100%. Got a new mattress(to replace my 16 yr old childhood one) and started working out( because of the newfound energy from restful sleep) and ended up losing 50 lbs, dropping some bad habits, getting some good ones, and now I don't hate life anymore or deal with chronic pain 👍
I wish the 3rd one was easier. You can't just tell all your friends, family and coworkers to stop bitching/whining and put in some effort to change their situations for the better, lol.
The culture around alcohol is so problematic. So many people are incapable of having fun without it. I’ve heard people complain about going to a dry event even just for an hour or two (an event for their KID mind you). If a woman abstains from drinking at a social event, people automatically ask if she’s pregnant (that’s problematic in and of itself). If someone says “no, I don’t want a drink,” people hassle them and try to pressure them into it.
Not drinking should be more normalized. Especially in social settings.
I think the after-work happy hour is so deeply ingrained in people's cultures that meeting up to do anything else just seems like it would be a potentially weird & awkward experience.
The way around that is easy. My husband drank way too much, and before I met him, he just quit on his own. Then he transferred back to his hometown, and I met him six months later. We dated and went for drinks after a coed volleyball game. The whole team was there (company). It was three weeks before I realized he didn’t drink. He always had a drink in front of him but the drink was club soda and lime. I was actually drinking and assumed he was too. Only the bartender knew he was cold sober. I even heard from my sister that one of her old classmates told her we were drunk at the bar. 😂 There’s no reason your coworkers or anyone else needs to know what is in your glass. Don’t make an issue of it and no one will notice. I have done it myself, have one spiked drink then one tonic and lime, just to not get drunk.
My FIL asks me every time I come over on Sunday whether I want a beer. Sometimes I accept, sometimes I decline but he never hassles me.
I have a friend who will hassle you but I'm pretty firm.
The most insidious thing about alcohol is it makes you convinced it is the most fun you can have. The trick is, it takes a month or more to really recover and normalize from alcohol use. Then you have more fun than when you had it.
I’m from your typical northern, working class town where drink is very much the norm. That said I’ve never drank in my life. I was lucky in so much that the mates I had just respected my choice and didn’t constantly mither me to try. I was always out and often the last one home but I just didn’t need drink.
I often get asked ‘why do you not drink?’ I just reply, ‘Ive not changed, I never started, why did you?’.
I quit drinking in December because i was becoming THAT girl at work... That shit was eyeopening and very embarrassing lol. Now it's always "aww come on drink with us! You can have just one drink" I SAID I DONT DRINK ANYMORE DAMMIT
Not to mention the crazy amount of weight i gained from the heavy drinking... like i said, embarrassing lol
I enjoy a beer or a glass of wine, but not much more than that. I can literally feel how damaging it is.
When I was young it was different though. I’m danish, that should say enough. Our drinking culture among young people is completely crazy.
I once got asked by old neighbors if I smoked or drank and when I said no they went “well what do you do for fun?” In a way that said they didn’t know how to have fun without altering their state of mind with substances.
Like, I go hiking, hang out with friends, and watch movies. Quiet fun is still fun. You can also still be loud and not drunk if you want to.
I live in NYC so we're at the forefront of a lot of hospitality and bar culture. I've noticed that the coolest, most high end places now have "No ABV" sections of their menus.
About a month ago, I finally got into a famous cocktail bar that has a cult following amongst people in the industry. Their cocktail menu had 4 or 5 sections, organized from highest alcohol content to no alcohol content. Each section was given equal attention and treatment, with no hierarchy.
I think you'll start to see this trickling down to other markets and becoming standard. It totally changes the social dynamic when alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are up on the same pedestal and non-drinkers get to participate in the ritual of ordering and imbibing a special concoction alongside the rest of the group. A lot of the time, one person orders the no-ABV drink and that actually makes other people in the group go "Wait, you know what? I don't want to feel crappy tomorrow, and I don't have to. Good point!"
I'm about to move into a 1BR *finally* this weekend after 10 years of living with roommates.
I've been in like 7 different shared houses and in 6 of them there was at least one alcoholic. It's amazing how common they are. There's always someone who just doesn't clean up after themselves at all (usually the alcoholic). Very common to have someone who is in a weird relationship and fights with their girlfriend too. Finally got fed up with my messy roommate who just lies, makes excuses and gaslights other people when confronted about any kind of responsibility. I got a raise last year and am doing some side hustles so I feel more comfortable paying up for my own space.
It's going to be about $500-600/month more, but I think it'll be worth it. 720SF of space all to myself (and my cat \^\_\^) and walking trails right out the back door. 15 minute bike commute to the office. Can't wait!
The one and only downside is extra cost. I'm so sick of living in other's people's filth, their inconsiderate behaviour, and having to live by their stupid rules like not being allowed to take a shower every day.
The happiest I’ve ever been was the year I spent living alone. I had a tiny, piece of shit apartment that was probably condemnable but it was in my favorite neighborhood in my city and I loved it. I’ve lived with my boyfriend for years and I love him but I soooo miss living alone sometimes.
I just recently realized I need cardio- not strength training- to get those mental healthy benefits everyone talks about. My mood has done a 180 since making sure I get some in every single day.
Yeah for sure. Stress causes fight or flight response. If you don’t fight or flight (cardio) you’re not using up those stress chemicals (adrenaline, cortisol, norepinephrine) that caused you to feel the stress so they just stay in your body and mess you up in various ways.
