“5 things I did that improved my mental health in the last 1 year 1. I realized my worth. It was so hard because it meant letting go of those who didn’t. And those were the people that I loved. It hurt so bad. When the ropes that tied them to me were cut, I got cut too. I bled. It hurt. But then those wounds healed like wounds always do. And Now? I am free. 2. I started taking care of myself and that involved going back to the things I learned as a child. Brush your teeth. Take a shower. Sleep on time. Sleep enough. Drink loads of water. Walk. Let your skin shower in sunlight. I keep a habit tracker. It’s simple. It lets me be conscious of my daily needs and whether or not I am fulfilling them. 3. I learned that you don’t always have to respond. To what people say, to that person texting you after 8 months of complete silence, to negative comments, to accusations. It doesn’t make you a coward. Not in the least. What it really does is, is let you be at peace. But the hard part? I also learned that you don’t always have to respond to ‘I love you’ either. 4. I learned to not be extreme. Yes I don’t want to do anything with them. But do I need to burn their letters? Delete all pictures? Even when I’m not sure how that will make me feel in the long run? No. I learned to store it all away in a place I wouldn’t touch until I wanted to. It’s been a year. I haven’t once touched. It works for all aspects of life. Had a bad day at work? Do you just yell and quit? No. Have 100 bad days at work where they don’t respect you but still continue to be silent and work? No any extreme isn’t good. 5. Food is important. So important. They just don’t say ‘you are what you eat’ to sound silly. Food is literally you putting something in yourself. You gotta be more mindful of what, when and how much you’re putting in. Don’t restrict yourself. But don’t not monitor yourself either.”