It has for sure been a wild past several years of living on my own. There have been many things that have not made me the proudest person on earth. But this year, I have been working on being more responsible than what I have been in the past. While it has been a process, it is getting to be better as time has rolled on. I know it is up to me to do what is right each and every day.

I learned a big thing while caring for my mental health. I realized I had to be better in caring for my physical health. I know there is a shorter lifespan for those of my physical stature. Additionally, I take psychotropic medications that contribute to weight gain. So, it requires being more responsible in eating, drinking, and moving responsibly.

It is one of the hardest things that is for me to work on besides my mental health. But I know it is something that is a necessity if I want to live around to be here longer. It sometimes hurts to hear hard truths. I need to do what is right instead of what is wanted. Ultimately it takes mental and physical health hand-in-hand so that things can be handled equally. Mental health drives me to make necessary healthy food choices. It helps me make wiser decisions. This way, I can be better about making healthy food choices rather than opting for what is easy.

Other things like moving more have followed, but it is hard to take the initiative and do what is needed. It takes time to gain control initially. Making responsible food choices helps things get better at first. Eventually, the drive will come to move more. This process will lead to understanding how important both my mental and physical health are. It takes being responsible and doing the right things, even if we do not want to. At times, we know that we must do what is right to protect all of our dimensions of well-being.

Having the freedom that I have had has not always been easy. I am starting to realize that I need to have better control around it. I need to start to make better choices. Others have reminded me of the times that I did just that. Still, parts of me brushed that off. I was not honest with myself. I was hurting myself mentally by not taking care of my mental health in the way that was needed to.

I eventually learned that it takes caring for both. I realized that I have a short window to make things better for myself. I need to do what is right for me. I must make better choices, no matter what. Is it easy? No. But the reality is life would be shorter for me. I began to realize that I needed to make the right choices to better myself overall.