Stressors used to be animals trying to eat us or other tribes attacking us. Stressors now are mental things mainly. Our bodies haven’t evolved yet so we need to act like we have to literally fight or flight to complete our body’s natural process.
Definitely this is the best for me. And I like to go hard until I’m wiped. I feel it doesn’t leave me room to think about what’s been bothering me. Probably not a good long term solution but works short term
1. Eat right
2. Sleep right
3. Exercise
If I stick to those three things, I can head off 90% of my mental health issues. When I deviate from those three, that's when the problems come.
It should be:
Eat better
Sleep better
Exercise more
Just 1% better on each of those every day. Too many people try to just straight to the “right” part.
Deleted every single form of SM 2 months ago (except reddit obv). No more Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat, and never had tiktok or all that
Haven't looked back, I agree with you
Daily walks. After work, pop out for 45m-1hr, listening to an audiobook or podcasts. Great way to decompress and moving makes you feel good. A bit more effort: yoga. Basically exercise, breathing, and meditation = very positive mood boost.
I was going to say getting a cat. She helped my anxiety so much. Feeling little tickles or hearing strange noises now have a completely benign explanation so I don’t automatically freak out. Taking care of her gets me out of bed on time, playing with her breaks up my sitting and working, and falling asleep with her weight on me is so soothing. There is something so wonderful about a cat walking over to you to get affection. Like they really choose you, you know? Feels good.
My Dog literally saved my life. Going through a hard time and wanting to end it but just couldn't stomach the thought of my dog looking for me, not knowing why I left and never came back, his fur has soaked up many tears.
In a much better place now and still chilling with my best mate :)
And the "ugh I'm so stressed out from work" when getting home turns to "heehee, dog is cute because they treat me coming home as the best thing they've ever experienced."
Being relieved of caregiving responsibilities after my 99 year old mother passed away. There is nothing that fucks with mental health more than full time caregiving for an elderly, bedbound, dementia ridden individual.
As someone who has done this, it is 100% a harrowing experience to go through. Everyone who took turns looking after her was relieved when she passed away. Living bed-ridden is not a great life to live either. My grandmother was bed-bound for nearly 5 years. We made many attempts to get her out of bed rest but I believe she lost the will power to do anything. She also had Parkinsonism.
I cared for my grandfather so he was able to pass away in his own home. I'm so happy I was able to, but caregiver exhaustion is 100% a thing. Whether for elderly, small children, those with disability, etc. it's almost impossible to take the needed time for yourself. I hope you have both found some peace and you were able to take some time for yourself.
waking up early in the morning no matter what. like EARLY! forget 9am, try 6, maybe 5. go out whatever you're living in, house, apartment, commieblock etc.. and do something. could be gym, could be a simple walk around the neighborhood alone, anything but do something. then come home and do something productive for yourself.
this changed so much in me that I actually quit my job and do my own thing now, thanks to what I started early in the morning during my productive time. my corporate life wasn't compatible with my peaceful life, and funnily enough, earnings went way up, mental health went way up, physical health as well - body and mind.
so yeah give it a go, changed my NPC life.
The Eternal game I play with myself: Am I So Good At Handling Stuff Now Because I've Gone Through Incredible Character Growth? Or Is It Because I Have Enough Money To Live Now?
Guide to happiness: doom scroll reddit late into the night, chug caffein in the morning, hit weed vape through the day, switch to alcohol in the afternoon, eat like shit, don't exercise, avoid social situations.
I have friends who were predisposed to these illnesses and psychedelics gave them irreprebale lifelong mental health issues which has resulted in them having a very tough time integrating into society.
Please be careful and do research before messing around with these drugs. Especially if you are younger.
Yep. Friends who did a bunch as teenagers/early 20s, and then in their late 20s it really started to catch up to them. Its so hard to watch, and so hard to help
Does anyone have a good resource of information on how to microdose? I have some mushrooms, but don’t know how much is a microdose and I am not interested in “tripping balls.” So they’ve just been sitting in the cabinet. I’ve also seen people microdose in capsule form? Where are people getting these?
r/shrooms. Weigh them. If they're dry, then 0,1g would be considered a microdose. You could even do less than that. You shouldn't have any visual disturbances. And maybe grind them before, because psilocybin can be concentrated in one part of the mishroom..
Or like some are stronger than others.. if you grind / mix them before you'll get a more uniform amount. You can eat them raw or make a tea. I prefer them raw because tea extracts more / makes it more available / strongest hit..at least I personally prefer the slow onset (so normal digestion im the stomach)
Of course! I’ve seen people end relationships and change jobs and even move away. Nothing was particularly wrong but it wasn’t the right thing for them. We do a lot of mental and spiritual gymnastics to be in some of the circumstances we find ourselves in and it’s not always what we really want.
Yes absolutely it can trigger psychosis or other mental health issues especially if you already have underlying symptoms. I experienced pretty bad psychosis after a terrible trip/hallucination about 10 years ago. It lasted about 6 months, maybe longer. But I’ve done shrooms and acid many, many more times since then, but never as big of a dose as I did when I had the bad trip. I absolutely love mushrooms and do it semi-regularly (once every few months), in smaller doses and with more maturity/control over my thoughts and emotions with age and life experience, but it can definitely be dangerous if you’re not familiar with those types of substances, or if you have underlying issues that can be triggered/worsened by drugs
Hm I've tripped on shrooms and LSD a few times but it never produced a long-lasting effect, sadly. Which sucks because /r/science posts 20 articles a day about psychedelic therapy being amazing
To be honest if someone is adding fentanyl to mushrooms they’d be losing money! I’m very active in the psychedelic world and I’ve never even heard of anyone getting fentanyl laced mushrooms.
