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I used to be a workaholic. In my life, I have already had two high-powered careers with the attendant titan hours and responsibilities. As with all good workaholics, the simple word, "no" was not in my vocabulary. You know that axiom: "When you want something done, give it to a busy person." Well, I was a very, very busy young lady.

I admit this too: my candle burned out faster than I had expected it would. The combination of having no room left in my life for my life plus the onset of psychiatric illness rendered me the "I-can-get-that-done-for-you-in-just-a-second" girl to a deer in headlights. I had given everything that I had in me to everyone who needed it.

My situation not only failed to improve upon leaving my job, it worsened. And my psychotherapy was failing to pull me from the bottom of the abyss into which I had fallen. I not only perceived a lifetime of doom and gloom, I was living it.

But I continued my sessions with my psychiatrist because she insisted that the process had to follow its natural course. Moreover, with no job to go to in the morning, my sessions were the only reason for me to get out of bed and, perhaps, build on the day following my appointment. Some semblance of a regular schedule would be the key to my recovery.

Fundamental, however, to my healthier state-of-mind is to do my best to keep busy. It doesn't matter what you do with your time or what task you create for yourself, as long as it is productive for you. Keeping busy establishes a schedule and creates an inner sense of accomplishment.

It can be a walk everyday at noon. Only, don't look down at the cracks in the sidewalks. Look ahead! Look up! Take note of the trees and the clouds in the sky. Listen to the singsong of the birds as they fly. Listen to the dry leaves and the snow as they crunch underfoot with the beautiful change of seasons.

It can be a new hobby—maybe you've always wanted to be a photographer. I'm still determined to learn how to use a potter's wheel one day; I'd like to craft my next decorative vase rather than purchase it from some overpriced store. Pick up an easy-level crossword book—they're fun and they truly help pass those times of boredom and anxiety, trust me. Actually, completing crossword puzzles can become rather addictive—but it's a positive addiction.

Or you could take a music class and learn or relearn how to play the piano or guitar; which might lead you to write and sing songs. And then, of course, there's poetry: a pursuit to set your soul free and spirit soaring. Along these lines, most of us already have interests and talents which we can benefit others and make you feel so good inside.

If, like me, you must live in a world that is complicated and confused by mental illness, it is so important for you to find a variety of favorite activities and then keep yourself busy doing them regularly. We must always fight harder than others in society to create and find meaning outside of what plagues us inside of our minds.