Clean Glass, Clear Enough

They say drink water like it’s easy. Like your mind don’t argue with you about every small thing.

I learned hydration the hard way. My psychiatrist told me straight up that some antipsychotic medications can cause dry mouth and increase the risk of dehydration, especially if you forget to drink during the day (American Psychiatric Association). I ain’t like that fact, but I respected it.

So every morning, I clean my glass first. That part matter to me. Clean glass, clean start. It ain’t superstition—it’s control. When your thoughts feel slippery, routine become medicine too.

I pour water, then add a squeeze of lemon. Not for flavor alone. Lemon water helps encourage fluid intake, and hydration supports overall brain function, even if it don’t cure mental illness (Mayo Clinic). Folks online love to overhype “detox,” but I keep it realistic. My liver do the detoxin’. This drink just help me show up for my body.

I sip slow.

Acceptance ain’t loud. It ain’t post-worthy. Acceptance is me acknowledgin’ that I take medicine daily and still gotta do other health stuff too. Pills don’t replace sleep. They don’t replace water. They don’t replace checkin’ in with myself when my chest feel tight.

Sometimes my thoughts start trippin’, tellin’ me I’m bein’ watched or judged. When that happen, I name facts out loud:
“This is water.”
“This is lemon.”
“I took my meds today.”
“I am not in danger right now.”

Grounding techniques like naming physical sensations are recommended for managing distress and anxiety, especially for people with psychotic disorders (National Alliance on Mental Illness). That’s not weakness. That’s skill.

I finish the glass. Refill it once more before noon. My mouth don’t feel like cotton no more. My head ain’t silent—but it’s quieter. And quiet enough is still progress.

Health ain’t perfection.
It’s maintenance.
It’s learnin’ your limits and workin’ with them instead of fightin’ yourself every day.

Clean glass. Clear enough mind.
That’s a win.

Works Cited (MLA)

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). 5th ed., American Psychiatric Publishing, 2013.

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Water: How Much Should You Drink Every Day?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, www.mayoclinic.org.

National Alliance on Mental Illness. “Managing Psychosis.” NAMI, nami.org.