It wasn't that long ago that mental health was only spoken of in hushed whispers due to ignorance and stigma.
But with education and awareness efforts, more people are paying attention to their own mental health and that of the people they care about.
Reddit user Dependent_Bit_8333 asked:
"What massively improved your mental health?"
Attitude Of Gratitude
"Being grateful for what I already have."
~ TerribleRestaurant25
Recognize Achievements
"Realising how much you already achieved in your life, doesn’t matter how small it might seem to be."
~ Logical-Buy-7396
Exercise
"Exercise. Every single day (and outdoors for me, wherever possible)."
"I coupled it with giving up alcohol (a couple of years back) and cutting out sugary crap. Massive improvement both physically and mentally."
"Bad diet and sedentary lifestyles are incredibly destructive. Now in my mid 50s, I look better than my mid 40s and there isn't any magic to how to do it."
~ metametapraxis
Stop People Pleasing
"Being the 'bad guy'—also known as prioritizing yourself. Having been a chronic people pleaser, I was constantly drained and taken advantage of. I made a huge breakthrough when I realized I had to break up with my now ex."
"There is no escaping that some people will be disappointed with you. The question is, will you be disappointed in yourself?"
"The right people in your life will be happy when you are. It's simple but it took me waaay to long to realize."
~ keeepre
Stop Self-Criticism
"Being irrationally self-critical can be a really difficult mental habit to recognize for people experiencing depression and anxiety—especially if their childhood normalized those toxic, recurring patterns of thought."
"When I was in undergrad, I ended up voluntarily committing myself to a psych ward for a 3-day 'hold & evaluate' because I was shocked by my own suicidal ideation. If you’d told me back then that the ultimate root of that SI was a severe lack of self-love, I would have rolled my eyes and given you the brush-off."
"I was pretty damn good at taking care of myself in most every aspect of my life. It literally never occurred to me that a constant, overly-critical, inner monologue wasn’t normal for 'successful' people."
"I will never forget the exact moment of realization for me. I was sitting in my first group therapy in the ward. I’d had time to meet some of my fellow residents beforehand."
"I know it’s not always healthy to compare traumas and life challenges due to the subjectivity, but I remember wondering if I was wasting my time here because 'those peoples' lives seemed waaaay more f*cked-up than mine."
"Several of them had done things that I would have considered all but unforgivable at that time in my life and they talked about those experiences quite candidly as if they weren’t unusual."
"So the group leader hands out blank sheets of paper and some markers. 'I want you all to write down everything that you like about yourself. Write down anything that you believe makes you worthy of love. You have 20 minutes'."
"Everyone in that room but me started scribbling away furiously. I stared at that blank page for the full 20 minutes thinking, 'What sort of writer’s block is this‽‽ Those people are filling up pages, and I’m sitting here like the kid who forgot the exam was today and never studied'."
"'I should pretty clearly be able to identify at least the same number of likable traits that those people have. And I can’t even bring myself to write down ONE F*CKING THING without second guessing and arguing the point down in my own mind‽‽ This is a real f*cking problem. When did this happen?'."
"And thus I took my first step (or giant leap rather) forward on the road to better mental health."
~ pr0zach
No Toxic People
"Removing toxic people from my life."
"It's amazing how much your mental health can improve just by removing someone who brings nothing but negativity to your life."
~ crazylittlemermaid
Activity
"Creating. Especially making something with my hands."
~ thankyouforecstasy
"Taking care of plants and watching them grow, it gave me a sense of responsibility and they also purify the air!"
~ snoopyluva
No Brooding Before Sleep
"This reminds me of one meme which said, 'Never trust how you feel about your life past 9PM' and how spot on it is hit me like a truck."
~ Lyra_Kurokami
Cleanliness
"Keeping my surroundings clean and organized."
"I'm not saying you gotta be able to eat off the carpet, but keeping everything tidy, and in its place will help a whole lot."
~ SH4DEYBU5INESS
Self-Acceptance
"Learning to love myself. A few years ago, I was in a very low spot with my self esteem, and I wanted to be better."
"My therapist and I talked a lot about treating myself like I would a friend. It sounds cheesy, but I started writing compliments to myself on post-it notes in the morning and placing them on a mirror."
"It didn’t take too long before I started to believe them. It’s amazing how being nice to yourself and giving yourself grace can really improve your mental health."
~ SeaTonight4033
Ending Overthinking
"De-emphasizing the importance of my every thought."
"Most human thoughts are nonsense. I question every single negative thought, and every single one so far has turned out to be bullsh*t."
"No joke. It’s a game-changer."
~ JaxMema
Slowing Down
"When I stopped being in a hurry."
"Urgency is a trauma response and with current American culture focused on everything happening immediately, it's easy to lose yourself to being in a hurry."
~ rahyveshachr
Sleep
"If only I'd realized this in my teens—sleeping."
"People severely undererstimate what a tremendous impact sleep has on your day, productivity, mood...etc..."
~ ComprehensiveGap3773
Routines
"Having a routine."
"No matter what my schedule is for the day, whenever I’m in a routine of getting up, getting dressed and taking a shower, I’m in a good place."
"Once I stop that routine, thinking I can just hang out in bed for just one day, I’m f*cked."
~ elmatador12
Job Change
"Leaving a toxic work environment."
~ badatboujie
"Yes! I left my high-paying, permanent, secure , well-benefitted job and moved countries to take a three-year contract with a massive pay cut to do something I loved."
"It was the most terrifying choice I've ever made, and I wake up grateful every day that I went through with it."
~ lnms206
"Or even just having a negative co-worker leave the company."
"My old boss complained constantly about everyone and everything. When he finally resigned, it felt like the sun coming out for the first time in 2 years."
~ DeathSpiral321
We should all take care of our mental health.
What's something you've done to improve yours?
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If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
@jessicachastain/Instagram
