Mental Illness and Analyzing Your Environment

Living with a mental illness often involves certain things--particularly if you're not stable: More time in bed, closed blinds, not enough food in your fridge or too much "bad" food in your cupboard. Isolating yourself. Creating a negative environment. When you're recovering from mental illness, creating a positive environment can help you recover.

An Example of Mental Health and Environment

An example from my life. My mother drives past my condominium every day on her way home from work. This is rather irritating for a few reasons.

First, she calls me, "Natalieeeeeeeeee, can you stand on your patio. I'm driving by!"

"OK mom here I am!"

She slows down, vehicles behind her and honks repeatedly, waving. She does this while we are on the phone. But I love her. When you love people, you do things like this.

"Thanks hunny! I looooooooooooooove you!" I humor her. I humor her until she arrives home thirty minutes later.

She calls me.

"Um, Natalie...your blinds are closed again."

I am sick of hearing this. Yes, my blinds are closed.

"Mom, I'm a writer, okay? Writer's don't like light." Well, I don't. Not when I'm working.

I get off the phone quickly. I glare at the blinds. I open them. Just a little. I close them again. I have two skylights in my home; they assault me when I'm depressed.

Where am I going here? Well, opening the blinds would let in natural light and natural light apparently makes you a bit happier! It is environmentally healthy! It has a positive impact on depression, sort of like the seasonal affective disorder light that is hidden under my bed.

Analyzing Your Environment

Side-note: I took this picture, early in the morning, before it was much too bright! Take a look around. I am assuming you're home, or at work and killing time before your lunch break, what do you see? Any natural light? Healthy food in your fridge? If you answered yes, that's great, but when you live with a mental illness your environment extends past what surrounds you.

A few examples:

> Who do you let into your life? Do you surround yourself with positive people? This is important. Often, environment is defined by the people that surround you. They can positively impact your life or negatively influence it. Try to figure out how people make you feel; are they benefiting your life? Benefiting your mental health?

>Assess your values. What matters to you? What makes you get out of bed every morning?

>Are you practicing self-care? Does your environment reflect this?

>Life is defined by changes. Have you experienced any recent changes; are these reflected in your personal environment?

In conclusion, our environment is something we can change, to a degree, it is something we can control. When you live with a mental illness your life can feel out of control. Sometimes, it's the little things (natural light!) that can help us recover.

What have you changed in your environment?