What are your favorite healthy ways to cope with mental health oriented challenges?
Let's share as many ideas as we can with one another to arm ourselves with things to try when times are tough 💪
@BradListens
Hey there Brad~ I’m Ocean the Healthy Living Community Leader… Great question… ~
For me personally I love doing things where I don’t have to think too much about anything! And incorporate lots of self care time..
Whether it’s cuddling or spending time outdoors with my Furbaby, time with loved ones, taking a getaway to the Beach to refocus & clear my mind, going to the lake, shopping, or taking a drive on a nice day… Anything that helps get me out of my head or away from negative thoughts or emotions.
What about you? What do you do?
@PoliteOcean It's nice to meet you, leader! :)
You have a lot of great coping activities! Sometimes, it's the simple and low intensity things that get us where we want to be. However, I find that high intensity activities have their place too in the form of activities such as sports or the arts which require a great deal of physical and mental effort. The amount of energy those kinds of things ask of us can help us overcome recurring and intense negative emotions - at least that's the case for me anyways.
I'd like to get back into hiking because I could use both the physical and mental boost! Running as well for the same reason but also to see if I can accomplish something more! I ran a half marathon back in 2024 and might see if I can manage to run a full one! Additionally, I want to prioritize activities that can be done from the comfort of home and don't require electronics so that I can start those as soon as I can without excuses, especially to see immediate benefits to my physical health because physical health and mental health go hand in hand. Reading physical books is something I'm considering to satisfy that.
@BradListens
Exercise/Activity/Sports etc.. definitely have their place in regards to helping with mental health challenges & overall wellbeing. Absolutely!
I’m a Fitness Instructor /Personal Trainer etc.. so I totally get that.
I think for me personally it’s just about taking time away from those things since it’s something I do all the time! lol
But how excellent for you to be so active! Keep up the great work!
@BradListens For me I just take breaks. It can be hard to give yourself a break, especially when you don't think you deserve it but breaks help a lot. They allow me to regroup and think about what I need to do.
Also doing things that I love like playing video games and listening to music helps me out as well.
@Joyce25 We all need breaks, this is very true! I think a part of life is learning how to achieve that healthy balance between working and relaxing - the balance isn't the same for everyone, so it's important that we realize our needs for ourselves.
What do you think makes for a good break? I find that if I'm taking a break in between two productive sessions, it helps to practice mindfulness and intentionality with breaks because I find that I'm capable to appreciate the break for what it is and am able to get back to work without any trouble. I'll take the time to acknowledge what I've done, praise myself for having gotten the work done, take some time to breathe and take in my surroundings and acknowledge the kind of work that's still ahead of me. I find that this helps me more than dissociating during breaks by browsing my phone aimlessly or playing a game, especially because I find it hard to get back to work!
What video games are you into? After a long day of school and/or work, I find video games to be a great way to unwind!
Following :)
@jesusredeemedme2425 Thanks for tagging along! :)
For me it's all about being alone in nature. I do daily walks for my mental health just as much as I do it for the physical benefits.
@HappyHelper242 Absolutely! Our physical and mental health are connected in so many ways and on so many levels - it's no wonder movement and exercise help lead to improvements in both! I definitely need to get my act together and develop an exercise routine.. I've been very sedentary as of late!
Nature I find is super underrated when it comes to improving our day to day lives - it's the healthiest kind of external stimuli out there! Sometimes, it's the simple things (and free lol) that matter most!
@HappyHelper242 Do you have a preferred landscape or type of nature you find yourself gravitating towards? Some people enjoy forests, others enjoy beaches!
@BradListens While I would love a forest or a park, we don't have any in my area. However, we do have beautiful beaches, and that's my favorite place to take the dogs or just chill by myself.
I love to put my headphones in and dance around while cleaning.
I find getting moving helps let go of the negative physical energy, music for turning the negative psychological stuff into positivity and cleaning makes the whole situation outwardly productive giving an all over uplifted experience and a nice environment to relax in later.
@adaptableYard2374 Music and movement are powerful! I think the vast majority of people would benefit from incorporating moments like these into their lives not only to cope but to also live a higher quality life in the first place!
And you're so right with how when combined with cleaning, it's this big energy of productivity and positivity you have going. Amazing! :)
Thank you for the uplifting response. I learned a way back to validate my own methods, to revel in them despite outside opinion and did not realise how impactful that outside acknowledgement would be.
Thanks so much for hearing me and your validation.
@adaptableYard2374 Favorite music genres for moments like these?
I don't so much have a particular genre so much as a vibe. It all depends on what kind of funk I'm in or the lack of a funk.
Sometimes I find comfort in the darker sorts of lyrics due to relatability of experience or emotions attached to. Or a more fighter type that encourages pushing through. It helps me process through how I'm feeling and just sit with those emotions for a bit. It just needs to have an upbeat music to it and ultimately ends up in some variety of cheerful music/lyrics, kind of celebratory, happy-go-lucky type stuff if it wasn't there from the beginning.
Melancholy music tends to drag me into a depressive sort of unproductive state when I'm already low that just feeds into those tough times, so I tend to be mindful of what's playing.
What about yourself, do you have a preference of music genre?
I get anxious sometimes, and when I do I have to decide if it's really going to change things by having anxiety. I try to look at other aspects of the anxiety and come up with a plan that's more productive than worrying.
Do you have any tips for this? Sometimes anxiety gets the better of me.
@adaptableYard2374 I'm sorry you are going through that as well and it's so difficult to overcome.
For me, which sounds cliche but I try to figure out what I can do to fix the problem (90 percent of the time the stuff I worry about I have no control over, this the reason I have anxiety) so I have to come to the conclusion that I seriously can't change the outcome.
I usually change the subject in my mind by grounding, reading, writing, music, doing a hobby. One of the things when I can't get it to calm down is I set a timer (5-10 mins) and type as fast I can whatever is on my mind. It gives me no time to think, gets the stuff down and then I can review it. It gives me some sort of validation. Probably not the best tips but I don't have anxiety meds and had to figure out how to cope.
What has worked for you so far? Sending hugs, anxiety is so rough.
Mental health threads always remind me how personal coping strategies really are. What works for one person might do nothing for someone else, and that’s okay. For me, movement helps, but only when it doesn’t feel like another obligation or pressure. I used to quit workouts fast because generic routines just added stress. That changed when I adjusted to my energy and mood instead of fighting it. Short sessions, flexible timing, no “all or nothing” mindset. On tougher days, even a small workout helps clear my head without draining me, and that consistency has mattered more than intensity.
@reynoldsfinley
That’s great insight. I’m actually pretty much the same way! We do what we can do when times like that arise.. And that’s enough! 👍🏼👊🏼