I feel like mental health has recently become a “hot topic” of sorts. It is so common for people to talk about their struggles, to open up about how they wonder why mental health isn’t taken more seriously, and ask what can be done to fix the broken stigma surrounding mental illness and the “system” in which patients are treated. We have been able to bond over feeling anxious, depressed, and abandoned by the medical professionals we trust to treat us, and have started preaching the need for change. I found myself succumbing to the terrors of my own anxiety issues a while back, and sought help. I learned so much more about myself and the person who I was, but it wasn’t until I started applying the tools I was taught and practiced during my time in therapy that I finally put it all together.

Chronic diseases (COPD, Type II diabetes, End Stage Kidney Disease, Heart Disease etc..) have been on the rise for at least a decade. Thus, people are being prescribed numbers of different medications to stop or slow the progression of these diseases, and yet the incidences of diseases aren’t slowing down, and medical costs to treat these illnesses continues to reach mountain top levels. As consumers, we have chosen the market for how we want to be treated, and as a result, medicine is no longer is the business of treating people, but getting rid of symptoms- fast. The way we are treating our bodies right now is no different than how we are treating our minds; we want a way out quickly, but once we’re out, we don’t focus on avoiding getting back in.

Chronic diseases all have one thing in common; they are modifiable and preventable through healthy eating, exercise, and life habits. We live in a society today where everything is brought to us essentially the moment we want it (high speed internet on our mobile devices, amazon prime shipping, freaky fast delivery in 15 minutes or less, you get the point). I think we have gotten to a point where we are so impatient with ourselves and the people who are trying to help us that we forget that our own health is an investment. In order to be healthy decisions must be made each day to become better, to be well, and to prioritize health. It takes time to take care of yourself, you must be committed to making yourself well, there is no one pill or fix all- solve all method to cure things. That’s what people are missing, that’s why chronic diseases are tending. We want the easy way out, we just don’t have the time, we’re exhausted and making a change is hard.

So, here’s the thing about mental health; just like our physical health it is something that we must look after everyday and actively take a part in when we wake up in the morning to make a priority. We talk about how investing in an exercise regime or developing healthy eating habits can change your physical self so often that it makes me so surprised about the lack of emphasis put on daily mindfulness tasks to put the stress, anxiety, and lack of control of the world around us at ease. This trend that we’re seeing in so many people becoming depressed and anxious and mentally unwell directly correlates to the way in which we are choosing to let our lives run us. We are focused on social media, on our look, on being the best, getting things done, that we are simply forgetting how to live in the moment and be thankful for where we are and what we are doing right now. It starts by taking a closer look inside yourself and understanding how you’re feeling, why you’re feeling it, and what your emotions actually are. Just like learning what foods are healthy for you to eat, we need to learn what thoughts are healthy for us to have before they overrun us. It takes time, you have to learn how to interpret what you’re feeling, and it’s a skill that has to be practiced time and time again.

Here’s my point: taking care of yourself isn’t just about making sure you drink enough green smoothies and get 10,000 steps in a day. There is no single diagnosis or stand alone treatment that is going to make a person better until that person chooses to also put the work in to becoming the best version of who they are. It starts with making sure your mind is right, understanding your thoughts and feelings, and spending the time to get to know, love, and improve yourself for the sake of no one else but yourself. It’s not an easy thing to do, it takes time, and you have to make a commitment and be invested in it for the sake of being able to love life. There is no doubt in my mind that it is hard, but it is totally worth it.