What lifestyle change, wellness strategy/activity or alternative therapy has helped your mental health?

[RioDJ]

I’ve been struggling with my mental health and although I’m trying everything the GP can offer me I want to try some more holistic options too. So far I have thought or yoga and swimming. Thanks

I took up running, despite a lifelong belief that I'd be crap at it and had the wrong shape body for it.

C25K has a lot of fans for a good reason. I used to see posts here singing its praises and assumed that the posters were all secretly the sporty ones at school. I was wrong - it really can turn pretty much anyone who can walk into a runner.

It's better for fitness, gives you space to think (or to go mindfully into just the sensation of the repetitive movement), gets you outdoors, ideally somewhere green. And can lead to camaraderie if you ever decide to run in groups

I agree with running: it makes me feel good, look good and lots of time to think as I’m doing it.

I also took up cycling to work and whilst I thought the main benefit would not be spending almost £200 a month on a travel card, I’ve also got so much well-being out of no longer having to get onto packed tubes, or worry about delays, or plan timings around a series of train timetables. I arrive at work feeling awake and healthy, and the journey is so much more pleasant.

Walking. Took a couple of weeks to see the benefits. Walking is like a triple threat - you get fresh air and exercise for your physical health, it helps your mental health and if you listen to an audiobook or podcast you boost your knowledge too.

Yoga really helped me following a bereavement.
Try Yoga with Adriene.
Lots of free YouTube videos for all levels and moods.
It’s great because she does lots of yoga flows which are only around 20mins long.
I found committing to an hour at a class too much initially so the shorter length sessions were perfect.
She also does month long yoga programmes so you do a short flow each day.
I loved that as it was an achievable goal.
The breathing practice in yoga was incredibly helpful for me.
Hope you find something which helps.

Cold water swimming.
lots of health benefits. I go with a group so social too but it’s for half an hour so not draining and everyone is very chatty so you can just listen and smile
lunch time walk with a friend every Friday. Something to look forward to at the end of the week - fresh air and a catch up with a good friend.

Honestly for me it was joining a gym and doing their classes. I was desperately lonely after my dad died suddenly leaving me by my own (I lived with him) and joining the gym and making loads of friends there has literally saved me and also had the added benefit of making me fit and strong (I did not go with this aim, I went as something to do to get me out the house)
everyone is so nice to me there I am day off work today for a delivery and waiting for my 6pm class to make me feel better cos shedding a few tears this afternoon

I found guided Mindfulness meditation helpful. I bought a cd of 10 minute meditations by a man called Bhodipaksa. I think you can find some on YouTube. I did these first thing in the morning and at bad times several times a day. It felt like giving my brain a rest from my thoughts. I still meditate when I feel things getting on top of me.

Walking and observing my surroundings, noting the changes in the seasons, other people, the landscape, etc to take my mind away from my mental health and introversion.

Thinking of 3 good things that have happened during the day before I went to sleep. Very small things like seeing a baby smile, listening to children laughing, see a beautiful flower.. Looking for very small pleasures rather than major changes to my life

Seeking out the company of good natured people and laughing.

Counselling.

Antidepressants they really helped.

Bit by bit it all helped. Good luck OP

It was gardening for me. I realised that I could take an area of garden, completely rip up and destroy what was there and then rebuild it into something far better, all without hurting anything except plants. That gave me a physical outlet for my angst as well as a grounding sense of control.

I've dealt with a large chunk of my anxiety by being very careful and aware of my caffeine and alcohol intake. My anxiety also triggers some problems with my bladder, so I also eat small, sensible meals without too much fried food or spice and it seems to 'stabilise' my bladder.
Before anything stressful (an interview, presentation, flight, long car journey) I'll cut out caffeine and alcohol completely for 4 or 5 days and eat a small, boring meal the night before - something like a cheese omelette.

Thank you, these are all really useful idea

Art
Pets
dialectical behaviour therapy
trauma therapy
Reading

If you have anxiety issues do look at your caffeine intake. I was amazed at the difference cutting down made.

