The world is full of unsolicited advice floating around in every nook and corner. Imagine your Instagram feed, for instance. There’s no limit to posts offering you 5-minute temporary motivation via a reel you came across by swiping up hundreds of other reels while being too unmotivated to put down your smartphone.
As we speak of such passive motivations in excess, people on Reddit are discussing advice that actually changed their lives and improved their mental health. And these include putting aside smartphones and cutting off from social media.
Redditor u/Ecstatic_Ad_4476 asked people in r/AskMen to share a ‘single most effective piece of mental health advice‘ they had ever received. And many of the responses in the thread are important and relevant for all of us.
Please note, these are, in no way, professional medical advice but include small yet effective suggestions that had loads of significance in one’s life.
Take a look:
1. “It’s okay for men to have emotions. Learn the language of emotion and how to effectively express them. Bottling things up works in the moment but at some point you need to release, take the time to feel and express those emotions.”
2. “One of the most liberating things my therapist told me was that my coping mechanisms and outlook were perfectly reasonable given what I had gone through. They just weren’t compatible with the life I wanted to live going forward.”
3. “You’re not responsible with what other people in your life are doing.”
4. “Cut out as much social media/advertising as possible.”
– zeepbar
5. “Don’t miss dinner with your family unless it’s worth it!”
6. “Learn to appreciate small things. Big things like a nice vacation boost your mood a lot, but it doesn’t last any longer than the small things. It’s important to have something frequent that can lift your mood. For me, it was mostly nice weather, a cool breeze on a hot day, waking up to birding and feeling rested, our pet cat.”
– Nixu88
7. “Comparing yourself to others is the fastest way to being miserable.”
8. “Speak with someone. Mental health is a life long journey. Asking for help doesn’t make you weak.”
9. “That all families are just generations of complete and utter dysfunction and you are not unique “
10. “Speak to a good therapist.”
11. “50% of the things you worry about will never happen and the other 50% were going to happen anyway.”
– Kcnflman