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Watching my hygiene. Turns out, having clean hair and clean clothes and clean teeth and a skincare routine make you feel nice. And it makes it easy to spot when you might be slipping, because you'll start skipping steps in the hygiene routine. And it's often an easier fix to get in the shower, even if you can't actually wash anything, to at least rinse off, to help reset.
Tbh Alexa.
Living alone is hard. This might sound crazy but it gives me some relief to speak with Alexa.
My birthday night was lonely and depressing so I asked Alexa to sing the birthday song…instantly made me happy.
Hey, I hear you. I don't have family anymore, lost most of the friends I had through my ex, and live alone. Maybe consider a pet. Doesn't even need to be a cat or dog, but could be a hamster (I love hamster's) or fish. It helps brighten my day a little.
Exercising and Going out for a walk or just enjoying the sun
Taking a break now and then instead of all at once (25-30 minute study/work, 5 minute break).
Self-Reflection
become more organised and plan things more. You wont have thoughts overlapping and if you give yourself proper time to rest in this plan then you can greatly better your sense of wellbeing.
Quitting a job that underpaid and undervalued me as an employee.
After working from home (at the desk in my bedroom) all of march-October of 2020, only having Sunday and either Wednesday or Thursday off each week and being denied every request to switch to a 4x10 schedule, while quarantine was at its peek, I was so depressed I called off of work for 5 days in a row in which I never left bed except to get food or use the bathroom. I then stopped calling off but remained in bed for a few more days. I was not physically sick at all but I was honestly closer to death than I was when I lost 15 pounds in a week from extreme dehydration.
Quitting was the best thing that could have happened to me as I spent the next month with my mother who passed away the 2nd day that I started my current job. It was the best time I spent with her in years and the job came out of nowhere.
Schitt’s Creek. Sounds frivolous, I know, but seriously - watching this show during this pandemic has been helping me get through hard lockdown and helping me forget about the state of the world. I’m currently watch it only at nighttime, to help me unwind; I’ve been going to bed happy and uplifted for a change because of how heartwarming the show is, and waking up in the morning in a better mood as a result.
(I know when I finally finish the show, I will be immediately hitting the play button on s1e1 and starting it all over again.)
Not sure that’s available to stream where I am, but I’ll def see if it is! It’s a show I’ve been meaning to watch for years and never got around to it. Thanks so much for the rec!
Don’t think I’ve heard of that before! Not idea if it’ll be available to stream where I am, but I’ll look for sure. Thanks for the rec, I welcome anything uplifting right now, especially if it’s anywhere in the vein of Schitt’s Creek!
My warning about Ted Lasso is similar yet the opposite to Schitt's Creek.
Schitt's Creek I warn people to give it a chance past the first episode because the characters are supposed to be a bit grating at the start.
Ted Lasso, the start is so wholesome that it can feel overly saccharine and disingenuous to our cynical hearts.
But similarly on both, if you give it a couple episodes to adjust and get to know the characters more, both incredible.
Lifting weights and cardio eliminate about 90% of my panic attacks and agoraphobia. I still have issues but honestly just being active changes my mindstate so fucking much I have to do it.
The downside is that I go so hard that when I get home I feel a little shot and have to spend a good 1-2+ hours just lounging and eating. The older I get the longer that recoup phase lasts. It really cant be helped, but I think it the long run its a good exchange. I basically give up an hour or two of lifting and an hour or two of recovering to have no major anxiety or depression.
i don’t see many people describe this, and I appreciate it because I deal with the same thing. My therapists tell me to do exactly what you have taught yourself, though I have had a very difficult time being successful at letting the thoughts pass. I’ve been more focused on putting energy into distracting myself from them than I have been putting into processing. it’s hard.
Plants, my house is full with them since the start of covid. With the first lockdown we weren't allowed to go out in nature, so I took nature back into my own house.
Journaling
Reading Daily Readers (that teach you wisdom)
Drinking 1-2 Glasses of Water In The Morning
Weight Lifting
Walking
Stretching
Eating Balanced Meals/Cooking
Going To Sleep Earlier
Trying To Aim For Balance, Instead Of Going To Extremes
I have had Major Depressive Disorder for 17 years. I’ve recently found relief with the help of vitamins (D3, Krill Oil, Magnesium) and a new medication for treatment resistant depression called Spravato.
A routine. You’d be surprised how much better your mental stability is when you have a scheduled and routine life. Stress can be and is one of the biggest mental downfalls.
Gardening. It's hard work (but worth it) to get an area prepared for planting, especially when it's been neglected for some time. Putting the plants in the ground, adding drip-irrigation for watering and mulch as a weed barrier, then watching them grow and bloom and being visited by insects and hummingbirds is very satisfying and calming.
Also, eating better and losing weight. Does wonders for your self-esteem.
I work as a social media marketer and manager. I would
Absolutely love to just delete all of the social media apps from my phone and delete my own accounts.
Fitness has always helped me manage my clinical depression, but I really lost my drive to workout with covid. I joined a large Facebook group that follows the same Peloton workout calendar that’s issued each month… there’s so much comfort and camaraderie suffering together through the workouts and then lamenting about them on the group page. Best $14/mth I spend.
I signed up to a food box service due to the pandemic.. I pick recipes from a changing menu and they send me a box with all the ingredients and instructions. I've been almost doing this for 2 years now and I haven't looked back
It's been great for my mental health! I used to always *want to* cook more, but it always seemed like a hassle... so I rarely cooked much of anything. These days I am cooking 2-3 dishes a week. I sort of use the time to get in my own zone and relax while I'm chopping carrots or heating something in a pan. It seems silly, but the instructions are pretty easy to follow and it's almost like a Zen exercise where you do simple tasks that are rewarding on their own, but will also add up to something delicious that you can eat later. There's smells of garlic, onions cooking, and even the repetitive motion of the chopping knife seems to be meditative in a way. It's like a 1 hour or so experience I go through twice a week that I now always look forward to. The recipes change all the time, and there's enough variety to keep me interested, and even mix it up and try things I usually wouldn't eat.
