‘What massively improved your mental health?’ – 20 little things that gave people a big lift

Maintaining an optimistic outlook can be tricky these days, what with all the wars, climate disasters and dodgy presidents we’re constantly hearing about.

However, there are some tips and tricks you can use to ensure you keep looking on the bright side of life, even when it feels like there isn’t one. Over on Reddit, user Ubersicka asked:

‘What massively improved your mental health?’

And people were keen to jump in with the things that never fail to put a spring in their step.

1.

‘Honestly, it’s gonna sound dumb but watching cartoons and getting back in touch with my inner child.’
–Crafty_Note_8686

2.

‘Deleting Facebook and Instagram.’
–gingerbhoy

3.

‘Realising that instead of sitting one hour or two hours or however long you sit on your phone can actually be spend outside. So one day I put my phone down on the table and went outside.

‘I ended up walking in nature for two hours. It was so nice that whenever I have a day off I just go outside and walk, once I stayed out for four hours, I was alone, no phone, just me. I felt like a kid again. Every time I return home I feel so much better, relaxed, happy.’
–unknown_strangers_

4.

‘Turn off the news.’
–SPHS69

5.

‘I started romanticising the smaller details in my day. My playlist while driving to/from work, the cup of coffee, making a home cooked meal slightly more presentable, etc. It makes the days feel less heavy.’
–Old-Implement2967

6.

‘Giving up on dating. Being happy with myself and not giving a damn about what others think about my life or relationships is freeing.’
–Rachel1578

7.

‘Working four days a week. I’ll die on the hill fighting for a four-day work week for all.’
–kikihippiex

8.

‘The concept of radical acceptance. Basically the idea is accepting things that you have no control over. Accepting does not necessarily mean liking, it just means realising it is just the way something is.

‘I gradually started making a point to consider that fact when things stressed me out, now it is just automatic and I don’t worry at all about aspects of life that I have no control over. Has improved my overall mood instrumentally.’
–supercantaloupe

9.

‘Having cats. My inner monologue went from ‘I AM SHIT. PEOPLE ARE SHIT. EVERYTHING IS SHIT’ to ‘cat cat cat CAT cat Cat CAT cAT’ which is so much more relaxing.’
–ms45

10.

‘Ridiculously long walks with the most indulgent playlists ever. I don’t care what people think about my taste in music anymore, I’ll listen to whatever makes my imagination go wild while walking. It’s almost like an automatic reset.’
–KariLarsson