18 Posts That Will Improve Your Mental Health

    Basically everything you need to know about looking after your mental health.

    Anna Borges
    by Anna Borges

    BuzzFeed News Reporter

    Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, but sometimes, taking care of it isn't as straightforward.

    To help, we rounded up some of our best articles — full of expert tips and insight — about mental health, happiness, and self-care so that you can look after yourself in all the ways you need. We even pulled out a few tips from each post to give you a sneak peek. Behold!

    1. A Beginner's Guide To Starting Therapy

    Chris Ritter / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

    Because, y'know, a little professional help never hurt anyone. It covers things like how to find a therapist, what the different types of therapy are, and what to do before your first visit.

    Read more here.

    2. 13 Incredibly Smart Tips To Be Happier From Mental Health Experts

    ABC / Via greys-anatomy-quotes.tumblr.com

    Like cutting "should" from your vocabulary, because it basically guarantees whatever you think "should" happen, won't. Constantly saying you should do something — like "I should go to the gym more" or "I should be nicer" — is like this big, judgmental finger wagging at yourself, and it'll only make you feel guilty. Try replacing it with "I would like."

    Read more here.

    3. 25 Tiny Changes That'll Make You Feel Really Good About Life

    4. 13 Ways You May Be Accidentally Making Yourself Unhappy

    NBC / Via teendotcom.tumblr.com

    Sometimes, the stuff you do to feel better backfires and makes you feel worse, like ignoring your negative thoughts so they don't get you down, when actually, feeling your feelings is necessary for dealing with them. The more you try to push negative shit down, the more power they have over you and the truer they feel.

    Read more here.

    5. Here Are 31 Clever Tips To Make Life Feel A Little Easier

    instagram.com

    This list is filled with self-care tips from experts and BuzzFeed readers, so you're getting both a professional POV and tried-and-true methods from ~regular people~. Some little ideas include: making a "done" list instead of a "to-do" list, saving nice words/emails/messages so you can look back on them later, and making your bed every damn day.

    Read more here.

    6. Here's How To Use A Bullet Journal For Better Mental Health

    Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

    Bullet journals (basically a mix between a to-do list, planner, and diary) are amazing for tracking tasks, thoughts, activities, and life events, so they lend themselves really well to recording info about your mental health. Find out how to use one here.

    7. 31 Important Mental Health Tips You Should Try Right Now

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    Like these tips from our readers:

    "If something is wrong, admit that something is wrong, and decide that you're going to fix it. You don't have to know what to call the problem or know the solution, but decide that you're going to work to get better."

    —Amanda Turner, Facebook

    "No one is ever thinking about you as much as you believe they are, because everyone is too busy worrying about themselves. Take care of you, and not the you that you feel you're perceived as."

    —Shannon LeBlanc, Facebook

    Read more here.

    8. Here's How To Know If You Could Benefit From Therapy

    Twitter: @reIatabIe

    You've probably wondered whether or not you should try out this whole therapy thing, but you may have stopped yourself because therapy seems like something for other people, not you. There are a million reasons to go to therapy, though. Maybe you need a guilt-free place to focus on YOU, or maybe you need a place to practice being more assertive, more social, more vulnerable, more whatever.

    Read more here.

    9. Here's What To Do If You Can't Afford Therapy

    Nickelodeon / Via buzzfeed.com

    Money can be a big barrier when it comes to seeking therapy — but you DO have options. BuzzFeed Health talked to experts about free and low-cost mental health services — so you can look after yourself no matter what.

    Read more here.

    10. Here's a Bunch Of Advice From Other People's Therapists That Might Help You Too

    etsy.com

    Like this advice our readers got from their therapists:

    "If you make a decision and later it turns out not to be the best thing, it's okay. You made the choice based on the current information and maybe what was best for past-you. Future-you might know differently, but it doesn't invalidate that past decision or mean that it was bad."

    —Sarah E. Dunham, Facebook

    "You don't have 'failed' relationships. Your former relationships lasted as long as they needed to in order to teach you whatever they needed to teach you. Your job is to learn that lesson and move on."

    —baumannsaraha

    Read more here.

    11. 25 Cheat Sheets For Taking Care Of Yourself Like A Damn Adult

    BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

    Learn how to be a well-adjusted human with easy-to-digest charts and pictures, which will teach you things like how to practice self-care, reframe your negative thoughts, and keep stress at bay. Read more here.

    12. 19 Tiny Self-Care Tips To Try Out

    Natalya Lobanova/ BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

    They all take under 10 minutes and include writing a note to yourself that reminds you of all the good you've done when you need a pick-me-up. Read more here.

    13. Here's How To Do Therapy On Yourself, According To A Therapist

    Maritsa Patrinos / Via buzzfeed.com

    Because sometimes it's not easy to go to a therapist, but you deserve to feel a little better anyway. Read more here.

    Lady Scout Studio / Via buzzfeed.com

    Like an app that that wakes you up to the sound of music and shows you a beautifully illustrated positive affirmation when you check your phone.

    Read more here.

    15. 16 Little Ways To Keep Anxiety From Ruining Your Life

    instagram.com

    Whether you experience occasional anxiety symptoms or you have a diagnosed disorder, there are little things you can do to manage it on a day-to-day basis, including: keeping an anxiety journal to find out what's making you anxious and naming your anxiety so that you can view it as an outside thing, rather than an annoying part of you.

    Read more here.

    16. 37 Products That Just Might Make You Infinitely Happier

    amazon.com

    Like these things that our readers said improved their mental health:

    "A glitter lava lamp. I put it on a high shelf, and when I'm stressed/overwhelmed, I just turn the lights off, lie on my bed, put on my 'Songs That Make Me Happy' playlist, and watch the little lights flicker across the whole room like stars."

    —Lengyi

    "A big box of legos. I like building stuff. It's a real stress reliever! It makes me forget about everything bothering me, upsetting me, or even making me mad."

    —kelson352

    Read more here.

    17. 15 Easy Things You Can Do That Will Help When You Feel Like Shit

    Maritsa Patrinos / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

    Sometimes self-care is really, really simple, like getting a glass of water or just changing your clothes. Read more here.

    18. 21 Little Ways To Be Happier In 2017

    ABC / Via giphy.com

    Like, replacing "I'm sorry" with "thank you." Instead of saying, "Sorry I'm late," say, "Thanks for waiting for me." Or instead of saying, "Sorry I messed up," say, "Thank you for being patient with me." This might help shift your thinking to be more positive and it'll make sure your loved ones are getting your gratitude instead of your negativity.

    Read more here.