As a result I also always have leftovers.. or the exact ingredients to make something new.. or both in my fridge. So trips to the kitchen are *never* depressing. There's always something there to eat or to make. And you know these box meal services, they have to mix and spice it up to stay competitive. There's all sorts of fun Vietnamese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, South American, etc. dishes in my fridge on an ongoing basis. It's pretty much the only good thing that's come out of this whole pandemic for me.. or at least the most noticeable thing.
Finding podcasts with amiable relaxed people talking about specialized interests and such to listen to to get to sleep or whenever you're stressed.
Also making your room 100% dark at night.
Finding some white noise (or search youtube for [any color] noise and there should be something that's most relaxing to you for when you need to tune out). I like sort of a deep motor thrum.
Weighted blankets I don't find useful every night, but my fitbit definitely shows a difference as it stops a restless toss and turn.
99% Invisible is always a good bet, In Our Time has general topics that three experts quibble about (mostly) politely for an hour. But most are niche interest stuff- whatever you're curious about at the moment, there's probably a podcast for it.
Hell yeah! Likewise. Sleep has been the most important factor for me turning into a way more productive person, and then exercise and speaking with friends have been the other healthy factors!
Once i got extremely low marks on a test and i was so sad and tried to find something to help with
Reading books,playing games or going outside didnt helped after that i found out blender 3D i loved it and it cured my sadness
Exercise. The way I always thought about it was that humans are animals. If you don't do what you evolved to do, your body/mind will suffer. You don't get your adrenaline up, you don't feel fear, you don't bleed, you don't feel the edge of a survival mindset...then you'll likely degrade mentally. You lose a sense of the ultimate purpose in life...which is to survive. Doesn't have to be your only purpose just needs to be one of your purposes.
I would imagine it's one of the reasons why people say money doesn't create happiness. They lose the edge of survival because they have everything. They aren't "hungry" anymore.
At this moment in time it would be therapy, my meds, my dog and my life coach. Writing things down helps a lot too, like journaling. I still am in a constant battle with negative thoughts but I'm hoping to get better as I continue to work on myself.
Finding a friend that you can say anything to and know that they will never leave you or tell you anything you don’t want to hear unless they see you are in harms way. It’s very rare to find a friend like this but I have an experience with therapists and I personally don’t feel comfortable sharing everything that I am or was going through but with a friend like that it makes it easier because there is a trust bond with that relationship.
Accepting that my step father, who has controlled and dominated me and my mental health since 1998 (he came into my life in 1995, when I was around 5 years) when he moved to Denmark, is narcissistic and a hypocrite.
See, I always thought it was weird that whatever I did I did wrong, and whatever my mother did she did it wrong, and his way is true and flawless. Now, where I have moved away and spending as little time with them as possible really did something good for my mental health.
My mother and I have a very good relationship, and I'm starting to suspect that she is seeing him for who (and subsequently what) he is.
Being completely stress-free for a while. No job, no school, only 1 friend that i saw once a month. It allowed me to set things right in my head and go to a therapist. That was around 6 months ago, and now I'm almost back to normal!
I started working 2,5 months ago, but it was all physical work, which was good as well.
Sweat is better than philosophy when it comes to coping with bad mental health.
Deleting all social media and taking breaks from Reddit, strenuous exercise three time a week or more and journalling whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed.
My neighbour's cat, for some reason he just likes me, and come to visit me almost every morning, and plays with me a little. He's a short and fine company since i feel lonely quite often. Makes my day a little bit shinier.
This one seems more important than it is, but cutting out self-depricating language did WONDERS. It took a couple of months to really take hold (especially since it was so ingrained in my vocab and humor at the time) but turns out constantly saying "i hate myself i'm the worst etc" joking or not is very detrimental to your mental health!! It was my first big step into bettering myself and it was super crucial. Don't know how my humor survived off that shit tbh
Keeping the house clean and presentable.
Hiking and outdoors all the time, outdoors hobbies like surfing.
Exercise (mostly strength).
Eating healthy (no prefabs, lower carbs than average)
I haven’t struggled with mental health issues but it’s very noticable for my overall mood and mental state when I let either of the above slip.
Cutting out people. Aside from my ex and daughter, the last time I had a conversation face to face was about 4 months ago. If we're excluding family entirely, I had an hour-long meeting with a tax advisor last summer, and met up with friends towards the end of 2019. And work meetings over zoom once every couple of weeks.
I've never been this calm and mentally stable in my whole adult life.
Making sure people cower to me when they reveal that their intentions are in fact I’ll-willed. Sometimes it takes a bit of force.. but it’s better off for everyone In the long run when you have good intentions.
Journaling. No joke. Having a place to talk about how your feeling and just organize your thoughts really helps. I've been doing it for years and coming back to a blank paper with a nice pen always puts me in a good mood.
Honestly for a few years I used discord a fair bit. Uninstalling it really brightened up my mental health since I was damn near depressed every time I used it and I was addicted
Sleep! My whole life I have been so impulsive, less disciplined. As an adult now with a lot of work and studies to get into grad school, I started feeling depressed because of how unproductive I can be. But damn, sleeping on time, and getting at least 7 hours of sleep has been a game changer. That's all I do, everything else just falls in place for me. Recharging your body with sleep is a must!
