Meditation, vegan diet (particularly I've found a diet high in fruits and veggies makes me feel very happy), hiking, sunshine, being kind and generous to others, fulfilling work...
Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
71–80 of 95 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
#72For me the main thing is Peer Support. It's basically a service implemented by people who have had also engaged in some mental health treatment. It's really the only treatment I've found that promotes the self-determination of the recipient.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
#73Disappointed to see that "See a doctor or mental health professional" has not yet been mentioned. So I'll recommend that. My anxiety had started manifesting physically as panic attacks. After verifying my situation wasn't an emergency, he said my diagnosis was a no-brainer and prescribed Sertraline. It's helped a lot, and I've had no ill side-effects. Please, please see a doctor or mental health professional if you s…
Every mental health professional I have seen has suggested some sort of medication. And when I say suggested I mean pushed. It's like dude, how many times do I have to tell you NO.
Psychiatrists usually do, but I've never had an actual Ph.D. Psychologist do. They're usually all for cogantive/talk therapy/stress release techniques, etc. (At least in my and my family/friends experiences). Are you dealing instead with maybe mental health professionals without advanced degrees?
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
I see a therapist in the same way that I see a dentist – even if there's no immediate crisis, preventative care is generally much easier than waiting until there is some sort of major issue. If we have someone check our teeth and gums a couple times a year just to clean out the gunk and make sure everything is ok, why wouldn't we do the same for our (arguably) most important organ?
One argument against is cost - weekly CBT in NYC is going to run about 150 a session which will work out to ~7800 a year.
In many states insurance covers these costs. On my insurance the cost is the same as a doctor appt, $40, and that includes both the subscriber and the dependents. Psychologists and psychiatrists. It can be hard to find doctors who are accepting new patients but its not impossible.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
#75I was a cofounder of a struggling startup for 3 years and probably one of the things that helped the most was a commitment that once a week, I meet with my band and we practice music. I play guitar and sing. It's mostly a non-negotiable commitment, so I'm leaving work on time that day of the week no matter what. I know it's not everyone's hobby, but singing does wonders to make you happy. Being around friends while d…
[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
One argument against is cost - weekly CBT in NYC is going to run about 150 a session which will work out to ~7800 a year.
In many states insurance covers these costs. On my insurance the cost is the same as a doctor appt, $40, and that includes both the subscriber and the dependents. Psychologists and psychiatrists. It can be hard to find doctors who are accepting new patients but its not impossible.
I know at my previous job the Aetna payment towards my therapist ended up being $10 per session. (I believe I paid $50 and insurance paid $10).
For this reason, the vast majority of "good' therapists, in this market anyhow, choose to not accept below-market rates.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
#771. 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…
Currently having a mild panic attack trying figure out how I could possibly fit all of that into my weekly schedule.
(Props for #10 especially, though. I've recently sworn off the news, which was a toxic force in my life.)
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
#78poorly
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
#791. 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…
Username checks out.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage your mental health?
#80So 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 about it a lot. The term is eco-psychology. You should look into it, it's really interesting!
You're right to say that we have evolved alongside nature, and it is really only since the industrial revolution that we have fully diverged from the natural world. We live, eat, breath, sleep, and dream completely man-made everything. Things like Google can exist, because of our collective imagination and effort to sustain it.
What that means for us is that we are ignoring our biology and the habitat we have evolved to thrive in. We think we are all geniuses because we've created this artificial landscape, but we still have barely scratched the surface of our own bodies and how they work and why.