First of all, I don't want to pretend like I have this all figured out just because I have a lot of followers. Don't get me wrong. Obviously I still struggle with this stuff just the same as everyone else. This is all uncharted territory for each and every one of us. There are a few things I have done to start working on protecting my own mental health, and I believe that they could help you too.
Meditation and working out in the morning is something that majorly helps. Just moving my body in the morning, and especially being in and among nature, helps me like crazy to feel more at peace and more connected to myself. Depression wants you to stay in your bed or stay on the couch, but you have to fight that desire. I don't care if it's a five or ten minute workout that you can barely fit in your day. Moving your body, even if it's just a small amount, is going to affect your mental health in a positive way.
My guess is that you are probably holding onto a lot. So much of our mental health could be helped if we could just learn to release sometimes. You see, we hold onto things a lot of the time and we don't even realize it. When things happen to us sometimes, we store it up subconsciously, and we let it build because we don't ever acknowledge it. We have to work through things as they come. When something dramatic happens in your life, acknowledge it and try to work through it. Don't just assume that you're fine. You are probably holding onto it even if you think you aren't. Don't risk it. Just take care of yourself. That should be your priority. If you want to win the war mentally, you have to take care of yourself mentally.
Life is a mental battle. In almost everything you do, it is going to be your mental strength and your mental integrity that either wins it or loses it for you. Even when you think it is physical, it is still mental. When you are trying to run that last mile, the battle is in your mind. When you are trying to ask out that person, the battle is in your mind. When you are trying to get up on time in the morning, that battle is in your mind as well. It's the mental strength that you build up that is either going to make or break you.
If you don't take care of yourself mentally, then you are going to be stressed out and everyone around you, including you, is going to suffer for it. You will be less patient, less caring, and overall a lesser version of yourself if your mental glass is half full because you don't take the time to take care of yourself. Start taking care of yourself.
It all starts with you.