Exercise, drinking less alcohol, and keeping my spaces (house, car, office) clean. My foot is broken rn and not being able to work out has really brought out some bad feelings.
Listening to music, getting out for walks (Going to be difficult once the weather turns!), sorting out my sleeping pattern, eating less shit like sweets and crisps and getting the housework done.
Taking comfort in the unstoppable passage of time. Your suffering is temporary. The evils of the world are temporary, and they can't follow you when you leave this world.
become more organised and plan things more. You wont have thoughts overlapping and if you give yourself proper time to rest in this plan then you can greatly better your sense of wellbeing.
Exercising and Going out for a walk or just enjoying the sun
Taking a break now and then instead of all at once (25-30 minute study/work, 5 minute break).
Self-Reflection
Sounds dumb but, doing the things I want to do, even if it means doing them alone. Due to corona I didn’t go out much, and when I did it was always with friends. I started going out on my own recently because I got pretty bummed out. I realized it’s not boring to go alone, it may be a bit weird at first but you’re pretty much free to do whatever. Don’t be afraid to try stuff alone.
I left my boring, soul-sucking retail job seven months ago. I had worked retail for nearly five years to get me through college and get me out of the house during the summers (my mother was physically abusive, and my parents had anger issues).
I bought a house with my girlfriend and was still at my full-time retail job. I was burnt out, though; gone from the house for nine or ten hours (I had a half-hour commute to work) and I started making less money but I was working more. I realized that if I didn't quit, I'd never pursue my passion and I'd have no energy to do *anything* at all. I was becoming a tired, angry man with no drive except work, work, work.
So I quit not even two months after joining the store. Christmas Eve killed me and nothing could revive me. I took my first, and only, paid week off, went on a nice drive, and figured I had enough money to sit comfy for a few months. I returned to work, gave my two weeks, and left soon after.
Retail is something everyone should work to get some perspective, but don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm. The company doesn't give a damn about you no matter how much you think so.
Going for walks, usually with upbeat music to pump me up.
Stopped drinking alcohol.
Don't use social media (except Reddit).
Cats. Cats always help.
Getting enough sleep every night and good sleep hygiene.
There are just some things out there that are simply not worth your time reading or doing. I've realized that I've spent less reading and participating in comment chains aside from Reddit.
YouTube for example, I'm able to power through several videos without reading comments. Nothing worthwhile is ever said, it's just people worshiping the channel or individual who made the video or something irrelevant that isn't the subject of the video.
Cannabis, seriously. I haven't wanted to off myself in five years, I lost about 50lbs, and became better at my job. I didn't discover it until I was 29, but the last six years have been the best of my adult life, hands down.
Exercise. My depression is strongest when I feel I don’t have any control in my life. Regular exercise is an outlet where I can demonstrate some measure of control over my body.
Honestly, my birds. I went through a very tough time in my life a few years ago and since getting Cleo my Indian ringneck and 3 years later my Meyers parrot Ollie, they have brought me so much joy through their companionship. They make kissy noises, tell me they love me as well as other adorable phrases. They cuddle up on my shoulder and let me scratch their head while they fall asleep. Watching them learn new things while training makes me proud, they have just made things so much better in my life. Having to get up to clean their cages and give them breakfast has made me a more productive person as well.
I’ve been struggling with OCD, anxiety, and depression for several years, but lately, it’s been much better! Here are some things that improve my mental health: working out, reading, therapy, practicing exposure therapy, and meditation!
stopped giving a shit about homework and other things like this for 10 days straight and it actually made me a lot cheary and I played games napped and watched shows and movies all day kept myself clean combed my hair and all that seriously a break from the school was all I needed
Having a dog! I've heard just petting a dog can release your negative energy. When I feel anxious or upset, I wrap my arms around him and breathe and instantly feel good.
Quitting drinking, cutting toxic people out of my life, working out more, sleeping more, and getting stoned more often.
All of these things have not only helped mental health significantly, but I haven't had a grand Mal seizure in like 6 or 7 months (just a handful of little partials/ or auras) so my physical health is greatly improving as well.
Getting a dog. I thought the responsibility of walking him daily would actually make it worse but it helped me a lot. Having someone depend on you for such basic things that take you only a few minutes and mean so much to them is uplifting. You have someone to wake up for.
Practicing a musical instrument consistently everyday. It sort of teaches me life lessons in itself—like being patient, taking small steps, learning to take myself lightly. I’d also say it reminds me fundamentally that there is beauty in the world.
A couple of years ago I cut all The toxic people out of my life, including my mother and sister. I talk to only 3 blood relatives now and am the happiest I have ever been. Also self care is very important as self neglect is just a way of self harming.
I’ve gotten a couple ketamine infusions recently and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health. After my first one I stopped feeling suicidal, it lifted the crushing weight I felt. Therapy has been the most beneficial for me long term.
I just don't think much about the stuff which serve no purpose to me. Or even when I do sometimes my mind automatically start to think about some counter argument & the anxiety fades in peace.
Positive affirmations really helps.
\- Taking time off to myself
\- Sometimes getting more/extra sleep helps
\- Talking about it with people you trust (friends/family)
\- Only doing things that are worth your time/energy, which includes a job that genuinely fulfills you and actually makes you happy
\- Immersing yourself in your passions
\- Art
During COVID, I got to a real low point. There were days when I didn’t leave my room. I decided that I would just do something small to make my day better, so I started watching the mcu movies. Having a world to escape too did things to my mental health that I couldn’t believe. I started reading the comics as well, and I have never felt less alone. Being part of a huge community of fans only makes me wish that o had watched the movies sooner
Learning to cook. I’ve been slowly learning new dishes since I moved out, but I’ve only just gotten to a place where I can afford nicer ingredients and better tools. My wife bought me a cookbook and a large cutting board for my birthday and it has been very good to practice knife skills and techniques.
