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Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

#41

Post by lbotos »

agitator wrote: post #35

So I agree with everyone who says if you are having an issue, or a struggle, you should see a mental health professional. First and foremost, get the help you need to get your life stable. But as a secondary aside, there has been an awful lot of talk about mental health on this forum as of late. I hear about it daily in articles. You see increasing rates of suicide. People I talk to are generally miserable. Some more…

I think humans have a natural desire to be connected. I think "FOMO" is driving people to be over-connected to the wrong things. I dated a girl whom often had 100s of news notifications on her phone's lock screen. That was overwhelming for me to see out of the corner of my eye.

Additionally, we are always "feeding". We are getting sick from over-indulging.

My friend group is starting to coordinate board game nights. Also good old fashion gatherings, and just making a point to be present as much as possible.

I find myself using a phone as a digital communication device as much as possible, where I think for a lot of people it's become a digital consumption device.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

#42

Post by lowdest »

Lately, when I'm otherwise in a good place mentally, I keep the pattern going with:

1. 20 minutes minimum of cardio exercise per day. I avoid doing too much, as being physically exhausted has a negative effect on my next-day energy levels. Physical exhaustion can be useful as a mental reset though if I'm feeling overwhelmed.

2. Lots of fruits and vegetables. I think I'm happier when my gut bacteria are happy.

3. Proper sleep. Being well rested decreases my overall anxiety level. For me this means limiting alcohol, no caffeine past 2pm, and blackout curtains. I take melatonin when I feel like I need it.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

#43

Post by inhji »

Next friday will be my last therapy session. I've been doing it for about 1 1/2 years and I can't stress enough how helpful it has been. It helped me to sort myself out, so now I can go on without it. Maybe I'll need it again in the future, but that's okay.

If you're overwhelmed by your thoughts or your emotions or the nothingness inside you, please DO seek help.

F--k the stigma. You are doing it for you and you WILL feel better. It can be difficult and it can be painful but it's also freeing.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

#44

Post by PeterBarrett »

I haven't seen anyone else suggest this book yet [1] but I found it incredibly helpful. It's about Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) which has been clinically proven to be at least as effective as drugs and is supported by the NHS [2]. The book was recommended to me by a couple of GP's I know and I use the techniques I've learned from it on a weekly basis to either just relax or to slow down my thought processes.

1. Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Prof. Mark Williams

2. https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/mindfulness-as-good-as...

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

#45

Post by pknerd »

I am not the someone who is 100% following it but I try my best to follow these:

- Morning walk.

- Be thankful for what you have. It will help you get out of rat race.

- If you follow a religion then get in habit of praying and shift the credit of your achievements towards God and remain humble.

- Give charity as much as you can and look towards the people who are less fortunate than you.

- Help others.

- If you don't have a family, start it ASAP if you can.

Stay blessed!

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

#46

Post by Joeri »

agitator wrote: post #35

So I agree with everyone who says if you are having an issue, or a struggle, you should see a mental health professional. First and foremost, get the help you need to get your life stable. But as a secondary aside, there has been an awful lot of talk about mental health on this forum as of late. I hear about it daily in articles. You see increasing rates of suicide. People I talk to are generally miserable. Some more…

The trick to news and social media seems to be to adopt a pull instead of push model. Turn off all badges and notifications and deliberately check the sources you care about at opportune times. It helps to get rid of the feeling of being overwhelmed without requiring a complete disconnect.

Personally a big difference was only consuming proper newspapers in the morning instead of tv and news sites during the day. The quality of the information is greater and I don’t experience fomo as much.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

#47

Post by CodeWriter23 »

Probably the largest help for me personally, getting clean. My reality was, nearly every bout with depression was preceded by using some mood altering chemical. The bouts came on a daily basis. Downers like alcohol, weed, various pills actually induce depression. Weed was really hard to give up because it kept my ADHD in check. The uppers and psychedelics had the knock on effect of coming down afterward.

Twenty two years later, (about 8 years in the middle of that with a good therapist) and I'm not depressed any more. I feel a wide variety of emotions, compared to the two I had before getting clean, "Good" and "Bad". It was the hardest thing I've ever done, and the absolute best thing I've ever done.

I recognize and respect there are numerous ways to get clean and seek recovery. For myself, I still regularly attend a 12-step fellowship and work steps and sponsor other men in the program. I do this openly as an Atheist to boot. I fully acknowledge the low success rate of this program. I attribute my success to committing to a regular practice of connecting with recovery in a supportive environment of individuals seeking the same.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

#48

Post by throwaway987909 »

agitator wrote: post #35

So I agree with everyone who says if you are having an issue, or a struggle, you should see a mental health professional. First and foremost, get the help you need to get your life stable. But as a secondary aside, there has been an awful lot of talk about mental health on this forum as of late. I hear about it daily in articles. You see increasing rates of suicide. People I talk to are generally miserable. Some more…

Addictions love to trick you into thinking you can't live without them. Also those interactions are like food without nutrients. You think you are getting sustenance but it's void and stuff stops working properly after a while.

Also, In general society has lied to us about what makes humans content. So there's weird thing happening where I'm doing everything the TV/Movies/Inst/FB told me would make me happy and I'm not. It's very confusing and depressing and can make you feel hopeless and empty.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?

#49

Post by irrational »

1. I'm in a happy marriage to my best friend.

2. I play with my kids, read to them, spend time with them, etc.

3. I workout ever day.

4. I enjoy my job and my coworkers. I have a great boss.

5. I go to church each week and have a community of friends there.

6. I get 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

7. I eat well. I almost never go out to eat but mainly eat homemade meals.

8. I have many hobbies: woodworking, remodeling, gardening, hiking/camping, reading, studying ancient afro-asiatic languages, baking, board games, programming, etc.

9. I look for ways to serve and help other people.

10. I avoid reading the news.

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