How to Be Kind to Yourself and Boost Your Mental Health

Tanya J. Peterson

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How to Be Kind to Yourself and Boost Your Mental Health
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Does your mental health make it difficult to be kind to yourself? You’re not alone. Get ideas on how to start being kind to yourself on HealthyPlace.

How to Be Kind to Yourself and Boost Your Mental Health

Being kind to yourself is a big challenge when you live with a mental illness. Mental health conditions can be cruel. They make us question everything we think, say, and do, and they make us question what others think say, and do. Mental illness often makes people angry with themselves. Some people learn to hate themselves because of their struggles with mental illness.

Self-loathing can deepen the effects of any mental illness. It also makes it harder to work to overcome challenges. This self-loathing is behind so much of the negative way we treat ourselves and the healing actions we deny ourselves. Self-loathing is tough, but it’s possible to replace it with self-nurturing.

Start being kind to yourself to boost your mental health with these ideas:

Pick and regularly do one self-care activity, even if you don’t think you deserve it.
Choose a short physical activity to do daily, even if you don’t think you have the energy.
Start a list of things you are proud of about yourself, even if you write just one per day.
Treat yourself to something you like (or used to like), even if you don’t yet feel the joy in it.

To be kind to yourself, plan what you wish you could do and despite difficulties, do it anyway. It’s how you show yourself kindness while boosting mental health.

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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

I'm Hannah. I Have Bipolar 2

Biipolar and Heartbreak: 3 Tips for Coping

Heartbreak is one of the most painful experiences, and when you live with bipolar disorder the emotional extremes can make it ten times worse. (Watch Hannah and subscribe to the HealthyPlace YouTube channel for more great mental health videos.)