Dinkaltranen

I have received a series of emails from readers asking for advice, particularly on mental health. Here’s how to get help with mental health in the country I live in, and it should work for any civilised country, and the later steps are arguably more important that anyone can do.

Step 1: See a doctor, a GP.

Step 2: Explain the symptoms and what you think is the cause for the symptoms. Give enough detail that proves you aren’t malingering but not enough that makes you have a flashback.

Step 3: Ask for a referral to a Psychologist. If you start with a Psychiatrist you are are going to get scammed and given antipsychotics that will fuck up your life forever, because Psychiatrists are bastards who try to use pharmacy for everything.

Newsflash: pretty much no medication for psychological disease treats the illness the way that you or they think it does. It’s not like antibiotics where you help your body fight infection so it can heal. It’s more like taking paracetamol for chronic pain. They treat the symptoms, not the disease.

Step 3.5: If you don’t feel like you get along with the Psychologist or the Doctor, find a different one. Yes, this will be expensive. I assure you it will be less expensive than living with illness for the rest of your life. It took me a decade to find someone who worked for me.

Step 4: Read The Body Keeps the Score. Keep tabs on any segments that stand out to you. Read it again and again as much as you can tolerate until you stop finding parts that jump out at you.

Step 5: Journal. When you feel an excess of any emotion, write it down. Yes, physically, in a book. You can burn it later. I’m personally against that, keep it secure, in a safe or locked box.

There are very many things that will provably improve both your mental and health physical health more reliably than almost every medication. Everyone knows them, no one does them all, or well, because they're really hard.

• Exercise. Walk, lift, swim. Doesn't matter. Get moving. The motor cortex is a huge part of your brain, and exercise improves eveyrthing long term even if it's not for gains.
• Eat a balanced, healthy diet. Avoid processed foods and junk.
• Have some good friends or some form of social interaction (work and/or online doesn't count) each day. This one is really hard, especially the 'good' part.
• Wake up each day at the same time and catch some sunlight. Going to bed doesn't matter as much, but I recommend an earlier bedtime.
• Have a consistent schedule. This means doing all of this at similar times.
• Be very careful with alcohol, drugs, and the internet.

Now for the more practical stuff.

• Make your own environments pleasant for you. Unironically, clean your room.
• Try to be 'awake' at all times. Know what you are doing, how much time it's taking. Ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve?
• Avoid gratification, instant, or otherwise. We are not meant to be enjoying ourselves all the time, dopamine depletion is a bit of a meme phrase but it will make your life numb by constantly squeezing your brain to feel good.
• For consistency, a job is really good. If you're too ill/unstable for work, get a hobby and do it consistently. Doesn't have to be for anyone else other than yourself.
• As said previously, journal. Write letters you'll never send. Write letters to everyone, including yourself. Keep it private. The second it becomes a blog, it's no longer for you, it's for an audience, and you are performing. It won't produce the same results, you will self-censor and in general prevent yourself from processing what is actually bothering you.
• Avoid motivational speakers, life coaches, or people on the internet looking to sell you something. As said previously, we know what works, don't use the self-help book route of surrogating the effort of buying and reading (or more likely these days listening to) the book for the actual effort of improving things. It takes 6-9 hours to read most books. You can do a lot with that time.

The most important thing to know is that no one can save yourself except you. The tragic part is that it's almost impossible to overcome severe mental illness on your own, you need outside help to assist with understanding yourself. The hard work will be done by you, but until you know what works needs to be done, you need to see a professional.

I didn’t think I had a problem or pattern either until my repressed nature came out in such a way it irreparably damaged the lives of those around me forever.

Good luck.