Throughout my mental health journey, I’ve tried out the big list of self-help tools. I’ve enjoyed some more than others and I use them in combination with therapy and regular medication. After my Bipolar Disorder diagnosis, I really dove in hard. I did all of the research, browsed through Pinterest endlessly, and did what I could to make them work for me. I have found a few favorites and talk about them a bit more below, but keep in mind, these are just a handful of mental health self-help tools to help you on your journey and you don’t have to excessively try to make them work for you. Take your time, dive in piece by piece, and don’t overwhelm yourself.
I’ve tried an abundance of “mental health support apps” and with that, I can honestly say they’re all worth a shot. Like I’ve said a few times at this point, what works for someone else might not work for you. You might find that the random app you never thought would help might be best for you, or teach you something you hadn’t thought about before.
Here are a few of my favorite apps for mental health support: – Happify – eMoods – DARE - Dalio – & Self-Help for Anxiety Management
Untamed – Glennon Doyle Maybe You Should Talk to Someone – Lori Gottlieb Permission to Feel – Marc Brackett Unfuck Yourself – Gary John
One of my favorite tools for mental health support is journaling & like I said earlier, you don’t have to let it consume your life. Just add it in where it feels right. Journal your thoughts when you are having a hard day, or even a good day! Buy yourself a happy yellow or fun journal that makes you smile. Keep it on your nightstand. If you really want to dive in, search Pinterest for journaling prompts.
Something I’ve recently dived into that has been an eye-opening experience is bullet journal habit tracking for following the ups and downs of my moods. You can also use it for tracking an abundance of things like exercise, sleep, medication, and more. For a long time, I was very against bullet journals and just thought it was a waste of time. But something about doodling in a pretty journal with some fun pens just makes my heart happy. Filling in the little designs I’ve created every day to track my mood has become a norm and it’s offered me something to bring to the table in therapy that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
Before you roll your eyes at me- hear me out. I’m not talking luxurious baths, bath bombs, or face masks here. I’m talking about intentionally setting aside time to take care of yourself. To take your meds, refill your prescription, breathe, collect your thoughts or do nothing. I have come to find along my own journey that often times self-care is talked about as extreme thing to do for yourself. But for me, self-care means nurturing what makes you, YOU.
Before you roll your eyes at me- hear me out. I’m not talking luxurious baths, bath bombs, or face masks here. I’m talking about intentionally setting aside time to take care of yourself. To take your meds, refill your prescription, breathe, collect your thoughts or do nothing. I have come to find along my own journey that often times self-care is talked about as extreme thing to do for yourself. But for me, self-care means nurturing what makes you, YOU.