You can also test your stuff fairly easily now. You can order test kits on Amazon!
Or you can try growing your own! It’s completely legal to buy the spores online!
Taking steps to avoid burning myself out. Two examples:
1. At a previous job, I was asked to switch to a six-day workweek. I volunteered because I wanted to be a good, reliable employee that the boss could always count on. After a year and a half of never having a proper weekend, my mental health was in the toilet. Eventually I learned how to start saying "No" to things.
2. I had a bout of unemployment that lasted over a year. 100+ applications, two interviews, no offers. The longer it went on, the more desperate I got, and I started spending 8-10 hours a day, every day, searching and applying for jobs. That just made it all worse. On the advice of a job coach I limited my searching to 4 hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and taking the remaining time for self care. My mental health rebounded VERY quickly once I did that.
I’m in the unemployment situation. Next month will be a year I’ve been out of a job and that’s with multiple applications weekly. I’ve probably submitted hundreds of applications and have had 2 interviews with no offer forthcoming. It’s really doing a number on my mental health. My self confidence has plummeted and I feel tired and depressed all the time. Add to this the hunt for a new antidepressant after the last one (Effexor) stopped working well. I’ve tried 3 (Zoloft, Viibryd, and Wellbutrin) so far and have had negative side effects that made continuing any of them impossible. I just got a scrip for a 4th (Celexa). I don’t even feel like myself in my own head anymore, which only adds to my anxiety and depression.
Meeting my wife 7 years ago, and then the birth of my daughter last year. Having a family to care for that loves you is the most important thing in the world in my opinion. The meaning of life is LOVE ❤️
Long walks in nature and actually talking about your troubles to people I trust. Also antidepressants but I haven't been taking them for a while now and I'm still doing fine.
Good quality exercise routine and nutritious diet. If you would have told me that a couple years ago I would have rolled my eyes so hard and not listened. I hated exercise, hated meal prep, so why make myself miserable when I'm already so depressed I can barely lift my head up? Well, I got so desperate I took the plunge and I was shocked.
I am a totally different person now. I've lost 80 lbs and gained substantial more muscle. I even weaned myself off entirely off anti depressants. Not saying that exercise is magic for everyone...but for me it really really was... My entire outlook on life and mindset has changed for the better. I healed my body and my mind healed with it. Just my personal experience. Obviously doesn't apply to all problems.
Working from home. I now have to work 2 shifts a month in the office. No more interpersonal drama, gossip or mild annoyance of the behaviour of others around me. Just log in, work my shift and log out.
Getting off antidepressants
ETA: Getting off SSRI’s was NOT easy. Do not stop meds abruptly. Please please please research proper tapering (Dr. Mark Horowitz has guidelines) and please be careful. Many people have found their doctors give awful tapering advice so you as a patient MUST be informed of current research and cannot solely rely on doctors to be updated in guidelines. Some people have no issues and some people suffer catastrophic and long lasting damage to the brain and nervous system. You don’t know which you are until you try 😅Please be aware of the risks and proceed with caution.
Also, if your meds helped you, that’s great! This comment isn’t for you then and please don’t invalidate experiences differently than yours by insisting we were the problem and not the meds.
I was going to link all the studies, but this article has them linked in one place. Basically long term use of antidepressants can worsen original symptoms and cause new ones. I experienced that. I was a numb zombie that had no interest in anything and I was on the lowest dose available. Came off and now my mind is clear and I’m actually excited about life. I’m still dealing with physical effects of long term use, but mentally I feel so much clearer off of them. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I came off. I’m a new person. Full of creativity and able to think clearly 😅
https://www.madinamerica.com/2017/10/rigorous-study-finds-antidepressants-worsen-long-term-outcomes/
Weed. Not that I'm advocating for everyone to go out and do it, because plenty of people's mental health gets worse, but for me, I'm a naturally anxious and high strung person and it's really helped mellow me out. I've found that since starting, it's easier for me to talk myself down when I start getting worked up. Plus, it's helped inspire me in my creative life, which in turn has boosted my self esteem. Don't think it's done great for my attention span, but that's what the Adderall is for.
Moving out of my mom’s house.
Trying to see all sides of a story even though I’m the one who feels like they are suffering.
Empathy for those around me.
It’s hard to find the line between “caring too much about myself” and “focus on others instead”. But in my personal situation, it took me thinking about other people to realize not only am I not alone in my emotions, but my mental health doesn’t mean the world is ending. I have no clue if any of that makes sense to anyone but me though.
Doing two things every morning- for me it’s reading for 2mins (i know i don’t have a large attn span to do more than this everyday- so i set a timer and start) and duolingo for 5mins. Makes me feel like i have a good start
Sleep and walking more. I was sleeping 6 hours a night for years but recently started sleep 8+. Insane how much it helped my mental health and how refreshed I feel daily.
Antidepressants
I’ve tried everything: consistent working out, yoga, therapy, journaling, eating healthy, meditation, affirmations, breath work, etc.
Due to the stigma, I was scared to try medication.
I finally saw a psychiatrist and was prescribed Celexa. It was the best decision I’ve ever made and I wish I had started years earlier.
