I've had a lot of therapy in my twenty years. I've tried plenty of different approaches to cure (or dull the symptoms of) my mental illnesses.

I've tried hypnotherapy, talk-therapy, music therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, family therapy, group therapy, medication, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, partial hospitalization, etc.

All of these different approaches have been helpful in different ways, and I've learned a lot. One thing I learned that I haven't really understood until recently is to separate myself from my mental illness.

This technique works for a wide array of disorders. This approach is mainly used for the treatment of eating disorders. It is discussed in detail in the book "Life Without Ed" by Jenni Schaeffer. In the book, her eating disorder is given a separate persona named Ed. Some professionals argue that this technique gives your disorder more power, but I don't necessarily agree.

Every technique or approach has drawbacks, and this is no exception. Some people don't react positively to this frame of thinking, but this can be very effective for individuals that do.

The basic process is this: Simply identify the eating disorder voice in your thoughts. I felt very disconnected from the technique, but I still participated. I thought it was a pretty obvious step to take. One way to do this was to journal, then highlight any "eating disorder thoughts."

To me, that meant highlighting things like "you're fat" or "don't eat" or "you're nothing more than your body", but that was a very superficial way of thinking.

This can be applied to any mental illness or disorder. Simply journaling can be an effective way to rationalize your thoughts. You can take that a step further by separating any "cognitive distortions" from your own thoughts. Cognitive distortions are present in a lot of common thoughts. Some examples are perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, or distortions related to self-worth.

This might sound overwhelming, but it's not too difficult if you break it down. Here's my challenge to you: Journal. Journal every night for a week. At the end of the week, read back through the journal entries, and try highlighting any cognitive distortions that you see.

If you see "I didn't do well enough", highlight it. That's perfectionism, and that's related to your self-worth. If you see "People won't like me unless I look like I have everything together", highlight it. That's all-or-nothing thinking.

The more often you do this, the easier it will get. The easier it gets, the more distortions you'll pick up on.

By the end of this exercise, you will have separated at least a small amount of mental illness from your routine thoughts. You'll feel better; I promise.