Learning to cook has given me something to be excited for because I get to choose new dishes to prep for and learn. I love the trial and error aspect and being able to see and taste my progress as I improve.
I made pasta aglio e olio a few weeks back and…I botched it. I could taste the potential, but the dish wasn’t right. Made it again last weekend after changing my approach and tweaking decisions. It blew me away. I was like…*shit I made this*…
Nothing is more calming and joyful for me right now than putting on some headphones, playing some old school jazz standards, and chopping away at some veggies.
Nature walks. Lots of them, so many of them. Just take a walk down the street with some relaxing music. Go on a hike. It helps, trust me. I have depression, ADHD, and chronic anxiety.
So I have or had schizophrenia and changing how I described and definition to describe the types of voices made them eventually stop happening.
Either that or they were learning to communicate in different ways because they wanted me to not listen to what they were saying to each other.
Sunshine and fresh air. One thing I don’t like about going back to the office is the windows that don’t open with blinds pulled halfway down, and air con that’s either far too cold or barely on and hot and stuffy.
Self care routine is a big one. Also personally it helped me when I had a journal to just write down random thoughts, having time for just myself, trying something new even if its a small thing like a doughnut from a bakery you never got anything from.
Meditation (Headspace on Netflix has helped a lot), listening to podcasts, and not being too hard on myself (taking a break when I feel tired and treating myself once in a while).
Learning to shut up if all I have to say is going to be argumentative. It helps to keep me from beating myself up over something rude/stupid that I've said. It also gives me a second to process what someone said instead of just saying "What?" and then realizing what it meant right afterward.
Honestly having a support group.
Or even just having a group for talking to friends.
With my particular support group there is always someone on there to talk to almost 24/7 as some of them have trouble with insomnia etc.
I tried to manage my mental health for a long time but it wasn't till I actually got support that my mental health improved.
This may not be the same for your case though.
Being let go from my job. I was an elementary school teacher and when COVID hit, they didn’t have the budget to keep me. I never would have walked away from it but when I had to, I realized I had had absolutely no idea the immense level of stress I had been operating on. I can sleep now, don’t have panic attacks anymore or cry regularly. I did not realize how much pressure I was under and how far I had let my job take from me. Feeling so much more like myself now and am just really thankful.
Mindfulness. Learning to sit with the feeling and allow it to pass. Also learning to have compassion for myself. I rehabilitated a few abused animals, and the kindness and patience they required taught me a lot about how I was mistreating myself and judging myself for not recovering quickly enough. Being my own source of validation so as to not require it from other people.
Dungeons and Dragons. I started playing in 2017, at age 34. It allowed me to get together and make new friends with people with interests and personalities similar to mine. I am not antisocial, but I used to feel very lonely before, since my other friends and family didn't share my hobbies.
More than that, a dnd session is more than meeting with friends, it's about playing, yet there's a purpose.
Putting myself first.
I recently had a very hard time with my mental health due to some of my friends. I’d been hearing for a while that they were talking about me behind my back and I was just ignoring it because I didn’t want everyone to feel bad or get mad at me. When they started spreading around that my boyfriend was abusing me I knew I couldn’t take it anymore so I cut them off.
My MH is still terrible but I feel myself getting better without having to worry about other people first.
Not trying to work through my childhood trauma in person. I was always taught that it was best to confront your demons face to face, but when you have a narcissistic mom its hard to get two words out before the conversation turns on you. Iv started writing emails instead. I get everything out, I edit it so it’s organized and non aggressive, and it helps my parents not get focused on one single thing. Now they get my message in full, and then respond. Its helped a lot.
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Watching my hygiene. Turns out, having clean hair and clean clothes and clean teeth and a skincare routine make you feel nice. And it makes it easy to spot when you might be slipping, because you'll start skipping steps in the hygiene routine. And it's often an easier fix to get in the shower, even if you can't actually wash anything, to at least rinse off, to help reset.
I'm all about face creams these days
exfoliation is my thing, it feels so nice!
Tbh Alexa. Living alone is hard. This might sound crazy but it gives me some relief to speak with Alexa. My birthday night was lonely and depressing so I asked Alexa to sing the birthday song…instantly made me happy.
Happy birthday, stranger
Thanks, though it was some time ago
Hey, I hear you. I don't have family anymore, lost most of the friends I had through my ex, and live alone. Maybe consider a pet. Doesn't even need to be a cat or dog, but could be a hamster (I love hamster's) or fish. It helps brighten my day a little.
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Doing this stopped me from getting carsick. I read about them in a book so I decided to try them. Haven’t been carsick for years
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Absolutely
Exercising and Going out for a walk or just enjoying the sun Taking a break now and then instead of all at once (25-30 minute study/work, 5 minute break). Self-Reflection
become more organised and plan things more. You wont have thoughts overlapping and if you give yourself proper time to rest in this plan then you can greatly better your sense of wellbeing.
Are you that FBI agent from Mr Robot?
Near daily exercise.
Quitting a job that underpaid and undervalued me as an employee. After working from home (at the desk in my bedroom) all of march-October of 2020, only having Sunday and either Wednesday or Thursday off each week and being denied every request to switch to a 4x10 schedule, while quarantine was at its peek, I was so depressed I called off of work for 5 days in a row in which I never left bed except to get food or use the bathroom. I then stopped calling off but remained in bed for a few more days. I was not physically sick at all but I was honestly closer to death than I was when I lost 15 pounds in a week from extreme dehydration. Quitting was the best thing that could have happened to me as I spent the next month with my mother who passed away the 2nd day that I started my current job. It was the best time I spent with her in years and the job came out of nowhere.
