How to Change Your Routines and Behaviors When You Have Mental Illness

Mental illness is more than just feeling sad or anxious once in a while. It’s a continual struggle that makes it hard to function as an average person. Even with the support of family, friends, and therapists, it can be difficult to maintain balance and structure in your life when you have mental illness. These challenges are amplified when you have adult ADHD. But through research and personal experience, we know that everyone has the potential to make small changes in their routine and behaviors that can mitigate the effects of mental illness. There are many stressors outside our control: noisy neighbors, too much sunlight during the winter, or your partner being away on business trips for extended periods of time. However, there are also many things we can change to lessen the impact they have on us.

What Is Mental Illness?

Mental illness is a term used to describe a wide range of conditions that affect a person’s ability to think, feel, and behave. These conditions are thought to arise from complex interactions between ongoing biological processes, environmental influences, and the way that people deal with their circumstances. One in five people will experience a mental health condition at some point in their life, which means that there is a high chance that you know or love someone who has experienced mental illness. This is not a term that should be thrown around lightly. It’s important to understand that mental illness is much broader than simply feeling sad or anxious. Mental illness can make it hard to cope with daily life and interact with others, and can be very disruptive to your life. It can be chronic, and it doesn’t go away on its own.

Identifying the Behaviors and Routines That Trigger Mental Distress

Mental illness is a progressive disease that can worsen over time if you don’t take care of yourself. As part of your self-care routine, you can make a list of the behaviors and routines that trigger your mental distress. This will help you contextualize your mental state as you progress through treatment and learn new habits. In other words, understanding what brings on your mental illness will lead you to the specific behaviors and routines that exacerbate your symptoms. For example, one woman with anxiety noticed that she was most agitated when forced to interact with strangers. It didn’t matter if they were rude or kind, she just couldn’t function properly in those situations. This allowed her to understand that anxiety wasn’t a result of being “overly sensitive.” Rather, it was a physiological response that she had no control over. You can further personalize this process by self-rating your mental health on a scale of 1–10, 10 being “normal” or “not ill” and 1 being “extremely ill,” according to how you feel at various parts of your day.

Morning Rituals: Start Your Day Fresh

As we’ve discussed, people with ADHD experience a significant disruption in their circadian rhythm, which can exacerbate symptoms of mental illness. For example, someone with ADHD and bipolar disorder might experience a depressive episode after a restless and sleepless night. However, by creating positive morning rituals, you can re-regulate your circadian rhythm, even if you have adult ADHD.

Evening Rituals: Regain Control at the End of the Day

As we’ve also discussed, people with ADHD experience a significant disruption in their circadian rhythm, which can exacerbate symptoms of mental illness. For example, someone with bipolar disorder can have an episode of mania after a long day of work. However, by creating positive evening rituals, you can re-regulate your circadian rhythm, even if you have adult ADHD.

Weekly Rituals: Find Shabbat Even With Limited Stamina

As Jews, we have a built-in rhythm to our lives. However, if you have a mental illness, it can be easy to ignore the rhythms that are good for you and focus on the rhythms that are bad for you. For example, if you have a lot of energy on Fridays, you might feel compelled to stay up all night. If you have adult ADHD, this can exacerbate mental distress, making it hard for you to function the next day. However, if you make Friday a “Shabbat” day, you can moderate your behavior so that you are well-rested for the upcoming weekend.

Conclusion

As we’ve discussed, people with ADHD experience a significant disruption in their circadian rhythm, which can exacerbate symptoms of mental illness. For example, someone with bipolar disorder can have a depressive episode after a restless and sleepless night. However, by creating positive morning and evening rituals, and making weekly rhythms that are good for you, you can re-regulate your circadian rhythm, even if you have adult ADHD. In order to live a healthy, happy life, you need to take care of yourself. Mental illness is a real and disruptive disease, but it is possible to manage it and mitigate its impact on your life. These strategies are not a cure for mental illness, but they can make living with it more manageable.