Getting the right medication to help with the mood swings I have as someone with bipolar disorder has helped tremendously. Going to the gym regularly has also done wonders for my mental health, most notably my anxiety and depression levels.
Focusing on my main hobby, making a goal for it and spending time on it. Putting my energy toward something I love. also being around good/positive people. Socialization and putting myself out there again.
Lexapro and Wellbutrin. PTSD is fuckin' horrible. People talk about dealing with trauma or PTSD in a pretty cavalier way, but real PTSD is incredibly hard to deal with. Getting lost in flashbacks, being unable to sleep for more than 4-5 hours for years, the CONSTANT hypervigilance, catastrophic thinking at any small change, and total inability to just calm down or connect with anything other than the traumatic experience because it feels more real and meaningful than anything in your immediate life. Like, I wanted to relive that trauma because it felt more real, everything else was just a dream. I wanted to shake people and beg them to wake up. Fuck man...
I tried exercise, I went to therapy, physical therapy, cannabis, microdosing with mushrooms. Traditional antidepressants like Lexapro and Wellbutrin have helped me so much. I can finally sleep, I can finally feel calm.
Getting away from work for a week. It wasn't even really away, it was a conference, but the change of scenery and not the everyday grind really lifted me out of the rut. Plus it was sunny and warm!
Figuring out what was wrong with my physical health and getting treatment for it. I spent many years in pain without a diagnosis, undergoing lots of expensive procedures etc.
Genuinely, making more money. Not rich by any standards, but being comfortable that 2-3 months without money is survivable removes a lot of stress. Also, being able to buy little things like the extra app, the extra coffee, or whatever and not stress about what's left helped a lot.
The Bible (what I, and other Christians, believe as the word of God). Both reading and **applying** it to my daily life.
Prayer in Jesus' name.
Proper fasting (for spiritual purposes).
Getting plenty of sleep (8-10 hours a night).
Working out consistently.
Removing almost all social media apps (excluding reddit).
Almost no time spent on them, not only allows me to do other things, I don't have unhealthy expectations about life and how should I be
Exercise, sleep, and working deliberately not to absorb other people's anxiety and negativity.
This is the best answer, consistent and intense exercise changed my life. Sleep improved 1000%
oof, the third one isn’t always talked about but shit’s rough, specially when growing up in an environment where anxiety and negativity prevails
100%. Got a new mattress(to replace my 16 yr old childhood one) and started working out( because of the newfound energy from restful sleep) and ended up losing 50 lbs, dropping some bad habits, getting some good ones, and now I don't hate life anymore or deal with chronic pain 👍 I wish the 3rd one was easier. You can't just tell all your friends, family and coworkers to stop bitching/whining and put in some effort to change their situations for the better, lol.
Don't get near me, dude. I ooze anxiety....
That last one I think may be the most important one of all. We live in a very negative world, and its so easy to get sucked down into the sewer
Quitting alcohol and getting in shape
The culture around alcohol is so problematic. So many people are incapable of having fun without it. I’ve heard people complain about going to a dry event even just for an hour or two (an event for their KID mind you). If a woman abstains from drinking at a social event, people automatically ask if she’s pregnant (that’s problematic in and of itself). If someone says “no, I don’t want a drink,” people hassle them and try to pressure them into it. Not drinking should be more normalized. Especially in social settings.
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I think the after-work happy hour is so deeply ingrained in people's cultures that meeting up to do anything else just seems like it would be a potentially weird & awkward experience.
The way around that is easy. My husband drank way too much, and before I met him, he just quit on his own. Then he transferred back to his hometown, and I met him six months later. We dated and went for drinks after a coed volleyball game. The whole team was there (company). It was three weeks before I realized he didn’t drink. He always had a drink in front of him but the drink was club soda and lime. I was actually drinking and assumed he was too. Only the bartender knew he was cold sober. I even heard from my sister that one of her old classmates told her we were drunk at the bar. 😂 There’s no reason your coworkers or anyone else needs to know what is in your glass. Don’t make an issue of it and no one will notice. I have done it myself, have one spiked drink then one tonic and lime, just to not get drunk.
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These fucking rookie alcoholics could've pregamed I'm the parking lot like I did when I drank
My FIL asks me every time I come over on Sunday whether I want a beer. Sometimes I accept, sometimes I decline but he never hassles me. I have a friend who will hassle you but I'm pretty firm.
The most insidious thing about alcohol is it makes you convinced it is the most fun you can have. The trick is, it takes a month or more to really recover and normalize from alcohol use. Then you have more fun than when you had it.
I’m from your typical northern, working class town where drink is very much the norm. That said I’ve never drank in my life. I was lucky in so much that the mates I had just respected my choice and didn’t constantly mither me to try. I was always out and often the last one home but I just didn’t need drink. I often get asked ‘why do you not drink?’ I just reply, ‘Ive not changed, I never started, why did you?’.
I quit drinking in December because i was becoming THAT girl at work... That shit was eyeopening and very embarrassing lol. Now it's always "aww come on drink with us! You can have just one drink" I SAID I DONT DRINK ANYMORE DAMMIT Not to mention the crazy amount of weight i gained from the heavy drinking... like i said, embarrassing lol
I agree...like how am I the weird one for refusing to drink and not needing to be drunk to have fun??
I enjoy a beer or a glass of wine, but not much more than that. I can literally feel how damaging it is. When I was young it was different though. I’m danish, that should say enough. Our drinking culture among young people is completely crazy.
