The end of one year and the start of another often drives us to reflect on lifestyle and wellbeing. Inevitably, the R-word creeps in and, all of a sudden, we’re setting resolutions or resolutely resisting the urge. If you’re like me, you’ve probably committed to change oh… I dunno, three times a week…and only succeeded in following through once or twice. If you’re not like me, I’d rather not hear about it.
This year, instead of committing to HIIT-ing the gym—see what I did there?—or promising to always opt for salad instead of fries, why not set a goal that’s not going to backfire and provoke regret come next December? Resolve to simply be more mindful of your mental health and all those others things you wish you’d done this last year, the year before that, the year before, and so on (32 times in my case). After all, if you’re in a better headspace, you’re less likely to crave all that comfort food, and the mere mention of the word “gym” won’t provoke (quite so many) convulsions of guilt and dread.
Yeah, great idea… if only it were that easy. Insert eye rolls here.
Attending to your mental health isn’t easy but it’s also not a matter of blacks and whites, dids and didn’ts. It’s more like building a snowman. Your form a little ball and then nudge it along. Every nudge helps and, as long as you don’t stop for, say, months, that ball gets pretty big pretty fast.
Here’s how you nudge a snowball your mental health along:
Historically, there has always been some off-label prescribing by doctors who are in-the-know. For example, some popular drugs that are commonly prescribed for things outside of their original intent are:
1. Hydrate. Buy a water bottle. Put water in it. Take the water out with your mouth. Also try to do other healthy things like eat a vegetable with most meals.
2. Sleep. Close your eyes. Keep them that way for seven or eight hours. Open them. Empty your water bottle with your mouth. Repeat daily.
3. Say nice things to people you like and, if they respond in kind, repeat. Put otherwise: care for your relationships. Or, if that’s not gonna work, build new ones. Start by saying nice things to a person you like.
4. Find purpose. I don’t know how to do this and I don’t trust anyone who says they do. A start might be thinking about something that makes you smile. Go do that thing again. And again. And again.
5. Offload. Have you ever had one of those big, buzzy flies in your kitchen and lost your mind? Like, you couldn’t do anything until it was out. All the things pinging around in your head are like buzzy flies. Get them out! I do this by writing lists.
6. Take time off. Stop what you’re doing. Close your laptop. (No! Not this second). Reread point 4 and go do that thing (or similar).
7. You didn’t listen. It’s ok. Hiccups along the way don’t matter. A missed nudge isn’t going to ruin your snowball.
8. Seek help. If you’ve done 1 through 7 (or even if you haven’t) and you don’t find yourself feeling better, you might need assistance. That’s fine. Not too many kids are able to place the head on their snowman alone, after all.
Help with mental health comes in many forms, and no one size fits all. For some, talk therapy works, for others anti-depressant medications are the answer, and for others still, nothing seems to make a difference. Those in the latter category have found encouraging success with ketamine infusions—a treatment aimed at persistent depression that does not respond to traditional therapies. Maybe try it out? Your New Year resolution could be as simple as simply trying to feel better—in whatever way works for you.
Contact Renew Ketamine
Renew Ketamine is Chicagoland’s leading provider of ketamine infusions for depression and chronic pain. If you or a loved one is suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD or another psychiatric disorder, contact us to find out if ketamine might be the solution for you. Ketamine is effective in 70% of patients, and works quickly, oftentimes delivering relief within 1-2 infusions. Complete the brief form to request a free consultation at our Chicagoland ketamine treatment center today.
