Hey all, so I decided to write this article because I feel like mental health is just as important as physical health and it is overlooked or looked down upon often. I recently came out of a long period of depressive thoughts. So, I thought I’d share some tips that I remind myself of every time I’m feeling down or just thinking negative thoughts…
Your Goals and Aspirations
We all have some kind of goal in mind whether it be short term or something in the far future. Remind yourself why you’re getting up early each morning to go to school and taking countless classes. Remind yourself why you didn’t splurge on that new purse you saw in the mall or that new car you have been eyeing. It is ’cause we all have something we are ultimately trying to reach. For me, as a college student, one of my goals consist of graduating with good grades, and figuring out what I’m going to do after college. So, I always remind myself of my future and the things I want to do both short and long term, to help keep me afloat.
Your Family and Friends
We all have people that we hold close to our hearts and that we love dearly. Once in awhile, when we are feeling upset or just can’t seem to be happy, reach out to someone that you trust, just to vent and talk about your feelings. Talking aloud about what you’re feeling has always helped me feel better. Plus, it is always a good reminder to know that the people around you care about you and will always support you in hard times.
Qualities about yourself
Everyone has their flaw and faults, and at times that’s all we can see or think about, and we don’t give much thought to what makes us unique and special. Think of compliments others have given you, such as- did you get an A on that philosophy paper or did you receive a bonus at work recently because you have been working extra hard? Sometimes others can see our qualities better than we can. It helps a lot to either sit down and think about our qualities and the special things that others see in us or even write everything down. Writing it down is helpful so that you can come back to it and remind yourself of all of these positive things.
Hobbies
This has helped me numerous times to take my mind off of something that was making me upset, or just to drown out the negative thoughts. Find something that you really love doing simply for the passion of it. Trust me it’ll help you feel better because you are spending time doing something you love and you’re not thinking so much about whatever is putting you in a sad mood. For me, some of the things I love doing is blogging (of course), playing soccer, listening to music, and sometimes sketching. In addition, if you don’t have a hobby or you want to try something new, this is a great excuse to find something new! Try a new sport, go to yoga, or even try an art class.
Write it all down
Even if you don’t like writing or don’t see yourself as a good writer, it doesn’t matter. Being able to vent and go through all of your thoughts will help you think more clearly and deeply about what has you down and create solutions to making things better. It also helps you discover and learn about yourself. So, I would suggest buying a journal or if not, if you having a few sheets of paper lying around, use that to write down your thoughts. Of course, you wouldn’t need to show your writing to anyone, but yourself- your own personal journal that you can go back to anytime, and even if just to toss those bad thoughts away. It’s up to you.
I want to thank you for reading and hope that some of my tips are of some use to you :)