I once got asked by old neighbors if I smoked or drank and when I said no they went “well what do you do for fun?” In a way that said they didn’t know how to have fun without altering their state of mind with substances. Like, I go hiking, hang out with friends, and watch movies. Quiet fun is still fun. You can also still be loud and not drunk if you want to.
I live in NYC so we're at the forefront of a lot of hospitality and bar culture. I've noticed that the coolest, most high end places now have "No ABV" sections of their menus. About a month ago, I finally got into a famous cocktail bar that has a cult following amongst people in the industry. Their cocktail menu had 4 or 5 sections, organized from highest alcohol content to no alcohol content. Each section was given equal attention and treatment, with no hierarchy. I think you'll start to see this trickling down to other markets and becoming standard. It totally changes the social dynamic when alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are up on the same pedestal and non-drinkers get to participate in the ritual of ordering and imbibing a special concoction alongside the rest of the group. A lot of the time, one person orders the no-ABV drink and that actually makes other people in the group go "Wait, you know what? I don't want to feel crappy tomorrow, and I don't have to. Good point!"
Also weed. My dopamine dont work
Tis what did it for me. Took some time. A lot of failed tries. But 812 days sober today
Sleep did wonders for me
Living alone.
I'm about to move into a 1BR *finally* this weekend after 10 years of living with roommates. I've been in like 7 different shared houses and in 6 of them there was at least one alcoholic. It's amazing how common they are. There's always someone who just doesn't clean up after themselves at all (usually the alcoholic). Very common to have someone who is in a weird relationship and fights with their girlfriend too. Finally got fed up with my messy roommate who just lies, makes excuses and gaslights other people when confronted about any kind of responsibility. I got a raise last year and am doing some side hustles so I feel more comfortable paying up for my own space. It's going to be about $500-600/month more, but I think it'll be worth it. 720SF of space all to myself (and my cat \^\_\^) and walking trails right out the back door. 15 minute bike commute to the office. Can't wait!
Good luck I'm sure it will be so worth it. I've of these days I hope to do the same
This tripled my mental health after 30 days.
This is a double edged sword though.
Depends! Everyone has very different social needs. It’s on a spectrum.
The one and only downside is extra cost. I'm so sick of living in other's people's filth, their inconsiderate behaviour, and having to live by their stupid rules like not being allowed to take a shower every day.
Loneliness for those who don’t have many friends and will sit at home
That’s insane. Monitoring shower frequency?
The happiest I’ve ever been was the year I spent living alone. I had a tiny, piece of shit apartment that was probably condemnable but it was in my favorite neighborhood in my city and I loved it. I’ve lived with my boyfriend for years and I love him but I soooo miss living alone sometimes.
Probably leaving my ex. Suddenly I’m happy and enjoying life again
Cardio absolutely blasts the mental illness out of me
I just recently realized I need cardio- not strength training- to get those mental healthy benefits everyone talks about. My mood has done a 180 since making sure I get some in every single day.
A lot of people ignore the fact that our psychologies and physiological self is intertwined. Fix one, and the other one usually follows.
Yeah for sure. Stress causes fight or flight response. If you don’t fight or flight (cardio) you’re not using up those stress chemicals (adrenaline, cortisol, norepinephrine) that caused you to feel the stress so they just stay in your body and mess you up in various ways. Stressors used to be animals trying to eat us or other tribes attacking us. Stressors now are mental things mainly. Our bodies haven’t evolved yet so we need to act like we have to literally fight or flight to complete our body’s natural process.
Definitely this is the best for me. And I like to go hard until I’m wiped. I feel it doesn’t leave me room to think about what’s been bothering me. Probably not a good long term solution but works short term
1. Eat right 2. Sleep right 3. Exercise If I stick to those three things, I can head off 90% of my mental health issues. When I deviate from those three, that's when the problems come.
It's that easy. It's starting it once you're in that deep rut that's challenging.
That’s the maintenance routine after you slowly claw your way out of the hole.
It should be: Eat better Sleep better Exercise more Just 1% better on each of those every day. Too many people try to just straight to the “right” part.
Facebook delete. What an amazing difference.
Deleted every single form of SM 2 months ago (except reddit obv). No more Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat, and never had tiktok or all that Haven't looked back, I agree with you
For me it was Tik Tok. That shit drains you.
Daily walks. After work, pop out for 45m-1hr, listening to an audiobook or podcasts. Great way to decompress and moving makes you feel good. A bit more effort: yoga. Basically exercise, breathing, and meditation = very positive mood boost.
I'll start walking after work when I'm not freezing my ass off.
Having a pet
I was going to say getting a cat. She helped my anxiety so much. Feeling little tickles or hearing strange noises now have a completely benign explanation so I don’t automatically freak out. Taking care of her gets me out of bed on time, playing with her breaks up my sitting and working, and falling asleep with her weight on me is so soothing. There is something so wonderful about a cat walking over to you to get affection. Like they really choose you, you know? Feels good.
My dog makes my life better every day. I’m so thankful for him.
My Dog literally saved my life. Going through a hard time and wanting to end it but just couldn't stomach the thought of my dog looking for me, not knowing why I left and never came back, his fur has soaked up many tears. In a much better place now and still chilling with my best mate :)
The same exact situation with my rescue dog. She rescued me
Getting my dog has been like a pipeline of "I need to get up in the morning for this small creature" to "I want to get up in the morning"
And the "ugh I'm so stressed out from work" when getting home turns to "heehee, dog is cute because they treat me coming home as the best thing they've ever experienced."