I tend to doomscroll when anxious so I have an app on my phone which limits my time online.

Alcohol is just for special occasions now. I have very minimal caffeine - max two cups of tea a week, I used to drink a lot though so that may well have helped with my anxiety a bit.

I think I will try running and meditation.

Definitely try different things op until you find something you really enjoy. Might have to give it a good few goes first if you are anything like me it can take me a while to enjoy something
i hear lots of good things about meditation so hope you find it useful
i did not get on very well with meditation (need to get out of my head not in it) but I think it works for most people. I even skip meditation at the end of my yoga class!

Gardening! Specifically growing veggies from seed. Brought me such joy while working on icu during covid.

Meditation. I love some of the shorter ones on you tube, it's a real brain break and really helps

Previously yoga and running but my health now means these are difficult.

If you choose running, pay attention to your body. I did C25K, buggered up my knees, and the NHS physio asked me "Why were you running at all when you have hypermobile knees?!" Er — I have hypermobile what now?

I do a combination of solitary things that are peaceful (and not too strenuous and if possible free of charge) and then try and do other things that are fun and social because when I get anxious it tends to make me feel withdrawn and a bit shut down, and I get far too caught up in negative navel gazing and very easily get to a point where i start to avoid people.

After some experimenting I think now have a good balance, and feel much better for it.

I do half an hour each day of Tai Chi (which I am learning from a free video series on UTube) . Then I do an hour or so in the garden usually twice a week. I also do a 5km walk once per week where I just walk and take my time to notice wildflowers, changes in the countryside, new crops in the fields etc. Those are my main solitary activities.

On the social side I do a dance class (mixture of line dancing and modern ballroom) once a week (the combination of great music and movement really makes me feel energised) and then I also go to my local cafe once a week for a meet up with other ladies from my village. We are a crazy mixture of nationalities (English, Spanish/Catalan, French, Colombian and German) so we all have a laugh teaching each other bits of our own languages whilst we chat. Now when I get anxious at least I can say f* it in 5 different languages which in itself makes me laugh 😃

OP I feel for you. Anxiety can be so difficult to cope with and overcome. I just hope you can find, with a bit of trial and error, a combination that really helps you.

Stopped drinking alcohol completely and started couch to 5K I’m Half the woman I used to be, and I feel so much better for it. Plus not having a glass of wine seems to have stopped my cravings for fatty carbohydrates.

Spin class. I can't think about anything except breathing! Yoga/meditation doesn't work for me but I find spin repetitive and I can tune out

Any form of exercise that you enjoy :) yoga, pilates, walking, dance fitness etc

I found joining classes at the gym really helped with structuring my free time.

Gardening- definitely. Nothing beats the feeling of putting your hands in the soil (even if it does ruin your nails)!

Finding something to look forward to every day. This might be what I'm having for dinner, seeing a friend, or just going to bed at night.

A good podcast. I don't always have the mental energy to watch TV and if feeling anxious find the radio much more calming. Listening to acoustic or classical music is peaceful too.

And, it's really boring, but getting the basics right. Making sure I eat something proper every day, going to bed early and doing everything I can for a good night's sleep, getting showered and dressed every day - even if I don't manage it until the afternoon. Making my bed every day. And celebrating the small wins and baby steps of progress.

May be a bit counter intuitive, but for me, sleeping less. When I was in a spiral, I tended to stay in bed a lot. Self care and rest is important, but I found I became more sloth like and reclusive. If I got up, showered, got dressed I felt like I was more part of the world.

insight timer app has hundreds of all kinds of meditations and relaxing music tracks

Cold water swimming. I'm like a new person!

I did "back to netball" and then joined a team. Terrifying to start, especially as bad memories from school, but between the exercise which I can't back out of and the competitiveness and the camaraderie of being on a team. It kind of anchors my week, and also motivates me to do things like go out running etc.

Going out for a walk at lunchtime, regardless of the weather.

I also try to adhere to 16:8 intermittent fasting as I find it helps me keep my mind clearer.