What to Do When Your Mental Illness Seems Worse

HealthyPlace Mental Health Newsletter

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• What to Do When Your Mental Illness Seems Worse
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Video: Living with Bipolar: Life Can Still Be Good
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Mental Health Quote

What to Do When Your Mental Illness Seems Worse

It's frustrating when mental illnesses worsen. However, you don't have to give in to worsening mental illness symptoms, and you definitely don't need to give up. The following strategies can help you get back on track:

• Reach out. Having even one person who can support you can help you through these tough times.
• Write down what's happening, and use it as a tool for communication.
• From your description of what's happening with your mental illness symptoms, list what's bothering you the most. It will help you know where to start the healing process.
• Make an appointment with your mental health provider. Have someone accompany you to provide insight and write down any instructions you receive.
• Create a daily self-care plan. Ensure that you're eating well, resting enough, exercising, and doing something enjoyable every day.
• Before bed each night, sketch out a simple plan for your next day. Having a daily routine planned will help provide structure.
• Notice what you're doing well instead of being hard on yourself for having a difficult time. Recognize that you're doing what it takes to keep going. That is a definition of a survivor.

When your mental illness seems worse, take action with these suggestions. If you are in crisis, use the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-8255. Also check out our Suicide Information, Resources and Support page for additional help.

Related Articles Dealing with Worsening Mental Illness Symptoms

• Triggers Can Make Anxiety and PTSD Flare Up
• What to Do When Depression Treatment Makes Anxiety Worse
• Too Much Facebook Can Worsen Depression
• Starting New Antidepressant Can Make Depression Worse Before it Gets Better

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: If you've experienced a flare-up of mental illness symptoms, what have you done to start moving forward again? We invite you to participate by commenting and sharing your feelings, experiences and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page and on the HealthyPlace Google+ page.

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Lack of Treatment for Dual Diagnosis with Substance Abuse
• Maintaining Boundaries with Bipolar Over the Holidays
• Build a Community Where Mental Health Stigma Doesn’t Exist
• Navigating Binge Eating Recovery During the Holidays
• Finding Purpose in Your PTSD Recovery
• Stigma Against Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder
• Five Signs That You Will Beat Anxiety
• Mindfulness Skills for Bipolar Disorder
• Why Gratitude Is Good for Our Mental Health
• Coping with Extreme Anger as a Symptom of Depression
• Hate the Holidays? You Are Not Alone

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

Living with Bipolar: Life Can Still Be Good

When you’re living with bipolar disorder, you’re led to believe that life will be inescapably difficult and the huge challenges ahead may render you incapable of success or, at least, greatly limit it. What I want to share with you today is what I wish someone had told me. This is simply not true.

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Can Anxiety Disorders Come from a Traumatic Brain Injury?
2. The Truth about Paranoia, Extreme Anxiety and Delusions
3. How to Talk to Someone with Disordered Eating Around the Holidays

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Mental Health Quote

"I'm not lazy. I'm just exhausted from fighting my way through every single day". -Mimi Love.

Read more mental health stigma quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook, stumbleupon, or google+) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week, circle HealthyPlace on Google+, follow HealthyPlace on Twitter or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook. Also, check out HealthyPlace on Pinterest and share your mental health pins on our Share Your Mental Health Experiences board.

back to: HealthyPlace.com Mental-Health Newsletter Index