How can I improve my mental health?

[mysterionz]

My mental health has been kinda bad lately due to happenings in my family life.

 

[Rodafina]

Sorry to hear this. Hopefully you can get back to feeling a bit better with time.

Here are my ideas…

Get out the journal. Whatever medium is best for you, get your feelings down and out of your head. Write about things as much as you can so that you can process the feelings that are coming up for you.

Focus on activities. Sometimes we can get too stuck in our own head and some sort of physical activity is a good balance to deteriorating mental health. It doesn’t have to be exercise necessarily, but something where you are moving or building things or going places. Action is more important than thoughts sometimes.

Make sure you remember the basics. Focus on eating, drinking water, and sleeping. Every single thing we face will be more difficult if we do not have the proper nutrition and sleep.

Think about the last time that you were feeling pretty good. What was going on then? What was supporting your mental health and well-being when you have felt better?

 

[ManuelXX]

My mental health has been kinda bad lately due to happenings in my family life.

Do you take some time for yourself? In my opinion, it could be the first thing you should try to do to improve your mental health. I know that everyone could have some problems, but also you can have yours, so take your time!

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Just an observation from being on the forums for a while: When you don't have a purpose, a job, someone to take care of, something you're responsible for, something that keeps your mind busy, it is THEN, in your quiet, bored moments that you "get into your head", start dwelling upon yourself and your situation, and your mental health suffers. To be crude and blunt, many people would be much better off mentally and physically if they get off their behind and DO something that gets their mind off of themselves.

Apart from that, diet, exercise, and sleep all contribute.

 

[Tom]

If you are not already, see a mental health professional. Your general practice doctor may be a place to start and get a referral. If it is a fairly clear problem (ie depression, anxiety) your general practice doctor may be able to prescribe medication. I usually use that route and only see a psychologist or psychiatrist when the first step isn't working. I know some do not like the medication option, but they can also do therapy sessions.

 

[Knower of nothing]

Just an observation from being on the forums for a while: When you don't have a purpose, a job, someone to take care of, something you're responsible for, something that keeps your mind busy, it is THEN, in your quiet, bored moments that you "get into your head", start dwelling upon yourself and your situation, and your mental health suffers. To be crude and blunt, many people would be much better off mentally and physically if they get off their behind and DO something that gets their mind off of themselves.

Apart from that, diet, exercise, and sleep all contribute.

Distraction shovels away the stress for later, should only be applied sporadically to get you through tough bits where you can't afford breaks. Keeping busy is also long term important for that dopamine cycle but is not a good idea to commit to for critical moments or even most short term dips. Breaks in a healthy environment and a good processing system through venting and expression (ideally around loved ones) are far more effective and most importantly sustainable. It leads to mental resilience as you get more experienced and efficient at allowing yourself to feel bad. Then the bad mood will hold far less sway on you and will come with less panicked side effects.
These emotions are important, the right thing to do will not involve not feeling them.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Distraction shovels away the stress for later, should only be applied sporadically to get you through tough bits where you can't afford breaks. Keeping busy is also long term important for that dopamine cycle but is not a good idea to commit to for critical moments or even most short term dips. Breaks in a healthy environment and a good processing system through venting and expression (ideally around loved ones) are far more effective and most importantly sustainable. It leads to mental resilience as you get more experienced and efficient at allowing yourself to feel bad. Then the bad mood will hold far less sway on you and will come with less panicked side effects.
These emotions are important, the right thing to do will not involve not feeling them.

"Distraction shovels away the stress for later." It can. If you allow it. It's how you handle your stress. Is it a "ball and chain" you carry around? Is it the "fuel" that pushes you forward? I generally don't carry around my stress. I use it. Physical and mental work is an outlet for that stress. It's not about distraction, per se, as it is channeling that energy into something positive. I have mental tools to do this, some of which are discussed below.

People may have noticed that I never dwell on my past. I'm Gen X, believe me, I have a past. But that same past has made me strong and resilient. I am generally positive. I may have feelings, but I don't allow them to influence my decision-making. I generally don't like or accept excuses, not from myself, nor others. I am responsible, accountable, and highly productive. I have dreams and goals in several areas of my life. I am driven by a higher purpose than myself. I still have autism and all that this entails. I have made an itemized list of over 170 things on my "You might be autistic" list I made for my psychologist. I have a lot of difficulties, but it's not an excuse for "not doing", but rather I have accepted that in some specific cases I might not be able to perform as well as someone else. I also know that it is my autism that has allowed me to perform at a higher level than someone else in specific cases. I have learned to simply "take my hits" in life, learn from them, and keep moving forward. I can self sooth. I can self regulate. Don't worry about me, I am indestructible. Some of the reasons for all of this is discussed below:

On the topic of swearing.
https://www.healthline.com/health-n...n,-but-not-if-youve-already-got-a-potty-mouth
On the topic of successful habits and handling stress.
https://nickwignall.com/7-psychological-habits-of-highly-successful-people/

 

[Slime_Punk]

I can't really give advice, since I'm bad at that, but I can talk about what works for me if that helps.

Since you're an artist, this might apply, but I just try to channel my energy into new artwork all the time (when there's time, of course, because adult life obligations are bound to get in the way). As @Neonatal RRT said, diet, exercise and sleep go a very long way as well, and definitely even help in the creative process if that's your thing.

Working out and avoiding drugs (including alcohol; possibly the worst drug out there) have both changed my life in significant ways and continue to help my mental game, too. But as usual, if this is stress-induced then it's probably life getting in the way more than just your mental health getting in the way, and professionals can help.

Edit: somehow the end of another post made its way over here. My bad