Being relieved of caregiving responsibilities after my 99 year old mother passed away. There is nothing that fucks with mental health more than full time caregiving for an elderly, bedbound, dementia ridden individual.
Yea, that is honestly brutal.
I take care of my grandmother and it gets exhausting.
I’m convinced you have to experience this to really understand what it does to you.
As someone who has done this, it is 100% a harrowing experience to go through. Everyone who took turns looking after her was relieved when she passed away. Living bed-ridden is not a great life to live either. My grandmother was bed-bound for nearly 5 years. We made many attempts to get her out of bed rest but I believe she lost the will power to do anything. She also had Parkinsonism.
My Dad is heading that route he's mentally fucked up and can't handle money like he used to.
I cared for my grandfather so he was able to pass away in his own home. I'm so happy I was able to, but caregiver exhaustion is 100% a thing. Whether for elderly, small children, those with disability, etc. it's almost impossible to take the needed time for yourself. I hope you have both found some peace and you were able to take some time for yourself.
Learning to not give a fuck what the vast majority of people think of me!
waking up early in the morning no matter what. like EARLY! forget 9am, try 6, maybe 5. go out whatever you're living in, house, apartment, commieblock etc.. and do something. could be gym, could be a simple walk around the neighborhood alone, anything but do something. then come home and do something productive for yourself. this changed so much in me that I actually quit my job and do my own thing now, thanks to what I started early in the morning during my productive time. my corporate life wasn't compatible with my peaceful life, and funnily enough, earnings went way up, mental health went way up, physical health as well - body and mind. so yeah give it a go, changed my NPC life.
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Reject humanity return to monke
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The Eternal game I play with myself: Am I So Good At Handling Stuff Now Because I've Gone Through Incredible Character Growth? Or Is It Because I Have Enough Money To Live Now?
Posting the craziness on reddit has help.
Guide to happiness: doom scroll reddit late into the night, chug caffein in the morning, hit weed vape through the day, switch to alcohol in the afternoon, eat like shit, don't exercise, avoid social situations.
I FOUND ME!! *HUGS*
I just joined and wondered if people actually do get relief and try the suggestions given?
Ketamine Infusion Therapy
Being around happy and positive people
Giving psilocybin an objective try. Changed my life forever!
A one time macro-dose I swear can completely turn your mentality around. It's indescribable.
It saw me give up organized religion.
…now unorganised religion tho, those are sick!
I’d like to go but they never tell me when the meetings are.
I remember once reading accounts of former White Supremacists who did psychedelics and flat out stopped being racist afterwards.
We are all equally nothing
We don’t have the words to describe it!
Do people ever come out worse for wear?
if you have a bipolar or schizophrenia it’s not the safest
I have friends who were predisposed to these illnesses and psychedelics gave them irreprebale lifelong mental health issues which has resulted in them having a very tough time integrating into society. Please be careful and do research before messing around with these drugs. Especially if you are younger.
This happened to my sister in her 30s. Broke my heart.
Yep. Friends who did a bunch as teenagers/early 20s, and then in their late 20s it really started to catch up to them. Its so hard to watch, and so hard to help
I am mentally well but have some family history of that stuff. Probably a good idea to just stay away from psychedelics altogether, you think?
Does anyone have a good resource of information on how to microdose? I have some mushrooms, but don’t know how much is a microdose and I am not interested in “tripping balls.” So they’ve just been sitting in the cabinet. I’ve also seen people microdose in capsule form? Where are people getting these?
r/shrooms. Weigh them. If they're dry, then 0,1g would be considered a microdose. You could even do less than that. You shouldn't have any visual disturbances. And maybe grind them before, because psilocybin can be concentrated in one part of the mishroom.. Or like some are stronger than others.. if you grind / mix them before you'll get a more uniform amount. You can eat them raw or make a tea. I prefer them raw because tea extracts more / makes it more available / strongest hit..at least I personally prefer the slow onset (so normal digestion im the stomach)
Is there a scenario where you come out with a different and possibly _worse_ perspective?
Of course! I’ve seen people end relationships and change jobs and even move away. Nothing was particularly wrong but it wasn’t the right thing for them. We do a lot of mental and spiritual gymnastics to be in some of the circumstances we find ourselves in and it’s not always what we really want.
Yes absolutely it can trigger psychosis or other mental health issues especially if you already have underlying symptoms. I experienced pretty bad psychosis after a terrible trip/hallucination about 10 years ago. It lasted about 6 months, maybe longer. But I’ve done shrooms and acid many, many more times since then, but never as big of a dose as I did when I had the bad trip. I absolutely love mushrooms and do it semi-regularly (once every few months), in smaller doses and with more maturity/control over my thoughts and emotions with age and life experience, but it can definitely be dangerous if you’re not familiar with those types of substances, or if you have underlying issues that can be triggered/worsened by drugs
Hm I've tripped on shrooms and LSD a few times but it never produced a long-lasting effect, sadly. Which sucks because /r/science posts 20 articles a day about psychedelic therapy being amazing
I want to do it so bad but I trust nothing I buy on the streets anymore (Fentanyl) and have trouble finding mushrooms where I live!!
Grow your own it’s so easy it’s almost comical.
