A great thing to do for your mental health is to stop checking the news over and over—especially for the next couple of days. You’re not going to miss hearing the “real” news when we get the election results. Everything else is just speculation designed to keep you clicking, scrolling, and making you anxious. 💚
During the times I’ve been most sad, depressed, or anxious (often a combination), I frequently wonder what should I do. Not just “What should I do to solve the problem?” but also “What should I do to occupy myself?” Sitting around feeling depressed and anxious, I know well, tends to make the initial feelings worse. But if I can find a way to move forward and take active action, often I improve. So what could the answer be? Following this logic, I learned a simple tactic that’s helped a lot. I still do it often, even when I’m not sad or depressed. The two-part solution is: when you’re not sure what to do, make something and help someone. That’s it!
These actions are deliberately broad. When it comes to making something, I like to work on projects and create. For me, this often involves writing, though I also do other things. Having a project and a routine goes a long way toward having a sense of momentum. I don’t think the specific project matters, so long as it’s something you believe in and feel excited to work on. (It shouldn’t just be busywork, or “someone else’s project that you don’t care about.”) Similarly, helping someone can have a wide range of applications! It could be big or small, private or public, someone you know or a stranger. This strategy works because it gets our eyes off the things that are troubling us. It doesn’t solve everything, but it does make things better. A Brief Note on Current EventsHere is a way to think about current events. There are things you can control, and things you can’t. Most things fall into the second category! Only a few fall into the first. When it comes to “what’s happening in the world,” there’s not much more to do at this point. You may be hyped up, checking the news while trying not to check the news. And yet there is no real news! Just more speculation. So again: think of all the things that are within your control. There will always be something you can create, always someone in your sphere of influence who needs help with something. You can not decide the future of the world. You can, however, make something and help someone. Why not do that? You’re currently a free subscriber to 🌻 A Year of Mental Health. For the full experience, consider upgrading!
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Monday, November 4, 2024
When You Aren’t Sure What to Do, Try This
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