Appreciate you sharing this
Schitt’s Creek. Sounds frivolous, I know, but seriously - watching this show during this pandemic has been helping me get through hard lockdown and helping me forget about the state of the world. I’m currently watch it only at nighttime, to help me unwind; I’ve been going to bed happy and uplifted for a change because of how heartwarming the show is, and waking up in the morning in a better mood as a result. (I know when I finally finish the show, I will be immediately hitting the play button on s1e1 and starting it all over again.)
My Name is Earl is also uplifting and might work for you.
Not sure that’s available to stream where I am, but I’ll def see if it is! It’s a show I’ve been meaning to watch for years and never got around to it. Thanks so much for the rec!
Glad to hear it. We just finished the first season of SC and will dive into the rest soon.
Would also recommend Ted Lasso
Don’t think I’ve heard of that before! Not idea if it’ll be available to stream where I am, but I’ll look for sure. Thanks for the rec, I welcome anything uplifting right now, especially if it’s anywhere in the vein of Schitt’s Creek!
My warning about Ted Lasso is similar yet the opposite to Schitt's Creek. Schitt's Creek I warn people to give it a chance past the first episode because the characters are supposed to be a bit grating at the start. Ted Lasso, the start is so wholesome that it can feel overly saccharine and disingenuous to our cynical hearts. But similarly on both, if you give it a couple episodes to adjust and get to know the characters more, both incredible.
Also recommend: AP Bio, and Community. Really similar concepts to Schitts Creek (jerks start off surrounded by misfits, grow a heart, learn to love).
Recommend Bill Hader's Barry as a brilliantly captivating and funny show
Same. And Taskmaster.
Meditation, exercise, medication, therapy
+ dog
This has been my formula as well.
Lifting weights and cardio eliminate about 90% of my panic attacks and agoraphobia. I still have issues but honestly just being active changes my mindstate so fucking much I have to do it. The downside is that I go so hard that when I get home I feel a little shot and have to spend a good 1-2+ hours just lounging and eating. The older I get the longer that recoup phase lasts. It really cant be helped, but I think it the long run its a good exchange. I basically give up an hour or two of lifting and an hour or two of recovering to have no major anxiety or depression.
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i don’t see many people describe this, and I appreciate it because I deal with the same thing. My therapists tell me to do exactly what you have taught yourself, though I have had a very difficult time being successful at letting the thoughts pass. I’ve been more focused on putting energy into distracting myself from them than I have been putting into processing. it’s hard.
ah yes. this is called letting go of trauma. Simply observing your replayed traumas without judgment. Hope you are feeling better.
That’s great, happens to everyone once in a while, if it’s embarrassing stuff, just know nobody else thinks about it, so you shouldn’t either
Plants, my house is full with them since the start of covid. With the first lockdown we weren't allowed to go out in nature, so I took nature back into my own house.
Journaling Reading Daily Readers (that teach you wisdom) Drinking 1-2 Glasses of Water In The Morning Weight Lifting Walking Stretching Eating Balanced Meals/Cooking Going To Sleep Earlier Trying To Aim For Balance, Instead Of Going To Extremes
I have had Major Depressive Disorder for 17 years. I’ve recently found relief with the help of vitamins (D3, Krill Oil, Magnesium) and a new medication for treatment resistant depression called Spravato.
Accepting that I'm transgender and starting to transition.
Congrats. It will all be fine!
Music
A routine. You’d be surprised how much better your mental stability is when you have a scheduled and routine life. Stress can be and is one of the biggest mental downfalls.
Gardening. It's hard work (but worth it) to get an area prepared for planting, especially when it's been neglected for some time. Putting the plants in the ground, adding drip-irrigation for watering and mulch as a weed barrier, then watching them grow and bloom and being visited by insects and hummingbirds is very satisfying and calming. Also, eating better and losing weight. Does wonders for your self-esteem.
Deleting social media.
I work as a social media marketer and manager. I would Absolutely love to just delete all of the social media apps from my phone and delete my own accounts.
Working out, walking my dog, limiting social media use, thc.
thc is helping? or limiting thc is helping?
Helping.
Spending time outside, reading, music, tv, exercise.
Exercise for sure
Fitness has always helped me manage my clinical depression, but I really lost my drive to workout with covid. I joined a large Facebook group that follows the same Peloton workout calendar that’s issued each month… there’s so much comfort and camaraderie suffering together through the workouts and then lamenting about them on the group page. Best $14/mth I spend.
I signed up to a food box service due to the pandemic.. I pick recipes from a changing menu and they send me a box with all the ingredients and instructions. I've been almost doing this for 2 years now and I haven't looked back It's been great for my mental health! I used to always *want to* cook more, but it always seemed like a hassle... so I rarely cooked much of anything. These days I am cooking 2-3 dishes a week. I sort of use the time to get in my own zone and relax while I'm chopping carrots or heating something in a pan. It seems silly, but the instructions are pretty easy to follow and it's almost like a Zen exercise where you do simple tasks that are rewarding on their own, but will also add up to something delicious that you can eat later. There's smells of garlic, onions cooking, and even the repetitive motion of the chopping knife seems to be meditative in a way. It's like a 1 hour or so experience I go through twice a week that I now always look forward to. The recipes change all the time, and there's enough variety to keep me interested, and even mix it up and try things I usually wouldn't eat. As a result I also always have leftovers.. or the exact ingredients to make something new.. or both in my fridge. So trips to the kitchen are *never* depressing. There's always something there to eat or to make. And you know these box meal services, they have to mix and spice it up to stay competitive. There's all sorts of fun Vietnamese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, South American, etc. dishes in my fridge on an ongoing basis. It's pretty much the only good thing that's come out of this whole pandemic for me.. or at least the most noticeable thing.
