Preparing for the Lows of Mental Illness

Managing a mental illness while also managing life is exhausting and sometimes feels impossible.

It oftentimes feels like mental illness gets in the way of us truly living a great life.

When the lows are low, we spend our time just trying to survive… and when we finally manage to get a high, it’s spent cleaning up the mess from our lows.

So, how do we learn to manage the lows to make them less impactful on our overall living and stability?

What actions can we take to help protect us from our lows so our highs are spent getting ahead instead of cleaning up the destruction from our lows?

Below are some of the things I use to help keep my lows manageable and less destructive to my overall well-being.

Live by routines.

I cannot stress enough the importance of having routines.

If you don’t have routines structuring your life yet, I would make this your first priority.

Having routines not only supports you when you’re doing well, but they support you the most when you’re doing unwell.

Routines help manage stress levels, produce more time in your day, use less cognitive energy, and help you feel more in control.

The best way I’ve found to set up routines is to focus on what I’m doing every day (OR what I SHOULD be doing everyday) and building up from that point.

Start small with just one routine to focus on, usually an evening or morning routine. I would suggest doing an evening routine first as the foundation of a good evening routine will set you up for better success in the morning too.

My evening routine is separated into two parts: what do I need to finish up to close out my day and what do I need to do tonight to set myself up for success tomorrow?

My morning routine is separated into two parts also: what do I need to get ready for my day and then I have added in some self-care items to help support me throughout my day. For me, this looks like journaling and blogging in the morning before I start my workday.

Having a set routine also helps aide in smaller things like managing medications. Having this built into your routine will help keep missing medications to an infrequent incident instead of a common occurrence.

If you haven’t checked out my blog post on creating a morning routine, check it out here: How to Create a Great Morning Routine . For ideas, check out My Morning Routine!

Have a system.

Having a system in place to manage your time and expectations BEFORE you hit a low is essential to managing your low periods with grace.

What exactly is a system?

A system can look like a multitude of different things. It will honestly depend on what works best for you when organizing and planning.

For me, I use two different apps to create my system: Notion and Google Calendar.

First off, I highly recommend Notion for anyone who is trying to organize their life. I have been using it for a year and a half now and it’s been a game-changer for being able to manage my life, even during the low periods.

To get started with Notion, check out there website here! It’s free to sign up and use. There is a paid version but that’s mostly for individuals who need to collaborate with others for work or similar reasons. The completely free version has always met my needs.

In Notion, I keep track of things like logging my medications, my list for cleaning up my apartment each day, a therapy dashboard for all my therapy items, a spot where I keep all my routines laid out, and a spot where I keep my finances organized. You can truly do a lot with Notion when it comes to managing and keeping up with every area of your life in an organized fashion.

Second, I use Google Calendar to keep track of my medical appointments, work hours, and some daily tasks. I will schedule things on my calendar that keep me moving forward (even when I don’t feel like it) on projects or tasks and other to-do’s I should remember throughout the day. I then go back and delete off the things I didn’t do so I can have an accurate picture of how my day really went. This helps me stay on track, but also stay realistic, about what I can and can’t accomplish during a day.

Having a system will make keeping track of important things during your lows easier and will make you more efficient overall.

Know and understand triggers and warning signs.

Knowing your triggers and warning signs can make all the difference when protecting yourself from going into or managing a low period in your health.

Triggers. Different people have different triggers.

Knowing what your triggers are will allow you to be on the lookout for them and help mitigate your risk to each one. For reach trigger, have a planned response to the trigger that will help you overcome it.

For example: A change in my routine is almost certain to be a trigger for me - causing some sort of breakdown or mental crash around the time it happens. Because I know this is one of my triggers, I’m better able to prepare for it, even when the change is sudden or unexpected.

Also, know your warning signs.

To determine your warning signs, think about the things that typically happen right before you go off the rails. These don’t necessarily have to be negative things, just things you always notice begins to happen when you’re going downhill.

