Our own positive ways to encourage healthy thinking, self-esteem, confidence and lower our anxiety

[Rabbit33]

I went through an extremely rough year this year and found myself in a very dark place. Due to my circumstances, I'd shut off from almost everyone i knew and became almost trapped in my room. My mental health was at an all time low and my depression and anxiety was in a very scary state.

I've since got myself into a very healthy place, where i am much more clear headed, focused, confident and motivated. I have set out goals and have plenty of encouragement. Besides the medication i'm taking to help deal with my diagnosed depression and anxiety and my visits to my psychologist. I found that making changes to my life-style, adding little things into my daily routine and promoting my life with positive activities really made a huge difference for me and my recovery journey. I think these adaptions are something that even while in a positive state of mind, also assist me in remaining in a 'happier' state.

I thought we could share our own ways of 'healthy thinking' & 'self-esteem boosting' things that we do when feeling low. Hoping our own experiences could offer some encouraging support or idea's to suffers of mental health. So, when you're feeling lower than low or your anxiety is really holding you back. What helps you? What lifts your mood? What gives you strength? What encourages your healthy thinking and lifestyle choices? What helps with your self-esteem? I'll start by writing down 8 of mine and encourage others to add;

1) I bought a bunch of self-development books which have been a huge help and a great eye opener.

2) I go through the self-help books and read out 10 - 20 quotes a day and then pick my favourite one and write it down on a white board which is attached to my fridge. This helps keep me motivated and encourages my positive thinking.

3) I invest some of my free-time supporting others and when i can, engaging & support/promoting mental health awareness.

4) I write down lists each day of what i need to get done. This gives me a sense of accomplishment and helps me prioritise tasks, which helps with my anxiety.

5) I use little emoticons in all of my text messages to send off positive vibes to others.

6) I remind myself that I am important and try not to undervalue myself. I deserve to have the best possible life. (As do we all)

7) I try forcing myself to spend time with loved ones.

😎 I write down what's troubling me and causing my anxiety so it's fresh in my mind when i see my psychologist next.

[MsPurple]

Hi Rabbit

Thank you for sharing your story. I know how rough a dark patch can be, sometimes you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. But some of your ideas are real good ones. I thought I'd continue what you started and answer some of your questions to 🙂 It is a great idea

So, when you're feeling lower than low or your anxiety is really holding you back. What helps you? Sometimes I think focusing on the task at hand helps. If I am at work then I try focus on work and just remind myself if I am a little behind it is ok, as long as i get it all done. I also do deep breathing if needed

What lifts your mood? sometimes I watch animal videos if I need to. They always make me smile

What gives you strength? My family and loved ones

What encourages your healthy thinking and lifestyle choices? I am into triathlon. Not very good but it is such a positive sport and everyone enourages each other. People of different abilities participate. Knowing I have to train to do my best helps. I think finding a positive hobby would be a good idea for anyone

What helps with your self-esteem? Sometimes I just need to talk it out. I find addressing it in my therapy sessions is really helpful. I am still on this journey of positive self talk. Can be hard some days.

[Rabbit33]

Thanks MsPurple, It's great to hear other peoples methods and different idea's on how they cope with certain situations and dealing with anxiety and times of darkness. Thank you so much for sharing. I love that you watch animal videos, a cute little kitten or puppy clip always draws a smile on my face haha.

Hoping others will join in too and support some healthy/positive ways of self-help. Reaching out can be hard sometimes, so hopefully this thread can support some people just by them having a read of it.

I too am still on my journey and always finding new ways to heal and grow.

Sending positive energy your way MsPurple. Have a great night!

[Sueetties]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for sharing your tips. I thought I would try to find some of mine too and share here. It’s important to have sone self help strategies as we don’t know when our dark days come.

1. Physical exercise helps me immensely. I have been doing my daily run for about 4 months now. I found it amazing as it helps release endorphin which results in mood and energy boost. I really enjoy it now.

2. Writing a journal - I list out things happened/ what’s on my mind for the day. That helps track any symptoms day to day and identify the triggers and learn ways to better control them.

3. I see my psychologist regularly and address whatever problems I face which may trigger depression / anxiety. Then practise CBT. It helps reverse my negative thoughts and enhances a healthier thinking.

4. Mindfulness exercises helps calm my mind and helps sleeping..... practising daily. Even just 5 mins .slowly build up the routine.

[Rabbit33]

Thanks for sharing Sueetties - Some great strategies there! Exercise I believe is definitely one of the strongest ways to promote healthy living and thinking! A natural way of releasing endorphins, leaving us feeling great, energised and happy! 🙂 I use to train 3-4 times a week and go for a run everyday and it was amazing how much better I would feel after doing this! I must get back into a routine asap! lol

And CBT is definitely a great way of helping ourselves to think positively! Anyone interested in learning Cognitive behavioural therapy, please seek a professional for assistance ie psychologist or psychiatrist.

Keep them coming guys! Let's have a long list of techniques / strategies of helping one's self to boost self-esteem and lower our anxiety levels. 🙂

[Sueetties]

Yeah, Rabbit,

i think persistence, determination and patience are the keys to achieve all these. Sometimes I remind myself that I would need to keep going and don’t give up. I did last yr for the daily run and stopped after about 2 months. This year I have so far done 4 months.

we just have to motivate ourselves.

I hope you have a great day!