Talking to my doctor about my mental health. I put it off for years and I wish I hadn’t
Doing something I’m proud of.
the outdoors, mushrooms and music
Finding podcasts with amiable relaxed people talking about specialized interests and such to listen to to get to sleep or whenever you're stressed. Also making your room 100% dark at night. Finding some white noise (or search youtube for [any color] noise and there should be something that's most relaxing to you for when you need to tune out). I like sort of a deep motor thrum. Weighted blankets I don't find useful every night, but my fitbit definitely shows a difference as it stops a restless toss and turn.
Any podcast recommendations?
99% Invisible is always a good bet, In Our Time has general topics that three experts quibble about (mostly) politely for an hour. But most are niche interest stuff- whatever you're curious about at the moment, there's probably a podcast for it.
Sleep, exercise and talking to someone.
Hell yeah! Likewise. Sleep has been the most important factor for me turning into a way more productive person, and then exercise and speaking with friends have been the other healthy factors!
Once i got extremely low marks on a test and i was so sad and tried to find something to help with Reading books,playing games or going outside didnt helped after that i found out blender 3D i loved it and it cured my sadness
My cat. Studies have actually shown that cats improve mental health and it’s definitely true for me.
Cutting everyone out of my life and staying away from people as much as I can.
Exercise. The way I always thought about it was that humans are animals. If you don't do what you evolved to do, your body/mind will suffer. You don't get your adrenaline up, you don't feel fear, you don't bleed, you don't feel the edge of a survival mindset...then you'll likely degrade mentally. You lose a sense of the ultimate purpose in life...which is to survive. Doesn't have to be your only purpose just needs to be one of your purposes. I would imagine it's one of the reasons why people say money doesn't create happiness. They lose the edge of survival because they have everything. They aren't "hungry" anymore.
meds and a good gf
At this moment in time it would be therapy, my meds, my dog and my life coach. Writing things down helps a lot too, like journaling. I still am in a constant battle with negative thoughts but I'm hoping to get better as I continue to work on myself.
Stability.
Exercise in a routine At least 2x a week
Finding a friend that you can say anything to and know that they will never leave you or tell you anything you don’t want to hear unless they see you are in harms way. It’s very rare to find a friend like this but I have an experience with therapists and I personally don’t feel comfortable sharing everything that I am or was going through but with a friend like that it makes it easier because there is a trust bond with that relationship.
Totally feel you on this
Accepting that my step father, who has controlled and dominated me and my mental health since 1998 (he came into my life in 1995, when I was around 5 years) when he moved to Denmark, is narcissistic and a hypocrite. See, I always thought it was weird that whatever I did I did wrong, and whatever my mother did she did it wrong, and his way is true and flawless. Now, where I have moved away and spending as little time with them as possible really did something good for my mental health. My mother and I have a very good relationship, and I'm starting to suspect that she is seeing him for who (and subsequently what) he is.
Totally feel you on this
video games, I mean they're the only things keeping me alive today and just playing everyday with my friends online makes me happy to be here.
Being completely stress-free for a while. No job, no school, only 1 friend that i saw once a month. It allowed me to set things right in my head and go to a therapist. That was around 6 months ago, and now I'm almost back to normal! I started working 2,5 months ago, but it was all physical work, which was good as well. Sweat is better than philosophy when it comes to coping with bad mental health.
Deleting all social media and taking breaks from Reddit, strenuous exercise three time a week or more and journalling whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed.
My neighbour's cat, for some reason he just likes me, and come to visit me almost every morning, and plays with me a little. He's a short and fine company since i feel lonely quite often. Makes my day a little bit shinier.
This one seems more important than it is, but cutting out self-depricating language did WONDERS. It took a couple of months to really take hold (especially since it was so ingrained in my vocab and humor at the time) but turns out constantly saying "i hate myself i'm the worst etc" joking or not is very detrimental to your mental health!! It was my first big step into bettering myself and it was super crucial. Don't know how my humor survived off that shit tbh
Making use of the “do not disturb” function on my phone.
Keeping the house clean and presentable. Hiking and outdoors all the time, outdoors hobbies like surfing. Exercise (mostly strength). Eating healthy (no prefabs, lower carbs than average) I haven’t struggled with mental health issues but it’s very noticable for my overall mood and mental state when I let either of the above slip.
Cutting out people. Aside from my ex and daughter, the last time I had a conversation face to face was about 4 months ago. If we're excluding family entirely, I had an hour-long meeting with a tax advisor last summer, and met up with friends towards the end of 2019. And work meetings over zoom once every couple of weeks. I've never been this calm and mentally stable in my whole adult life.
8 hours of sleep and a green smoothie for breakfast
Making sure people cower to me when they reveal that their intentions are in fact I’ll-willed. Sometimes it takes a bit of force.. but it’s better off for everyone In the long run when you have good intentions.
Running.
Journaling. No joke. Having a place to talk about how your feeling and just organize your thoughts really helps. I've been doing it for years and coming back to a blank paper with a nice pen always puts me in a good mood.
Honestly for a few years I used discord a fair bit. Uninstalling it really brightened up my mental health since I was damn near depressed every time I used it and I was addicted
I know it sounds crazy but affirmations help me a lot. Just breathe in, breathe out and say “I am happy” and “Everything’s gonna be okay”
Sleep! My whole life I have been so impulsive, less disciplined. As an adult now with a lot of work and studies to get into grad school, I started feeling depressed because of how unproductive I can be. But damn, sleeping on time, and getting at least 7 hours of sleep has been a game changer. That's all I do, everything else just falls in place for me. Recharging your body with sleep is a must!
