Dear Quintilius,

I am looking for routines to help with my mental health, what are your top suggestions?

Sincerely, Let’s Talk

Dear Mental Health,

To prepare for the war going on inside your head I would suggest gathering your tool kit first. Make a list of what makes you happy, what objects that you can have on hand, who you can talk to, and what are your favourite things to watch or read. You are also going to need to know what may set you off or be a trigger for the battle in your head to kick off. Is it a saying, task, person or place you could avoid or at least minimize? This first step is taking stock of the situation.

After you’ve made several considerations, it’s time to write down a plan. Plan from the moment you are going to bed tonight backwards to the very morning you are writing this. You are going to need to visualize your whole day and plan how you are going to face each struggle. For example: when you run into stressor ‘A’ early in the morning, what tools from your toolkit can you use to get away from the stress or lessen it. At stressor ‘B’ is there a better tool you can use to solve this problem.

Maybe your tool is just for waiting the stressor out. Say you have a bad class that brings you to the breaking point. You can’t skip it, these are the classes you are taking to work towards getting a job in something that you love (plus you paid like $350 to sit in this place). You may need something to get you through the class like a pen, quarter, fidget cube etc. whatever you can play with that will allow you to both semi-relax and stay engaged. Each stressor may have its own unique tool and don’t be afraid to carry different tools or techniques around with you.

In down times make your plans and prepare your tools. The more you sweat or practice in times of peace, the less you will bleed or suffer in times of war.

All Salute The Eternal City,

Quinitilius of Rome