Intro
I’m a 25-year-old male, who struggles with depression & anxiety. For as long as I can remember my mental health has affected my life negatively and I’ve tried countless different techniques to try and manage it. From self-medicating with drink and drugs to cognitive behavioural therapy. It’s safe to safe I’ve got a lot of experience trying good and bad techniques. Through my continued journey with mental health, I’ve discovered that certain mental health tips work better for me. While I understand different mental health tips will work better for different people. If you’re someone who is struggling, I suggest giving these tips a go to see how they can benefit you. It may just be the start of your healing journey.
In this blog post, I’m going to share 5 mental health tips that have massively benefitted me. As well as the experiences I’ve had from using them. I hope that writing this will inspire you to take positive action to improve your mental health. There is no shame in struggling with your mental health. The fact that you’re reading this blog right now is a huge step in the right direction. You’re already taking action and you can start to take even more!
5 mental health tips that have benefited me
1. I started running
When my mental health was at its worst point, I was not active at all. I swapped exercise after work for beer so I could try and escape reality. However, I’d wake up in the morning feeling worse than I did the night before. With heightened anxiety levels. I knew something had to change! I didn’t begin running straight away as that task was a little daunting. But I did start by making a conscious effort every day to walk more. Even the walking had begun to improve my mental health. But I wanted to do something to get an even bigger boost. So, I started running and that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
If I feel particularly anxious, running massively decreases my anxiety levels. Helping me to manage it better. Running releases pleasure endorphins which help us to feel happier and reduce our stress levels. Running also provides you with a real sense of achievement for that day. There are days when I really don’t want to run, but that’s when I push myself even harder to go as I know the rewards will be even greater!
My advice to you:
If you’re someone who struggles with anxiety and currently isn’t doing a lot of daily exercise, push yourself to go for a 20-minute walk after work or in your free time and see how you feel after! Or if you’re up for it, go for a short run while listening to your favourite music!
2. I started journaling
I’m a massive overthinker. When I’m feeling anxious my overthinking quickly turns very negative. Which makes me feel even worse! I started journalling as it helps me to get the thoughts out of my head and onto the paper in front of me. It clears up space in my head and quiets the mental chatter. Most of the time, this helps me realize that my worrying and anxiety are being caused by things that are out of my control. And if they are in my control, journalling helps me understand the situation better so I can plan how I’m going to overcome the problem.
I think a lot of the time people get put off journalling as they think they need to sit down and write an essay. You don’t. It can be as simple as opening a note on your phone and writing down how you feel in as little as a sentence. Trust me, even that can help when you’re not feeling great!
My advice to you:
The next time you’re getting anxious, or you start overthinking, open a note on your phone and start typing. Don’t stop until you’ve got it all out!
To understand more about overthinking and how you can use it to your advantage. Check out this blog post.
3. I got into a sleeping routine
When my mental health was at its lowest point, I was lucky to be getting 3 hours of sleep a night. When I would get into bed, I found it hard to switch off. I would overthink everything I’d said and done that day. Even if I was extremely tired, I would struggle to sleep. By the next morning, my anxiety levels would be through the roof. I began to realize that less sleep meant higher anxiety levels. I knew something had to change.
Getting into a sleeping routine was a massive help to the quality of my night’s sleep. A routine that involved stopping using my phone at least an hour before bed, listening to some calming music, and finally brushing my teeth. This helped me to improve my quality of sleep. Which in turn helped lower my anxiety levels. Also, having an improved night’s sleep has made managing my anxiety a lot easier.
My advice to you:
If you’re someone who struggles to get a good night’s sleep, try switching your phone off at least 1 hour before bed. You can also try listening to some calming instrumental music before you go to bed. If you’ve tried getting into a sleep routine and it’s not helping you, please speak to your doctor! Lack of sleep can have an adverse on your mental health.
4. I started talking about it
When I was at my lowest with my mental health, I bottled everything up and kept all my emotions to myself. This gave me feelings of hopelessness and despair. It also made me think that I had to tackle all my problems on my own. I didn’t want to talk about it as I thought people would think I was crazy or overreacting.
However, talking about your mental health problems is one of the best mental health tips out there! When you talk to someone, you will feel a massive weight lifted from your shoulders. You will also realize that you are not alone. You do not have to battle your problems by yourself. Talking to someone is often the first step on your road to recovery!
My advice to you:
If you’ve been struggling by yourself lately, please reach out to your best friend or a family member. Often, people are willing to just listen to you and offer you support when needed! It will help you massively and it will help you start taking more steps to improve your mental health.
If you’re in the UK and feel you have no one to talk to. You can call the Samaritans. The Samaritans are a free help service who are there to listen and support you when you’re struggling.
5. I got into a routine
At my lowest point, I had no routine. I would get up at different times each day, not bothering to get washed and dressed. Often, I’d do nothing but sit and watch TV all day. It felt like my life had no direction or purpose, which only made me feel worse.
I found following a simple daily routine to be a huge help to my mental health! Initially, I started small as I didn’t want to overwhelm my myself. I began by, getting up at the same time each day. Getting washed and dressed, and then making breakfast. As I became more comfortable doing this, I added other tasks to my routine. Like exercise and doing chores. Having a routine gave purpose and meaning to my life again. And I still have a routine to this day!
My advice to you:
If you’re someone who is struggling and doesn’t have a daily routine, try creating a simple one you can follow and build on. The trick is to not overwhelm yourself and make it easy so you can gain momentum.
You could start by:
- Getting up at the same time each day
- Get washed and dressed
- Making breakfast
Give this a go and see how you start to feel after a few days. Start adding in more steps only when you feel comfortable to do so.
Conclusion
I hope after reading this you’ve found some inspiration and advice you can use to start improving your mental health. Remember to not overwhelm yourself and take one small step at a time. Any progress you make is a great achievement. I suggest giving one of these mental health tips a go for a week and seeing how you feel after. If you feel you’re not making any improvements, please reach out to your doctor! You’re not alone and you will get through this. Remember, the only way is up!