Alright folks, so today I actually tried out some mental health tips I saw in Psychology Now magazine. Figured I’d share how that whole thing went down, step by step. No fancy talk, just what happened.
Waking Up Feeling Like Garbage
Right, woke up this morning feeling kinda… blah. You know those days? Brain fog, a bit grumpy. Saw the magazine sitting there, mocking me. Front page screamed something about boosting mental health “today.” Fine, whatever. Let’s see what these geniuses suggest. Cracked it open feeling skeptical as heck.
First tip: “Start Your Day with Mindfulness Breathing”. Okay. How hard can breathing be? Sat on the edge of my stupid unmade bed. Tried the whole “inhale deeply for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8” thing they described. Managed it once. Brain immediately went: “Did you pay the electricity bill? What about that work email? Why is the neighbor’s dog barking?” Total mess. Felt less zen, more frustrated. Gave up after maybe two minutes. Failed step one already? Cool start.
Forcing the Journaling Thing
Magazine insisted: “Write Down Three Gratitudes Every Morning!” Ugh. Fine. Grabbed a random notepad and a pen with questionable ink. Stared at the blank page. Coffee hadn’t kicked in yet. Brain was mush. Forced myself:
- Coffee. Yeah, obviously. The sweet, sweet caffeine nectar.
- The weirdly quiet moment before the neighbor’s lawnmower started. That like, 5 minutes? Felt precious.
- My old t-shirt is comfy. That’s gratitude, right? Low bar cleared.
Didn’t suddenly feel sunshine and rainbows, but… shrugged. Didn’t make me feel worse, I guess? Minor win. Still doubtful.
The Doomed Walk Attempt
Next big suggestion was “Get Natural Light and Gentle Movement Early”. Went outside. Sun was bright. Annoyingly so. Decided on a walk around the block. Felt self-conscious. Was I walking too slow? Was I supposed to be feeling happy now? Saw a spiderweb, got weirdly focused on that for a bit. Heard birds chirping… and then a car alarm went off nearby. Ruined. Also realized I was still wearing my stupid house slippers. Turned around back home after maybe five minutes. Epic fail? Pretty much. But… did get that light on my face briefly. Didn’t hate that part.
Cold Shower Face Splash & Other Nonsense
They also mentioned cold exposure – like splashing your face with cold water. Supposed to “shock the system awake and reduce stress.” Rolled eyes so hard. Did it anyway at the kitchen sink. Water was ice cold. Hit me. Yelped. Definitely shocked me awake, but mostly just got annoyed and wet. Felt a bit more alert though, I’ll grudgingly admit. Had to dry my face. Mildly refreshing? Okay, maybe. Not planning to jump in an ice bath any time soon.
Stumbling Into Something That Sorta Worked
By lunchtime, was feeling irritated at the whole process. Decided screw it, I needed real food. Made a sandwich. Actually sat down at the table to eat it instead of hovering over the sink scrolling on my phone like usual. Magazine said “Practice Mindful Eating” – paying attention to taste, texture. Took one bite, tried focusing. Felt ridiculous. But… I did finish the whole sandwich without doomscrolling for once. Small victory? Maybe. It was… calmer than usual. That bit? Not terrible.
The Afternoon Crash (Unavoidable)
Hit the afternoon slump like a brick wall. Tip: “Take Short, Mindful Breaks”. Instead of grabbing my phone (hard habit!), set a timer for five minutes. Just stared out the window at a stupid tree. Listened to the distant traffic hum. Mind buzzed, but I forced it back to the tree leaves moving. Didn’t solve all my problems. Didn’t feel euphoric. But the timer beeped, and I felt… slightly less like throttling my computer? Marginally more capable of tackling the next work email. Unexpected.
Wrapping Up This Messy Experiment
Look, didn’t follow everything perfectly. Some tips were dumb (cold shower face splash, I’m looking at you). Some were way harder than they sounded (damn breathing). Journaling felt awkward. The walk was a disaster.
But here’s what I did take away:
- That tiny moment paying attention to the tree? Actually took the edge off the stress monster breathing down my neck.
- Eating lunch without screens? Made the meal feel… present. Less rushed.
- Forcing the gratitudes? Okay, didn’t make me grateful, but made me pause. Reset button of sorts?
- Even the failed breathing attempt? At least I tried to do something different than panic.
Did I become a mental health guru today? Nope. Not even close. Still felt grumpy bits. Still had brain fog sometimes. But maybe, just maybe, I carved out a couple of tiny moments that made the whole day feel a little less oppressive overall. Didn’t “boost” it massively, but maybe nudged it a tiny bit upwards. Guess it proves these things are more like tiny tools than magic fixes. You gotta try ’em messily to see what sticks for you. Anyway, that was my weird, fumbling Tuesday experiment. Sharing for anyone else feeling blah today.