For me, some warning signs are: going to bed late, not completing my routines, forgetting medication, and feeling pressured by things around me.

By knowing and understanding my triggers and warning signs, I’m able to take action as soon as I become aware of the problem, rather than the problem building up and becoming much harder to handle later on.

Look after your physical and mental health.

Taking care of yourself physically and mentally can help keep any lows at a minimum.

Exercising has been proven to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally. Almost every mental illness can benefit from some form of exercise a few times a week. Some options include: running, lifting weights, yoga, pilates, dancing, swimming, or even just walking.

Another way to look after your mental health today, to prepare for lows tomorrow, is by educating yourself on your illness. Knowing the signs and symptoms of when you’re beginning to experience episodes, so you can combat the symptoms as you begin to feel them, instead of waiting to respond when you’re already in the deep of it all. Make a list of things you will do when you begin to notice symptoms creeping back into your life.

You can also remain engaged in your physical and mental health by tracking your symptoms that you’re experiencing every day. This will help you begin to pick up on trends and patterns when it comes to your mental illness that may emerge from simply following what is going on with your health. This ultimately allows you to take a more active role in managing your illness over time.

Stay connected to others.

One of the major symptoms a lot of people have is social isolation.

Despite the urge to be isolated when mentally ill, having close connections with others can help in a multitude of different ways.

Developing close relationships will give you a chance to have adequate support before a crisis happens, helping in some ways to stave off a crisis.

Once your close relationships are attuned to you and your normal behaviors, they will be able to help identify periods where you may be “off” or close to having a mental health crisis. Sometimes others can see our normal behaviors changing before we do. This helps aide you in getting help as a problem may arise, instead of waiting until you’re in a full blown crisis to seek help.

The more you stay connected to others, the more likely you will be to have adequate support while a crisis is happening as well. Sometimes our social supports are one of the strongest foundations we have for managing mental illness, and especially a crisis.

Have a crisis plan.

Make plans for a crisis before you find yourself in the middle of a crisis.

What does this entail?

Planning for a crisis is simply writing down a plan of what to do when you’re in a crisis situation.

Keep your plan in something you use often - Notion, on a note-taking app, in a notebook or bullet journal, or planner. I personally keep all of this information in my Notion.

First, write down a list of coping strategies that have helped you in the past. Sometimes when we are not thinking clearly, coming up with a coping strategy that we have used in the past is impossible. Having the information written down and in front of you will make knowing what to do first easier. These coping strategies can include things like meditation, yoga, reading, exercising, journaling, or spending time with a pet.

Next, include the phone numbers of people who know about your illness and would be useful people to reach out to if you’re struggling to manage your symptoms on your own. This may be a good friend who has educated themselves on mental illness, a therapist, social worker, or family member.

Next, include all medications you are currently taking and the important information and facts for each one. This might include: medication interactions, side effects (a side effect could be exacerbating your symptoms), dosage, and pharmacy information. This should also include a list of medications that your doctor has you take PRN (as needed) along with a brief description of symptoms you could be showing when you need to take this medication. This can help you ensure that your starting treatment ASAP, instead of needing to wait until your doctor gets a chance to call you back.

After this, include a list of hotlines, numbers, or forums you can utilize to get advice and help. If you’re in the US, your list may include:

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Suicide & Crisis Line

  • Call/text 988

• Crisis Text Line

  • Text Home to 741741

Lastly, always include a reminder that you can call 911 or go into the nearest Emergency Room for help. Include the name and number of someone who may be able to go with you if you don’t feel you can go alone. (Make sure you ask them if they feel comfortable doing this first.)

Getting ahead of your lows before they start to happen can help ensure that you remain safe and self-sufficient during periods of low moments in your mental illness. Taking the time to set these plans up now can save you a lot of time and effort in the future when you have less energy to give.

In the comments below, share any additional ways that you prepare to manage the low periods during episodes of mental illness!