Have you ever heard a mental health tip you didn’t believe until after you experienced its benefits? For example, sitting in the sun for 10-15 minutes was something I didn’t fully grasp until I stayed in California.
Unfortunately, Seattle doesn’t provide ample opportunity to bask in the sunlight. However, being kissed by the sunshine in the Golden State naturally lifted my mood daily. Being ten minutes from the beach certainly helped. Here are some other mental health tips people didn’t initially believe but later learned positively impacted their mental health.
1. Getting Exercise In Some Form
Exercising or walking was a highly recommended activity for boosting mental health. However, many are skeptical. For starters, people suffer from severe depression, which makes it impossible to get out of bed.
Nonetheless, those who have been able to start exercising they’ve expressed positive impacts. While some found motivation at the gym, others walked around their block several times and found it was enough to lift spirits. Finally, one confessed it allowed her to indulge in her favorite podcasts and audiobooks.
2. Changing the Voice of Your Hateful Self Thoughts to Someone You Dislike
“Changing the voice of your hateful self-thoughts to someone you dislike, so they are easier to dismiss.” This user shared one of my favorite new tips.
She elaborated that when her brain tells her she’s “fat and unlovable,” she hears it in Ted Cruz’s voice. So she can dismiss it with a “shut the fridge up, Ted,” never dwelling on the thoughts again. Who will you choose to be that voice?
3. Talk to Yourself Like You Would to the Younger You
“Talk to yourself like you would to the younger you.” One woman shared the practice of pulling out a photo of herself as a kid before asking, “Would I say that to this little girl? No, so why is it OK that I’m saying it now?
Another shared they, too, use this tactic. However, they talk to themself as if talking to their best friend, noting, “If you wouldn’t say it about your dearest friend, why are you saying it about you?”
4. Morning Walk Outside
“Getting natural light first thing in the morning is important for triggering cortisol production, which will motivate you first thing in the morning.” I’ve rolled my eyes at this mental health tip before, but if you can get up, it can be mood-boosting. It gets your blood flowing, your body moving, and fresh air to open up those airways first thing.
5. Seeing a Therapist
Seeing a therapist is ideal for improving mental health. From trauma to daily struggles at home and work, mental health professionals can give insight from an academic perspective on the outside looking in, which is invaluable.
However, sometimes it can take a few attempts to find the right therapist, therapeutic philosophy, and treatment plan. So don’t be discouraged; find another if it doesn’t feel like a good fit.
6. Setting Boundaries
Saying no to things that don’t bring you joy, even if letting someone else down. “Letting myself down is worse.” One confessed this philosophy was a “life changer” for them.
It turned their life around when they finally learned that that’s OK to say no—finally, learning to defend themself and value their opinions as mattering. Setting healthy boundaries is an integral part of recovery and healthy relationships too.
7. Journaling
OK. Before you roll your eyes, journaling has sincerely benefited my mental health. Prayer journaling is my favorite journal style because I ask the Lord and the universe for things and often watch them manifest better than I imagined.
Daily journaling to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper is also an excellent way to articulate feelings and quiet your mind by releasing that chaos and anxiety. Additionally, writing from journal prompts can be healing and enlightening.
8. Turning Your Negative Thoughts Into Positive Thoughts
Reframing your mindset by shaping negative thoughts into positive ones is a mental health tip many vouched for as being legit. It’s a helpful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) tool that can drastically improve mental health.
For example, one explained changing, “He always cries and bugs me when I’m on a work call!” To “Maybe I’ve been on too long, and he needs a snack with me for some interaction. I could use a break anyway for ten minutes.”
9. I GET To Do Things. Not I HAVE To
“I GET to do things. Not I have to.” Making this sentence change is “simple and dumb.” But, according to many, it does enough to change your mindset that “even chores aren’t as miserable.”
A cat lover confessed that it changed how they feel about cleaning litter boxes. They used to dread it. But when they started framing it as “I get to clean this and improve my cat’s lives and make them happier,” it became a pleasure, not a chore.
Popular Reading: 10 Amazing Gratitude Journaling Prompts for Recovering Addicts
10. Doing a Little Thing Badly Is Better Than Doing Nothing At All
Finally, “It is better to do a little bit of a good thing badly than not at all.” So, for example, if jogging is not feasible, go for a walk. If you can’t brush your teeth for two minutes, it’s still better to do 30 seconds than nothing.
If you can’t clean the entire closet, work on it for 15 minutes. It’s a mindset and practice that often leads to getting more done. You start learning to “give yourself permission.” If you’re working out and forcing yourself on a day that’s not right, permit yourself to cut it short.
This thread inspired this post.
More From Sober Healing:
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Featured Image Credit: Dean Drobot From Canva.com.
Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and spirituality.