I was thinking for a while if I should post something like this.
If I am even in the situation to be allowed to post advice on mental health, but I think that mental health is something that everyone gets to talk about.
So my perspective is a pretty privileged one because I have never had any serious problems with my mental health.
I would consider myself a very happy human.
I am so happy about my personality and the possibilities I have because I was born where I was born.
Not everyone gets these chances and has friends and family they are close with, and I get that.
I am beyond grateful I have all that, and I still struggle sometimes.
My struggles are by far not as bad as others, but I think I have found some good ways for myself that help with coping with my problems and even if just one point helps you a little bit, that makes me happy.
But now that you hopefully understood my position and understand that I am not a therapist, I’ll just get to my points!

1. I speak to myself and friends

This might sound weird, but I do talk a lot to myself.
Not in a weird way, in front of people, I promise, but when I am alone.
When I was still in school and used to ride my bike to school on my own, no one could hear me on my bike, so I oftentimes talked to myself about things and I realized now that it really helps to talk to yourself If there is nobody around that you want to talk to about your problems.
I try to see my problems from an outside perspective then and give myself advice that seems logical, but it also calms me down when I tell myself that I just need to stop stressing about it because it will not help.
So as weird as you think this sounds, it helps me to clear my mind and just get out what is bothering me.
I started to gain such good friends over time, that I share every detail of my life with.
Most of these friends don’t live close, and I am constantly in contact with them over text, so when I feel ready, I just tell them how I feel in a voice message.
I know they want me to feel good, so are going to try to calm me down, and oftentimes it really eases my mind.
Sometimes there is also that one specific friend that I want to talk to about it and I call them and while I talk, I realize how pathetic I sound what I am worried about.
It just really helps to open up about it and if you don’t have anybody, there are numbers you can call, where there are people that are going to listen or tell yourself what is really bothering you.

2. I ask my friends for advice

In the first point, it is usually me just telling my friends what I am bothered about right now and feeling stressed or sad.
When I really don’t know what to do in a situation, I ask them for advice.
Oftentimes it is friends I go to, but also my family.
It helps to get an outside view on your problem.
They might be able to solve your problems with you, or just find a solution how to deal with the emotions at first.

3. I write down my feelings

I did that on my travels when there were feelings I didn’t want to talk about.
In those situations, I felt like it couldn’t get better again, because I felt so stuck in that situation.
I wrote those feelings down and what caused it.
A few days later I came back to it, and usually it solved itself, and I was able to write down how I feel about it now and how it got solved.
When I look back on those notes now, it gives me hope that those feelings and problems are always temporary, and they are going to solve themselves eventually.

4. I do things that bring me joy

At the moment, I love to play guitar and know some pieces by mind.
It calms me down a lot to play them, and that helps me to stop thinking about my feelings for a moment.
When I don’t feel too bad, I like to try to play something new to make me concentrate on that and not on my sad feelings.
When I have already got a crochet project started, I like crocheting or reading outside.
All of these things make me concentrate on something else.
Find something that gives you joy and stops you from thinking about your problems.
Even if it is just for a moment.
Your mind will thank you.

5. I watch the sunset

Something that calms me down so extremely much and makes me so happy, is sunsets.
As well as the ocean, but as I am not close to the ocean right now, I’ll concentrate on sunsets.
Find out, what makes you happy and do that.
I found time to just stare at the sunset from a highway bridge the other day.
I listened to calm music and picked some wildflowers on my way, the last ones this year because it is turning fall, so they made me extra happy.
The clouds in the wind, the changing colors, the cold air and the airplanes across the sky had me mesmerized.
I think there are so many beautiful things around us, that we often don’t see, and I try to find what it is that makes me happy and take time to do these things.
If it is not the ocean for me right now, it is a walk along the channel, and it makes me feel good as well.
I also do these things when I am not feeling down to always give me some time to care about my mental health and not only when I am sad.
That is important!

6. I go for a walk with music that calms me down

When I was younger, I never got why some people listen to so much music, but eventually I got it.
Music can really change my feels.
I love finding good music right now, that makes me feel a certain way.
I also love going outside, on walks when I am a bit down.
With good, calm music, I immediately feel a bit better.
So going on walks, especially in nature, in a park or forest or on the beach with some good music calms me down a lot.
Last time I did that, I stopped at the channel to watch the sky, which looked so beautiful.
A man I walked past just made my day.
He just smiled and nodded at me when I walked past, and somehow that made me so happy inside.
I love to notice small things around me that make me happy.

7. I meet friends

Oftentimes, when I feel sad, I just want to be alone.
It is easier for me to deal with it on my own and talk to people when I feel ready to talk again.
Sometimes it really helps me though to meet friends or to go to my family.
When I was homesick on my travels, the best thing to do, was to meet friends and do something together.
When I moved out of home, I also realized how much a hug from my mom helped with anything.
Usually I couldn’t and didn’t want to talk when I was crying hard, but even a hug from her made me feel better.
So when you are with that person, that makes you feel this way, appreciate them.
If it is your mom, she wouldn’t (or probably rather you) stick around forever (I mean moving away, not dying…).

8. I do self-care

A facemask, a cup of tea and a good series is easy, but goes a long way.
It calms me down, and the shower afterward always feels good to wash away my negative thoughts.
Do whatever you consider self-care and what makes you feel good.

9. I meditate

I have always liked to meditate in some way or form, but have started to like meditations on YouTube a lot recently.
There are some in different lengths and on different topics.
They make my whole body feel so relaxed and make my mind feel quiet, which is great.
Often I like to say positive affirmations in my mind or out loud.
Find what meditations make you feel the best and you can also do them regularly.
I did that for a while, that I tried to meditate every day, and it helped me get through everything pretty relaxed.

10. I cry controlled

This is another point that might sound a bit weird, but it just happens to me.
I think it is probably linked to my cycle, that I am the most emotional in one phase.
When I was younger, I tried not to cry, while on my period, but now I just let out my feelings whenever I need it.
I cry about small things sometimes, or sometimes it is just big happy tears, but it feels good to let those feelings out once a month, and usually I am good for the rest of the month.
Maybe I am just scared that if I don’t let my tears out, that there will be a moment in public that triggers those tears and I will cry in public, which would stress me.
But crying “controlled” once a month makes the feeling of wanting to cry go away for a while.
So don’t try to stop yourself from crying.
It is fine and if it is more than once a month, but it makes you feel better, that is fine as well.
Just do whatever feels best to you.

In this post, my words were just flowing.
It really felt good to write about this and this might be another thing that helps me with my mental health.
To realize what I really do to make me feel good every day and notice when I don’t feel good.
I felt so extremely happy while writing this because I got some messages in between from people that are so important to me and told them about my happy feelings.
That is what I like to do as well.
I and some friends always share when we feel happy, and it always makes each other’s days.
By now, you might have really realized, that I am nowhere near a mental breakdown right now.
At least I hope so, I know it could come any time, but I think I would know how to deal with it.

If you deal with depression or have other mental health problems, talk about it to people and make sure to see a therapist when you need to.
In today’s world, it is totally accepted to go to a therapy, and I would definitely recommend doing so when you can’t cope with it on your own.
I hope those points could help you, and you know what is the best thing to do for YOU now.
I love you all, take care!