9 Simple Life Hacks That May Improve Mental Health As Much As Antidepressants, According To Research
Mentally healthy people thrive on a delicate balance between inner desires and external circumstances.
Joycoast | Unsplash Mentally healthy people thrive on a delicate balance between inner desires and external circumstances, often requiring maintaining self-awareness and mindfulness. It also involves resilience, the ability to navigate life’s inevitable challenges and setbacks with grace and optimism.
Bringing small, simple life hacks into your daily routine can significantly improve your mental health and well-being. These lifestyle changes benefit your mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness, but starting a healthier lifestyle can feel daunting. Luckily, you can tweak your lifestyle one small step at a time to feel better, think more clearly, and live a more balanced life.
Here are simple life hacks that may improve your mental health as much as antidepressants:
1. Take every setback and turn it into a new opportunity
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Every single challenge you face in life presents two options for you:
- Take it seriously and cry like a baby.
- Find the opportunity hidden within it.
It’s always there if you dare to find it, see it, and nurture it.
2. Embrace the power of not complaining
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In a world where the prevailing advice from kindly online gurus is to find a place in your heart for self-love, I’d also add this: I’m most energized when I’ve dropped my victimhood. Remember: You are stronger than you know, right here, right now. Avoid sulking, and stand up tall.
Avoiding complaining can lead to several positive outcomes, including improved mood, increased resilience, stronger relationships, better problem-solving abilities, and a more positive outlook on life, as frequent complaining can rewire the brain to focus on negativity and can lead to decreased satisfaction and self-esteem.
According to a 2022 study, individuals can cultivate a more optimistic mindset and proactive approach to challenges by not complaining. Sometimes, expressing concerns or constructively voicing legitimate grievances is necessary to address issues in a relationship or workplace.
3. Refuse to be held back by everyone else's expectations
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97% of humans are in a brutal struggle against most others on a flat-playing field.
The kings among us found some courage, peeled away from the herd, and took the winding path to a small enclave where the air was a little thinner. Up here, it may at first be dizzying, but we’re not grinding to compete.
We’re no longer living for mediocrity — we’re instead committed to the unrealistic. Our friends may chuckle, but we laugh last.
4. Use stress as a sign to slow down
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Most people do something verging on the comical when they’re stressed, frustrated, triggered, or anxious. They speed up. They compensate for their discomfort in the wrong direction and try to remedy things by chewing on their thoughts harder.
Slow down, cowboy. This starts in the body. Slow your breath and your movements. The mind will follow, and so too will the solutions.
Using stress as a signal to slow down can be advantageous by allowing individuals to proactively manage their stress levels, preventing burnout, improving focus, and enhancing overall well-being, with the key concept being that recognizing stress early can enable a more mindful approach to managing demanding situations.
However, it's crucial to differentiate between positive stress which can motivate action, and chronic, overwhelming stress which can have detrimental effects. Research from the American Psychological Association (APA) showed that mindfulness meditation, which emphasizes noticing and accepting thoughts and feelings without judgment, can be a powerful tool for managing stress by encouraging individuals to pause and observe their internal state.
5. Realize that happiness isn't a location, it's a mindset
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What if you were already whole and happy right here, right now sitting there? What if you didn’t need life to change in any way to find happiness?
When you operate from the understanding that happiness, and all its forms, is your default setting, life becomes a simpler, fun game — and because you’re not so tense anymore, you will do better.
6. Find joy in lifting those around you
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You need to stop obsessing about yourself. It just makes you self-conscious and more inclined to want to hide at home and watch Game of Thrones re-runs.
The most powerful thing you can do is drop the illusion that you’re an island. See yourself in another human. Find just one person today to lift up, and you will be lifted twice as high.
It demonstrates that supporting and encouraging those around you can improve well-being, stronger relationships, increased personal satisfaction, and a positive community ripple effect. Barbara Fredrickson's research on the broaden-and-build theory demonstrates how positive emotions can expand our cognitive and behavioral repertoire, leading to greater resilience and well-being.
7. Move your body to clear your head
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Most of our woes are felt in the mind when they were stuck in your hips all along. You’ve been scrolling your phone all day. Of course, you’re miserable. Do as I do, and perform moves in your room so outrageous they’d make Mick Jagger blush.
You’re not Nathan from Accounting. You’re a wild, silly aape. Unlock the pain in your head via your hips, and thank me later.
8. Stop looking for passion to magically appear
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Here’s a cheeky little secret that will change your life: passion, energy, or creativity — whatever you want to call it — is not a noun. It’s a verb — a habit.
You’re sitting at your desk waiting for passion to show up to write. Don’t make me laugh. The passion will come, but only when you start writing. And give it a few minutes, jeez.
You will feel energy when you start walking. Passion is a verb. You don’t wait for it or find it. You create it at 8 am sharp every morning.
9. Drop the idea of everyone's version of you
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Live authentically. We all create an image of who we think we are in the context of other people. This tendency is the source of much of our suffering. Why?
Because we fear perceived loss and abandonment. But an image is just an image. It isn’t real.
We’re living according to an ever-changing illusion of who we think we are. We will have far fewer problems when we can drop the idea that we need protection.
This is the path to truly not caring about what other people think. We are not our identities, nor our memories.
We’re just flesh and bones, and we can handle more than we think. Take a breath. Drop your shoulders. Be willing to look a fool at every step. You will have the world at your feet.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient. He's the author of the Mastery Den newsletter, which helps people triple their productivity.