What To Do When You Are A Witch Suffering From Mental Health Issues
Otherwise known as; I am in a rut of self-pity and canât muster the energy to get out of bed, let alone do a ritual. I have eaten onion rings and regret for the past 3 days as my main meal, I am breaking out in acne, I canât remember the last time I had a wash. Time has become meaningless. I canât get out of bed.
This is a big area where depressed witches start giving themselves a really hard time. The guilt of not being a good devotee can become overwhelming, you can convince yourself that your higher power is starting to hate you. None of this is true.
 You wouldnât expect someone with a physically impairing illness to be able to go out and buy a higher power flowers and gifts. Please do not expect it from yourself. One of my biggest tips is that you need to find peace in the reality that you are hurting. Instead of trying to live like youâre well and exhausting yourself by doing tasks you are not ready for or giving yourself huge amounts of guilt by making yourself promises you can not keep, live within your means. There is no need to kill yourself trying to live a life that isnât possible for you at the minute.
Have an honest conversation with your higher power. Let them know that right now, you are unable to perform conventional acts of devotion and assure them that the love is still there. They will understand. Sometimes they will give you help. One of the perks of being divine is that this higher power has known millions of people just like you. You are not the first devotee to suffer from depression and you will not be the last. They understand.
 Here are a few alternative acts of devotion that are more realistic to give you a base to start from.
Eat a meal in front of your altar / dedicate your meal to your higher power
Clean a small portion of your messes (This can be as little as removing 1 cup from your room, remember, do what you can)
Take 5 minutes to just sit and think about your higher power.
Talk out loud to your higher power like you would a friend.Â
Go outside for two or three minutes. If you can, go for a walk.
create a Spotify playlist for your higher power; play it only in times of devotion.
Watch a YouTube video about your higher power.
Spend quality time with a pet.
Spells as any seasoned witch will know, require at least a small modicum of personal energy. if you have none to spare, do not push yourself into doing one. There is no witch council looking down and judging you because you have not done a spell in a few months. A lot of people think I am a âperfectâ witch. I havenât done a spell since around March and I hold absolutely no guilt over this. Itâs not a requirement. There is more to witchcraft than doing spells.Â
Having said this, if you are ready to do a spell, do not try to âcureâ yourself. You will only be disappointed and have more doubt and self-hatred in your craft when it does not work. You can NOT witch your way into curing depression. Fuck what Facebook groups and crystal healing ebooks have told you. No amount of rose quartz is going to make you love yourself until you are ready to do so. These things are fine used alongside treatment, as an afterthought.They are an aid; they are not and never will be a solution. See a doctor.
Instead of going into spellwork with the mindset of âI want to fix x problemâ go in with the mindset of âI want to aid the process of my body and soul being able to deal with xâ. âI want to remind myself that I CAN recover from xâ. This is why self-care is a very powerful form of witchcraft. You are merely asking for the traits you already have (power, strength, love) to be enhanced and renewed once again. You are not changing yourself. You are refining yourself into the person you always were. You are reminding yourself how wonderful you have always been.
Here are a few links I think youâll find useful.
I am free and proud of what I have become sigil
I am strong in the face of my fears sigil
I do not think harmful things sigil
i deserve to love and to be loved sigil
Emoji Spell For Personal Growth
Emoji Spell âI Am Capableâ
A Spell For Going On When It Seems Impossible
When your brain is clouded from fog and time is a word youâve forgotten the meaning of, do not worry about memorising long lists of spell item correspondences. It is an actual, medical fact that when depressed our memory gets worse and we are unable to retain, process and recall information like we once could.
The reality is that the 99% of witches do not remember spells, simple correspondences or tarot meanings off the top of their head. They all use a mix of pure intuition and double checking. Iâve been practising in various different forms for a long time now, somewhere between 7 and 9 years depending on how strictly you use the term witchcraft, and I can not and never will remember the meanings of every tarot card, spell ingredient or colour. I canât remember ritual orders, incantations or the dates of the sabbats.
 I was not blessed with an encyclopedic memory, in fact, Iâd go as far to say that my âoff the top of my headâ memory of witchcraft is worse than someone who has been practising and studying for as little as 3 months. What I do have, however, is notes, books and 6 years worth of blog links to refresh my memory. There is absolutely no shame in having to refer to these resources and it does not make you any less of a witch.Â
This is why grimoires are a thing. We all have this notion that itâs so you can look back in the future on your old workings or pass them down to a relative. While both of these things are true, grimoires are working active reference tools, just like any other website or book. Donât be afraid to use them.
I hope you found this post useful and if you have any other thoughts feel free to add them!
