Yesterday, I couldn’t watch television, and I felt awful. But this blog is about winning despite mental illness, so what did I do to make myself feel better?

I wish I could say I was perfect and turned around my thinking before I went to bed, but I can’t lie. I went to bed without brushing my teeth and feeling like crap. I’ve learned over the years that I can best judge my mental state by my level of self-care. When I don’t brush my teeth, something is seriously wrong.

But I did one thing right last night, I lifted my hands upward and gave thanks for my life and said that I believed I would wake up feeling totally new. Did I? Not exactly.

But I did the things that I knew would help me feel better. I went for my powerwalk around a beautiful park. I went to a noon A.A. meeting. I picked up my daughters from their school so that they could wait at my apartment to be picked up by their mother after she got off work. I took a nap. I went to another A.A. meeting in the evening, after which I went to one of the member’s house for some food and fellowship.

The result is that I feel good tonight.

Action.

I cannot think myself into right action, but I can act myself into right thinking.

I did the things that I knew had worked in the past, and now I feel better. I did not allow myself to wallow in self-pity. The grand result is that I am writing this just before bedtime. I’ve already brushed my teeth and flossed.

I feel good. I got into action, and I feel good.