5 things I stopped doing for better mental health

Mental health is an important aspect of life and needs intentional care. Here are five things that I stopped doing, that you can stop too for better mental health.

Hiiii there! Welcome to today’s blog post and the first post during mental health awareness month. The month of May is mental health awareness month, and I thought to commemorate it, for the following weeks in May, I will create posts centered on different aspects of mental health. I believe these will help, inspire and guide you through some of the mental health challenges that you may face.

Also, kindly note that I'm not a mental health professional with credentials, all I share is from my own experiences and research I have obtained from the internet plus my conversations with individuals on a personal level. Therefore, take the advice you need, and leave out what you may not need. I would also encourage you to do further research for yourself, in the aspects of mental health that you are curious to know more about.

Anyway, let’s get into it.

For better mental health, I stopped;

1. Talking to, and about myself negatively, also allowing others to do the same

When this year began, one of the things I wrote down on my vision board for the year, regarding my relationship with myself, is that I would speak to and about myself, as I would my best friend.

I realized that some of the things I said about myself were so unkind, that I would never imagine saying that to my best friend. Heck, I would never say those things to other people, no matter who they were to me. Changing my mindset this way helped me to set the tone for how I would allow others to speak to me.

Words have power. My Bible tells me that it can cause life or death. I think life is a much better option, I choose life and I encourage you to do the same.

Watch how to speak to and about yourself. Is it filled with negativity and hate, or positivity, love, and light?

2. Finding the need to respond to everything going on around me

In today’s day and age, news travels very fast, and with social media, it is possible to easily find out what’s going on.

Depending on what the latest news is, it always leaves us with a feeling, which may make us want to respond. Whether it’s with happiness, sadness, anger, or anxiety.

But, I don't think we were meant to always know everything happening in the world. I don't think our minds have been designed to constantly carry the weight of everything that’s happening. I think for some things, it’s better we remain unaware.

I’d encourage you to not give in to the pressure to respond to every single thing. The next time you see something trending on social media and may want to add your voice to it, ask yourself if it’s out of your will, or out of conforming to the pressure around you.

3. Watching distressing content

Speaking of social media, some of the content that is shared far and wide has the potential to completely ruin your day.

I have found myself in some instances watching or seeing something, and it is so distressing that it literally ruined my day or week.

Analyze yourself. Are you sensitive? Do you get easily affected by what you see online? What are your limits?

The reason for poor mental health may be due to what you are watching, listening to, and following. Don’t let social media, the news, or media at large control you, you have the power and freedom to choose what you will consume.

4. Choosing to not address things

Growing up, I was taught that the best way to solve conflict would be to simply sweep it under the rug and pretend like nothing happened. Now that I am an adult, I realize that this isn't the healthiest way to deal with stuff.

When someone did something that hurt, upset, annoyed, or frustrated me, I would go through the mental torture of overthinking. I would fail to make space to process my emotions about it, leading to poor mental health.

In fact, I remember the first time I ever dealt with depression, it was triggered by years and years of suppressed feelings that I didn't create space to process.

When you choose to address something that bothers you, you release the weight of those thoughts, you get clarity, and thus, can move past it the right way.

It also leads to much healthier relationships, and eventually, better mental health.

5. Feeling the need to be the fixer in every situation

Whenever I have asked a friend or family member to describe me, they have always said that I am a good problem solver. I have also always been drawn to fixing and helping people navigate through their problems. I think it’s a pretty noble character, but on the other hand, in the past, I found that I had the habit of over-involving myself in other people’s problems. It would also lead to other people taking advantage and dumping all their problems on me to solve them.

Of course, taking up the weight that doesn't belong to you will be too heavy, as you also have your weight to bear.

Are you in the space to hear someone vent? Do you always feel overwhelmed with situations beyond your control? Do you feel like if something is not working, or someone isn’t doing what they’re supposed to do, that it’s your fault?

It may be time for you to begin setting up boundaries with others and yourself.

I am here to tell you that it’s not always your fault, it’s not always your weight to carry, and it’s not always up to you.

I have found that sometimes you need to take a step back and allow someone to figure out the solutions to their problems. Eventually, they will learn to be independent, and you won’t get so overwhelmed.

That’s all I have for today. I really hope this post has inspired you, and I really hope that it may be a catalyst for you to do some introspection, and begin to nurture your mental health.

Thanks so much for reading and I will see you on the next one!

Xoxo,

BK 💚