16 small habits people say quietly transformed their mental health
The concept of working on your mental health can feel like a daunting task, but redditors are reminding us that even small habits can make a big impact.
u/Buzzbusforbizz recently kicked off a conversation in r/AskReddit when they encouraged people to share the small changes they've made to improve their mental health. It's a tricky topic—not everyone has the same definition of "small" (looking at you, everyone who suggested "working out daily") and something that does wonders for one person might send another into a stress spiral.
Still, a lot of folks offered up some great ideas that might work as well for some people as they did for these redditors trying to find some semblance of peace in our chaotic modern world.
1. Sleeping
"Going to sleep earlier" —u/galacticpebble33
2. Making the bed
"Every morning I make my bed. Sounds trivial, but starting the day by finishing one small thing makes the rest of the day feel a little more manageable." —u/hugsingberry
3. Farewell social media notifications
"I turned off push notifications for social media and put all the social media apps on the last page of my phone. That extra few seconds to get to them made them less desirable to use and my time has decreased drastically on them." u/My-Witty-Username
4. Caffeine switch
"Green tea instead of coffee" —u/texaskayaker
5. Acceptance
"Accepting outcomes in life quickly and moving on" —u/Infamous_Horse
6. Just one sentence
"Writing down one thought before bed. Not a journal entry - just one sentence. It clears my brain more than I expected" —u/GeorgeHWBushDied2Day
7. Ignorance is bliss
"I only check the news quickly when necessary, for weather updates and emergency current events. But I don't follow it as much as I used to. Lessened my anxiety." —u/IceSeeker
8. Self-kindness
"Positive self-talk combined with aggressively stopping the negative self-talk. I once said something to myself out loud that a co-worker overheard and he told me that if I wouldn't tell that same thing to a child I better quit telling that to myself.
It was hurtful and mean and was wrong when it was said to me as a kid and when I said it to myself as an adult. He was right." —u/disenfranchisedchild
9. Dressing for success
"Getting dressed properly to “go to the office”, even though I mostly WFH" —u/HoraceorDoris
10. Let it go
"Instead of getting frustrated when people don’t listen to me when I speak, I stop talking to them completely and move on with my life.
I’ve been trying to only entertain and maintain relationships that go both ways. Instead of being the one to do all the work. It’s getting easier to weed people who are mostly self centric out of my life from the get go." —u/wupsidayz
11. Expanding horizons
"Reading daily." —u/TattedDLuffy
12. Mindfulness
"5-minute mindfulness every morning. Do it religiously." —u/amazing_kristy
13. Journaling
"I just started journaling and it really does help when I can't stop thinking about something or can't make sense of it in my own head" —u/daytrip-guide
14. Gratitude
"Having a sign on my fridge that says "I hope I never forget to be grateful". It helps keep everything in perspective when I am catastrophising." —u/ohgolly273
15. Walking
"A daily 10 minute walk. Quick, simple, and weirdly good for your mood." —u/sayma_1842
16. Keeping things clean
"Cleaning the kitchen every night. I didn't realise how even one day's worth of dirty cups and remnants of a meal would make me feel like my life was spiralling out of control when I got up first thing on the morning and walked into the kitchen." —u/southernwings97
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