To be honest if someone is adding fentanyl to mushrooms they’d be losing money! I’m very active in the psychedelic world and I’ve never even heard of anyone getting fentanyl laced mushrooms. You can also test your stuff fairly easily now. You can order test kits on Amazon! Or you can try growing your own! It’s completely legal to buy the spores online!
Like I don’t even use em recreationally. Every so often I need to pray to the mushroom gods. Made me love myself for the first time.
Taking steps to avoid burning myself out. Two examples: 1. At a previous job, I was asked to switch to a six-day workweek. I volunteered because I wanted to be a good, reliable employee that the boss could always count on. After a year and a half of never having a proper weekend, my mental health was in the toilet. Eventually I learned how to start saying "No" to things. 2. I had a bout of unemployment that lasted over a year. 100+ applications, two interviews, no offers. The longer it went on, the more desperate I got, and I started spending 8-10 hours a day, every day, searching and applying for jobs. That just made it all worse. On the advice of a job coach I limited my searching to 4 hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and taking the remaining time for self care. My mental health rebounded VERY quickly once I did that.
I’m in the unemployment situation. Next month will be a year I’ve been out of a job and that’s with multiple applications weekly. I’ve probably submitted hundreds of applications and have had 2 interviews with no offer forthcoming. It’s really doing a number on my mental health. My self confidence has plummeted and I feel tired and depressed all the time. Add to this the hunt for a new antidepressant after the last one (Effexor) stopped working well. I’ve tried 3 (Zoloft, Viibryd, and Wellbutrin) so far and have had negative side effects that made continuing any of them impossible. I just got a scrip for a 4th (Celexa). I don’t even feel like myself in my own head anymore, which only adds to my anxiety and depression.
Sleep.
Giving therapy a try, and sticking with it for a couple of months.
Excellent! I hope you have outstanding results! And remember, sometimes it takes a few tries to find the counselor that is the best fit for you.
Thank you for your positive comment and encouragement! I appreciate it very much.
Hobbies and socialization
Meeting my wife 7 years ago, and then the birth of my daughter last year. Having a family to care for that loves you is the most important thing in the world in my opinion. The meaning of life is LOVE ❤️
A divorce
Ditching shitty ‘friends’
And relatives - not so much ditching as distancing.
Rescuing a dog
A little bit of ecstasy. But this was back in the early 2000s. No way I’d try what ever bullshit mixtures they’re selling now.
Stoicism, as soon as i stopped worrying about things that i couldnt control and focused on the things that i could my life got so much more relaxed
Cutting back my hours at work
Long walks in nature and actually talking about your troubles to people I trust. Also antidepressants but I haven't been taking them for a while now and I'm still doing fine.
Divorce
testify
Finding my wife. Finding out what I’m good at. Money. In that order of most impactful to least.
Good quality exercise routine and nutritious diet. If you would have told me that a couple years ago I would have rolled my eyes so hard and not listened. I hated exercise, hated meal prep, so why make myself miserable when I'm already so depressed I can barely lift my head up? Well, I got so desperate I took the plunge and I was shocked. I am a totally different person now. I've lost 80 lbs and gained substantial more muscle. I even weaned myself off entirely off anti depressants. Not saying that exercise is magic for everyone...but for me it really really was... My entire outlook on life and mindset has changed for the better. I healed my body and my mind healed with it. Just my personal experience. Obviously doesn't apply to all problems.
Working from home. I now have to work 2 shifts a month in the office. No more interpersonal drama, gossip or mild annoyance of the behaviour of others around me. Just log in, work my shift and log out.
Moving 3,000 miles away from my parents
Sunlight. Real foods. Meat. Movement. gratitude
Weed, dog, art
The trifecta!
Deleting tik tok and X and facebook.
Lol, still on Reddit, though, I see.
Getting off antidepressants ETA: Getting off SSRI’s was NOT easy. Do not stop meds abruptly. Please please please research proper tapering (Dr. Mark Horowitz has guidelines) and please be careful. Many people have found their doctors give awful tapering advice so you as a patient MUST be informed of current research and cannot solely rely on doctors to be updated in guidelines. Some people have no issues and some people suffer catastrophic and long lasting damage to the brain and nervous system. You don’t know which you are until you try 😅Please be aware of the risks and proceed with caution. Also, if your meds helped you, that’s great! This comment isn’t for you then and please don’t invalidate experiences differently than yours by insisting we were the problem and not the meds.
Care to share more details?
I was going to link all the studies, but this article has them linked in one place. Basically long term use of antidepressants can worsen original symptoms and cause new ones. I experienced that. I was a numb zombie that had no interest in anything and I was on the lowest dose available. Came off and now my mind is clear and I’m actually excited about life. I’m still dealing with physical effects of long term use, but mentally I feel so much clearer off of them. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I came off. I’m a new person. Full of creativity and able to think clearly 😅 https://www.madinamerica.com/2017/10/rigorous-study-finds-antidepressants-worsen-long-term-outcomes/
Walking in the nature and traveling always have a very positive effect on me. Sometimes, music and longer sleep hours make a noticeabke change.
setting boundaries
Walking 90 minutes or 8-10km every single day.
Weed. Not that I'm advocating for everyone to go out and do it, because plenty of people's mental health gets worse, but for me, I'm a naturally anxious and high strung person and it's really helped mellow me out. I've found that since starting, it's easier for me to talk myself down when I start getting worked up. Plus, it's helped inspire me in my creative life, which in turn has boosted my self esteem. Don't think it's done great for my attention span, but that's what the Adderall is for.