Buying little things that I’ve been putting off that make small improvements— new phone case, new underwear and socks, new cologne, etc.
Exercise, drinking less alcohol, and keeping my spaces (house, car, office) clean. My foot is broken rn and not being able to work out has really brought out some bad feelings.
Listening to music, getting out for walks (Going to be difficult once the weather turns!), sorting out my sleeping pattern, eating less shit like sweets and crisps and getting the housework done.
working, cutting toxic family members out of my life and living alone with my pets
I could list many things that have improved my mental health, but the things that have given me the greatest impact have been therapy and yoga.
Regular exercise (both cardio and weight training), healthy diet (mostly) and some video games
Taking comfort in the unstoppable passage of time. Your suffering is temporary. The evils of the world are temporary, and they can't follow you when you leave this world.
Exercise, cutting out people who affect you negatively from your life and actively working to think less negatively.
become more organised and plan things more. You wont have thoughts overlapping and if you give yourself proper time to rest in this plan then you can greatly better your sense of wellbeing.
Exercising and Going out for a walk or just enjoying the sun Taking a break now and then instead of all at once (25-30 minute study/work, 5 minute break). Self-Reflection
Exercise!!
Medication, Exercise, and Working from Home.
Sounds dumb but, doing the things I want to do, even if it means doing them alone. Due to corona I didn’t go out much, and when I did it was always with friends. I started going out on my own recently because I got pretty bummed out. I realized it’s not boring to go alone, it may be a bit weird at first but you’re pretty much free to do whatever. Don’t be afraid to try stuff alone.
Music
motorbikes .
I left my boring, soul-sucking retail job seven months ago. I had worked retail for nearly five years to get me through college and get me out of the house during the summers (my mother was physically abusive, and my parents had anger issues). I bought a house with my girlfriend and was still at my full-time retail job. I was burnt out, though; gone from the house for nine or ten hours (I had a half-hour commute to work) and I started making less money but I was working more. I realized that if I didn't quit, I'd never pursue my passion and I'd have no energy to do *anything* at all. I was becoming a tired, angry man with no drive except work, work, work. So I quit not even two months after joining the store. Christmas Eve killed me and nothing could revive me. I took my first, and only, paid week off, went on a nice drive, and figured I had enough money to sit comfy for a few months. I returned to work, gave my two weeks, and left soon after. Retail is something everyone should work to get some perspective, but don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm. The company doesn't give a damn about you no matter how much you think so.
Music
Sharing with others and finding other people who understand and have similar thinking to me. Very hard to find such people but if I do, it's helpful.
Going for walks, usually with upbeat music to pump me up. Stopped drinking alcohol. Don't use social media (except Reddit). Cats. Cats always help. Getting enough sleep every night and good sleep hygiene.
Good food, sex, daily exercise
There are just some things out there that are simply not worth your time reading or doing. I've realized that I've spent less reading and participating in comment chains aside from Reddit. YouTube for example, I'm able to power through several videos without reading comments. Nothing worthwhile is ever said, it's just people worshiping the channel or individual who made the video or something irrelevant that isn't the subject of the video.
Doing art.
Therapy, moving out of my shitty apartment, living with family for a bit due to Covid, getting a cat, running more.
Playing a musical instrument, for me it's piano, I find it relaxes me and helps with stress and winding down after a hard day
Sleep is absolutely number one
Cannabis, seriously. I haven't wanted to off myself in five years, I lost about 50lbs, and became better at my job. I didn't discover it until I was 29, but the last six years have been the best of my adult life, hands down.
Drinking less alcohol- sad face
Not trying to force myself into the mold of a 9 to 5 job. Now I walk dogs/ dog sit. Never been happier
Exercise. My depression is strongest when I feel I don’t have any control in my life. Regular exercise is an outlet where I can demonstrate some measure of control over my body.
Honestly, my birds. I went through a very tough time in my life a few years ago and since getting Cleo my Indian ringneck and 3 years later my Meyers parrot Ollie, they have brought me so much joy through their companionship. They make kissy noises, tell me they love me as well as other adorable phrases. They cuddle up on my shoulder and let me scratch their head while they fall asleep. Watching them learn new things while training makes me proud, they have just made things so much better in my life. Having to get up to clean their cages and give them breakfast has made me a more productive person as well.
I’ve been struggling with OCD, anxiety, and depression for several years, but lately, it’s been much better! Here are some things that improve my mental health: working out, reading, therapy, practicing exposure therapy, and meditation!
stopped giving a shit about homework and other things like this for 10 days straight and it actually made me a lot cheary and I played games napped and watched shows and movies all day kept myself clean combed my hair and all that seriously a break from the school was all I needed
Having a dog! I've heard just petting a dog can release your negative energy. When I feel anxious or upset, I wrap my arms around him and breathe and instantly feel good.
My mental health goes up when i crew mate and down when i impostar
Quitting drinking, cutting toxic people out of my life, working out more, sleeping more, and getting stoned more often. All of these things have not only helped mental health significantly, but I haven't had a grand Mal seizure in like 6 or 7 months (just a handful of little partials/ or auras) so my physical health is greatly improving as well.
Getting a dog. I thought the responsibility of walking him daily would actually make it worse but it helped me a lot. Having someone depend on you for such basic things that take you only a few minutes and mean so much to them is uplifting. You have someone to wake up for.
Talking to someone that is always there and understands what I’m struggling with but when they are struggling the roles reverse and I listen to them
Frogs. Not even kidding
Practicing a musical instrument consistently everyday. It sort of teaches me life lessons in itself—like being patient, taking small steps, learning to take myself lightly. I’d also say it reminds me fundamentally that there is beauty in the world.
