Life is full of ups and downs, pain and beauty, and sometimes it feels like we have no say in the outcome of it all. Though life has its twists and turns, we do have the power to make changes in our perspective, location, and routine. Not long ago, I was enjoying my nightly helping of CBD edibles and watching a gentle snowfall from my porch.
I remembered a time when I felt lost, and felt grateful to be truly happy in my situation. Like many people, I had come to a point in my life where I felt I had no direction. My job was going well, but it was the same thing day after day. I was generally satisfied with my living situation, but consistently fantasized about building a homestead outside the city. Everything was O.K, but life’s too short to let it stagnate in mediocrity.
To change my situation I had to make moves. I was satisfied, but I wasn’t happy, and there is a difference. My mental health was suffering, so I rationalized what I’d do to make sure I would live the fullest life possible in the way truest to myself. The following are the most important steps I took to Improve my mental health and live life to its fullest potential.
1.Figuring Out Where to Live
One of the biggest contributors to your mental health is the environment in which you spend your time. Not everybody lives where they want to. There are countless people in the city that want to live in the country, and tons of people in the country that fantasize about living in the city.
Life’s too short to live in the city if you dream of mountains. I was raised in Los Angeles, but am an avid climber and outdoor enthusiast, so the city drained me. I started looking around for cheap land in rural, mountainous areas, and found a place that I could build my dream homestead. I was wholly intimidated by this move and these things don’t come without sacrifice, but it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
2. How to Sustain Yourself
Figuring out how you’re going to eat is essential, and this isn’t essential to mountain living. If your job is soul-crushing, you need to find something else.
This can seem impossible at times. I’m not going to tell you that nothing’s impossible, because you can’t decide to grow wings and fly away, but leaving a career to find another is absolutely possible. People do it all the time, and you can too.
I didn’t want to work all the time, and I certainly didn’t want to drive to the same location 5 days a week, so I found a way to work remotely. I also didn’t want to give my money to the packaged food industry, so I made sure I bought a property with enough land to have a small homestead, and access to water. Figure out how to sustain yourself in a way that fuels your spirit and you’ll be forever happy.
3.The People You Love
It’s important to consider the people you love and those you can live without. I’ve always been a bit of a hermit and have only a few close friends. This made the decision to leave the city seem like no big deal, but it turns out it was harder on me than I had anticipated. I hold my small group of friends very dear, and I miss them all the time. Fortunately, we eat CBD gummies and video-chat all the time.
Life is made richer by the people we share it with. Maybe you need to surround yourself with your loved ones, or maybe you can live far away from them, but always consider them in your decisions.
4.Pursuing Your Passions
It’s important to pursue the things you love It’s easy to get lost in work and our obligations to others, but if you consistently work at the things you love, you’re bound to feel your mental health improve.
I love climbing, and moving to the mountains was a step I needed to take to pursue my passion. I am also a musician, so I needed to live close enough to a city to be able to play for people. Pursuing your passion is wholly important for your mental health, so make sure you’re in the position to do so.
5.Self-Discipline
The only way to accomplish these things is with self-discipline. It can feel overwhelmingly difficult to make yourself follow a routine, but it’s all in your perspective. The things you want are in your grasp, just as long as you can make yourself work for it. Self-discipline is the only way to achieve your goals and set you on the road to improving your mental health.
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