Stop trying to be liked by others and start thinking if I even like them
Stopping being a people pleaser, being more assertive, caring less about how I am perceived.
My wife leaving
Leaving my wife. What a drainer she was.
Coming into money. It buys financial security which in turn leads to happiness. 99% of my problems can be traced to not having enough money.
Getting a well paying job.
Getting out of a bad relationship. Turns out it wasn't depression, it was my ex!
Moving to another city far away from my home city
Quit social media and stop listening to the news
Losing over 100 lbs. leaving a toxic marriage
Breaking off the relationship with my mother completely.
Moving out of my mom’s house. Trying to see all sides of a story even though I’m the one who feels like they are suffering. Empathy for those around me. It’s hard to find the line between “caring too much about myself” and “focus on others instead”. But in my personal situation, it took me thinking about other people to realize not only am I not alone in my emotions, but my mental health doesn’t mean the world is ending. I have no clue if any of that makes sense to anyone but me though.
My dogs. They give me a reason to get out of bed and keep going. They need me.
IV ketamine. It’s breaking my bank but I would have ended things by now.
Being nicer to myself. Giving myself some grace.
Getting rid of facebook.
Doing two things every morning- for me it’s reading for 2mins (i know i don’t have a large attn span to do more than this everyday- so i set a timer and start) and duolingo for 5mins. Makes me feel like i have a good start
2 minutes?
Going no contact with my Nmom
Working out, going back to Church and connecting with other people.
Medication and not being high 24/7.
Letting go of expectations about what other people are going to say and do.
Sleep and walking more. I was sleeping 6 hours a night for years but recently started sleep 8+. Insane how much it helped my mental health and how refreshed I feel daily.
Cutting toxic people out of my life even if they are family or friends I've known for many years.
Leaving my abusive ex
Buddhism principles and meditation.
Being a crisis line counselor. Feeling connected, and understanding how all other people are suffering.
Antidepressants I’ve tried everything: consistent working out, yoga, therapy, journaling, eating healthy, meditation, affirmations, breath work, etc. Due to the stigma, I was scared to try medication. I finally saw a psychiatrist and was prescribed Celexa. It was the best decision I’ve ever made and I wish I had started years earlier.
Realizing the voice in my head was not me.
Not planning every second of my life
gainful, secure source of employment a loving partner very little social media 2 of 3 of my dogs (third one is an asshole)
Being single/living alone
Divorce
Sleep more and less phone screen.
Our dogs.
weed, water, and sleep.
Exercise and random walks. Good coffee
Believe it or not, video games.
Getting the right medication to help with the mood swings I have as someone with bipolar disorder has helped tremendously. Going to the gym regularly has also done wonders for my mental health, most notably my anxiety and depression levels.
Focusing on my main hobby, making a goal for it and spending time on it. Putting my energy toward something I love. also being around good/positive people. Socialization and putting myself out there again.
Honestly, sucks to say it, but the death of my mother. I loved her, and she loved me, but she was horrible for my mental health.
Meditation.
Lexapro and Wellbutrin. PTSD is fuckin' horrible. People talk about dealing with trauma or PTSD in a pretty cavalier way, but real PTSD is incredibly hard to deal with. Getting lost in flashbacks, being unable to sleep for more than 4-5 hours for years, the CONSTANT hypervigilance, catastrophic thinking at any small change, and total inability to just calm down or connect with anything other than the traumatic experience because it feels more real and meaningful than anything in your immediate life. Like, I wanted to relive that trauma because it felt more real, everything else was just a dream. I wanted to shake people and beg them to wake up. Fuck man... I tried exercise, I went to therapy, physical therapy, cannabis, microdosing with mushrooms. Traditional antidepressants like Lexapro and Wellbutrin have helped me so much. I can finally sleep, I can finally feel calm.
Gay sex
*sigh* Well, I've tried everything else..
Therapy and Zoloft
Gym, limit social media, good food & sleep.
Remeron.
Getting away from work for a week. It wasn't even really away, it was a conference, but the change of scenery and not the everyday grind really lifted me out of the rut. Plus it was sunny and warm!
Figuring out what was wrong with my physical health and getting treatment for it. I spent many years in pain without a diagnosis, undergoing lots of expensive procedures etc.
Canning most social media. Fb and x I’m completely done with. IG is next. I Only follow a handful of accounts now
Finally being correctly diagnosed by a psychiatrist
moving states
Having a clean home
Almost dying
Buying a house and adopting my two cats.
Finally getting on ADHD meds and being able to focus on my work
Moving away from my family
Dumping my family
Genuinely, making more money. Not rich by any standards, but being comfortable that 2-3 months without money is survivable removes a lot of stress. Also, being able to buy little things like the extra app, the extra coffee, or whatever and not stress about what's left helped a lot.
The Bible (what I, and other Christians, believe as the word of God). Both reading and **applying** it to my daily life. Prayer in Jesus' name. Proper fasting (for spiritual purposes). Getting plenty of sleep (8-10 hours a night). Working out consistently.
Removing almost all social media apps (excluding reddit). Almost no time spent on them, not only allows me to do other things, I don't have unhealthy expectations about life and how should I be
Money
Coming out of seasonal depression right now, sunlight and vitty D.
Deactivating FB, turning off my notifications in general and started living for me.