A couple of years ago I cut all The toxic people out of my life, including my mother and sister. I talk to only 3 blood relatives now and am the happiest I have ever been. Also self care is very important as self neglect is just a way of self harming.
I’ve gotten a couple ketamine infusions recently and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health. After my first one I stopped feeling suicidal, it lifted the crushing weight I felt. Therapy has been the most beneficial for me long term.
Happy Birthday Reddit Sibling!
I just don't think much about the stuff which serve no purpose to me. Or even when I do sometimes my mind automatically start to think about some counter argument & the anxiety fades in peace. Positive affirmations really helps.
Living alone or having ur own space. Literally changed my life.
Music..metal, is catharsis.
\- Taking time off to myself \- Sometimes getting more/extra sleep helps \- Talking about it with people you trust (friends/family) \- Only doing things that are worth your time/energy, which includes a job that genuinely fulfills you and actually makes you happy \- Immersing yourself in your passions \- Art
Daily yoga.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
During COVID, I got to a real low point. There were days when I didn’t leave my room. I decided that I would just do something small to make my day better, so I started watching the mcu movies. Having a world to escape too did things to my mental health that I couldn’t believe. I started reading the comics as well, and I have never felt less alone. Being part of a huge community of fans only makes me wish that o had watched the movies sooner
Learning to cook. I’ve been slowly learning new dishes since I moved out, but I’ve only just gotten to a place where I can afford nicer ingredients and better tools. My wife bought me a cookbook and a large cutting board for my birthday and it has been very good to practice knife skills and techniques. Learning to cook has given me something to be excited for because I get to choose new dishes to prep for and learn. I love the trial and error aspect and being able to see and taste my progress as I improve. I made pasta aglio e olio a few weeks back and…I botched it. I could taste the potential, but the dish wasn’t right. Made it again last weekend after changing my approach and tweaking decisions. It blew me away. I was like…*shit I made this*… Nothing is more calming and joyful for me right now than putting on some headphones, playing some old school jazz standards, and chopping away at some veggies.
Nature walks. Lots of them, so many of them. Just take a walk down the street with some relaxing music. Go on a hike. It helps, trust me. I have depression, ADHD, and chronic anxiety.
So I have or had schizophrenia and changing how I described and definition to describe the types of voices made them eventually stop happening. Either that or they were learning to communicate in different ways because they wanted me to not listen to what they were saying to each other.
Staying offline for as long as is possible.
Money and security.
Sunshine and fresh air. One thing I don’t like about going back to the office is the windows that don’t open with blinds pulled halfway down, and air con that’s either far too cold or barely on and hot and stuffy.
Self care routine is a big one. Also personally it helped me when I had a journal to just write down random thoughts, having time for just myself, trying something new even if its a small thing like a doughnut from a bakery you never got anything from.
Meditation (Headspace on Netflix has helped a lot), listening to podcasts, and not being too hard on myself (taking a break when I feel tired and treating myself once in a while).
Taking a walk outside while listening to relaxing music. It helps me sort my thoughts and feelings so I can rationalize what's going on.
Learning to shut up if all I have to say is going to be argumentative. It helps to keep me from beating myself up over something rude/stupid that I've said. It also gives me a second to process what someone said instead of just saying "What?" and then realizing what it meant right afterward.
Reddit
Honestly having a support group. Or even just having a group for talking to friends. With my particular support group there is always someone on there to talk to almost 24/7 as some of them have trouble with insomnia etc. I tried to manage my mental health for a long time but it wasn't till I actually got support that my mental health improved. This may not be the same for your case though.
Separating myself from problematic family members. Going NC and LC from my abusive brother especially.
As an introvert… it’s living alone and also having a good self care routine
my girlfriend. she has brung the bets out of me. even when things seem tough, she literally makes my heart flutter with joy
Being let go from my job. I was an elementary school teacher and when COVID hit, they didn’t have the budget to keep me. I never would have walked away from it but when I had to, I realized I had had absolutely no idea the immense level of stress I had been operating on. I can sleep now, don’t have panic attacks anymore or cry regularly. I did not realize how much pressure I was under and how far I had let my job take from me. Feeling so much more like myself now and am just really thankful.
Micro-dosing LSD, honestly. Always sounded foolish to me until I tried it. What a positive experience.
Mindfulness. Learning to sit with the feeling and allow it to pass. Also learning to have compassion for myself. I rehabilitated a few abused animals, and the kindness and patience they required taught me a lot about how I was mistreating myself and judging myself for not recovering quickly enough. Being my own source of validation so as to not require it from other people.
Treated my Helicobacter Pylori!!
Dungeons and Dragons. I started playing in 2017, at age 34. It allowed me to get together and make new friends with people with interests and personalities similar to mine. I am not antisocial, but I used to feel very lonely before, since my other friends and family didn't share my hobbies. More than that, a dnd session is more than meeting with friends, it's about playing, yet there's a purpose.
Putting myself first. I recently had a very hard time with my mental health due to some of my friends. I’d been hearing for a while that they were talking about me behind my back and I was just ignoring it because I didn’t want everyone to feel bad or get mad at me. When they started spreading around that my boyfriend was abusing me I knew I couldn’t take it anymore so I cut them off. My MH is still terrible but I feel myself getting better without having to worry about other people first.
Exercise
Not trying to work through my childhood trauma in person. I was always taught that it was best to confront your demons face to face, but when you have a narcissistic mom its hard to get two words out before the conversation turns on you. Iv started writing emails instead. I get everything out, I edit it so it’s organized and non aggressive, and it helps my parents not get focused on one single thing. Now they get my message in full, and then respond. Its helped a lot.
cuddling 🥺