, I would just like you to understand, that anything is possible. Do not let anyone tell you that you can't do something. If you want to live a better life for yourself, then do it! 

The reason I say that is because some people, like myself, grew up in a household where things were one-way or the highway. I was led to believe everyone is unhappy with their life and that is just how it is. Well, I am here to clear the air! Things do not have to be like that, we can make a change. The first step is to change ourselves! 

Understand that this journey is not going to be a quick fix, healing is not that easy. It can take years for some people to reach their goals of healing. Don't let this scare you, it will be worth it. For years I avoided healing because I thought it would be too much to handle at the time, but I was wrong. You should think of healing as some small steps every day to reach an overall goal. An overall goal to be happier and healthier.

I would also like to say I am proud of you! You have made it this far, you want to heal. To want to better yourself is a courageous thing to do. Some people just don't care that much. Some people live their whole lives refusing to deal with their own problems. So, I congratulate you. You are brave! It takes courage to change, it takes self-discipline and consistency. 

Now, since we have established we want to change. Let us understand what we need to change and how. I highly recommend any and everybody, seek professional help to receive an official diagnosis. It is hard to heal yourself when you don't completely understand what is going on with you. You may think you know,  but you would be surprised. 

You may ask yourself, why should I give a heck about this blog if I am going to therapy anyway? Therapy is a necessity for most people with mental illnesses. This blog is meant as a support to add to therapy and counseling sessions. So that you may gain more insights on your particular diagnosis and more ways to cope! Also, this is a community! Join our Facebook group to share your story and chat with other members across the world!

Personally, I have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. It took me many years to do anything about it. I was raised to believe this was normal, and that I should just ignore it. Ignoring my mental illness only made it worse. It took me hitting rock bottom to do anything about it. When I finally decided to heal, the first step was figuring out what was causing my anxiety and depression. 

I used to think it was just going to be my life, I was just going to feel like crap forever. However, I started to dig deeper into my diet. You might hate what I am about to tell you, but what you eat can 100% be the cause of some of your symptoms. For me, since I have cut out a bunch of unhealthy food I have felt much better. Specifically over processed food was a big game changer for me. Simply cooking your own meals at home with healthy ingredients can make a huge impact. Also, make sure you are feeding yourself properly, I catch myself being extremely anxious and realizing I have not eaten anything that day yet. 

Not only just food but what you are drinking also. Alcohol is another topic we can talk about another day. However, caffeine drinks can cause you anxiety! I encourage everyone to limit themselves and drink lots of water.

Another game changer for me was cutting out people in my life that were causing me mental stress and anxiety! You would not believe the amount of stress I released when I let go of 99% of the people in my life. I am not saying go full hermit mode like me, but if you have some toxic people in your life let them go! It is not easy, but ask yourself is this person causing me stress or anxiety often? I am not saying once on a bad day, but consistently bringing you down or stressing you out? That person is causing some symptoms for you I am sure of it. 

Unpopular belief, but your cell phone is another big reason why you are so anxious. Humans are not meant to stare at a little screen all day, this is new for us. Our bodies are not adapted fully to this behavior, thus symptoms may arise. Some symptoms of prolonged cellphone usage are trouble sleeping, anxiety, depression, and relationship problems.

Personally, I deleted my personal social media for a long time. That also took the stress off my back. Sometimes, we take social media too seriously. We let other people's opinions of us weigh too much, what they think does not matter. Some even compare themselves to others online. This all can cause anxiety and have you feeling less confident. I encourage everyone to take breaks from social media and to go outside more!

These are just some of the things I personally did to start my healing journey. There will be many more blog posts relating to this post so stay tuned for more! 

Thank you for being here and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!