When discussing health, we often focus on the physical aspects, but we shouldn't overlook the mental ones either. For instance, did you know that depression increases the risk for many long-lasting conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke?
Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing how we think, feel, and act. It also plays a crucial role in our ability to handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.
As mental health is important at every stage of life, we wanted to share an Instagram account called 'How Mental' with you. They regularly post memes that serve as reminders to prioritize understanding our minds and living our best lives!
Continue scrolling to check out the pictures and the chat we had with California-based clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Firestone, which you will find in between the images.
More info: Instagram
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That's an awesome kid, but I can't get over how these kids think having lunch with their parent is somehow a privilege. How old are they???? My kids would absolutely NOT want to have lunch with me at school.
Depends on the age of the kid I guess. At 7 I would have loved it. At 12, not so much. 😉
Load More Replies...I don't know about kids being better but yours is far better than most all the people I know, regardless of age. Well done
When I had my second baby I was so crippled with pain and was embarrassed for crying and feeling desperate. No fault of the midwifes or my partner, they were angels. But my own expectation of myself was to go and conquer.
Too much time conquering means less time for bonding and baby.....but boy is it hard to do nothing but hold that baby for hour after hour. I wanted to conquer too!
Load More Replies...I got so tired of being told how strong I was when my husband died. Then I realized it was an excuse people use meaning, "I don't know what to do for you, so I'm going to pretend you don't need anything from anyone." You know that freezer full of food you're supposed to end up with? One neighbor brought us a meal. One.
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. It's now 7 months since we lost my husband and my daughters Daddy....and the thing I notice is that it stops....around the 3 months mark ppl kind of can't deal with it and want you all back to normal so the gentle care stops...and all of sudden the same tears I have cried non stop seem pathetic instead of a natural response to my loved ones loss.....I guess thankfully it's not something you can understand unless you have been through it. I think if you knew ppl who you thought could have made a meal to help you....then they jolly well should have. Humans are so deeply flawed! I hope you have found support from other places
Load More Replies...And that's why I feel so connected to the song "Surface Pressure" from Encanto...
You should look up Taylor Destroy's cover, it slaps.
Load More Replies...Dr. Lisa Firestone, who has worked extensively with individuals, couples, and children, thinks the biggest mental health challenges we face are often based on the adaptations we made while growing up — the psychological defenses that do not serve us in our current life.
"These adaptations were developed as survival mechanisms, and it can feel 'life-threatening' to challenge them," she told Bored Panda. "An example might be feeling self-protective and guarded in relationships. This may have been the best adaptation we could make to caregivers who were not attuned to us. But in our adult life, it may be interfering with our ability to form close, satisfying relationships."
"As an adult, you are no longer dependent on others, and we can choose to relate to people who can attune to us. But if we put up walls and don't let others know how we feel or what we want, we reinforce the beliefs that support the defenses we formed early in our lives," Dr. Firestone, the author of Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion, explained.
Yes, because then, everyone who could possibly ask you to do stuff for them are asleep. Bliss.
If you were in the UK I’d say that you're in the wrong time zone... You're obviously on Australian time...!!
To make BEER... Take some barley/hops (carbohydrates) convert them into sugar... add to water and ferment... instant (well maybe a bit longer) BEER...!!
According to the World Health Organization, in 2019, 1 in every 8 people, or 970 million people were living with a mental disorder.
Of them, 301 million had an anxiety disorder (including 58 million children and adolescents) and 280 million were dealing with depression (including 23 million children and adolescents).
Health systems have not yet adequately responded to the needs of those with mental disorders and are significantly under-resourced in many places around the globe. For example, only 29% of people with psychosis and only one-third of people with depression receive formal mental health care.
I think that might be what we're all doing right now 👀
Load More Replies...Cause when I think, I think things I shouldn't think. I can't even think of letting my mind wander to those things I usually think.
Yes! I can’t just watch a movie, I have to scroll on my phone as well! It’s both the fear of being alone with my thoughts, and the difficulty to maintain attention on something that is moving too slow.
You have to be shoving some of the aforementioned carbohydrates into your mouth at the same time. Then you only need one or two forms of media, tops. I have a lot of experience with this.
There is an old cartoon that I like; a student puts up their hand in class "may I be excused, sir, my brain is full".
For me it is not that my brain is full, it is just coated with teflon.
Load More Replies...Also I can read a thousand pages book and have no idea what the characters’ names are. I just recognise the group of letters and move on.
Any more if I read a book, especially if a new book that I never read I have a hard time trying to remember the characters and how they are related to other characters or each other.
Furthermore, a large-scale international study co-led by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of Queensland based on more than 150,000 face-to-face surveys across 29 countries discovered that one out of every two people in the world will develop a mental health disorder by the age of 75.
The researchers also found that mental health disorders typically first emerge in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood — the peak age of first onset was 15 years old, with a median age of onset of 19 for men and 20 for women.
My father had problem with the new TV and called the company like several times, yelling. I was in bed, my heart rate was 109. He later had to tell me about his problem in his loud, drunk voice and I twitched, terrified. It's like a time travel to my childhood filled with abuse and constant stress.
It's hard work raising our parents, and children of alcoholics have an extra special challenge.
Load More Replies...My doctor once said, "Just because it's all in your head doesn't make it not real. Your head is part of your body too and needs to be treated when it causes you pain."
Depression, fear, paranoia, brain damage and those brain eating bugs in Star Trek are also all in my head so how would that make anything less critical?
People seem to forget that the brain is a physical organ, and that a difunctional brain is no different than dysfunctional kidneys of dysfunctional lungs. The problem is that, since we do not actually know what is happening in a "normallY' functioning brain, we cannot tell what is going wrong when the brain is not functioning correctly. Too many people, including way too many psychologists, do not seem to believe that thoughts are a physical process. Medication works because thoughts are a physical process, but, unfortunately, using medication is often like performing surgery with a hatchet.
Mean voice in your head that insults you? Do people actually have that?
Yes... You mean, some people don't??? Wow. Genuinely shocked.
Load More Replies...When I was teaching fencing- I always had to introduce my students to this "voice". It's universal- and they DON'T teach us about it. I named it "The Sargeant" . Way in the back of your head "You can't do this!" We've all got it, I'd tell them. "So. When you hear him? Tell him to SHUT THE HELL UP!" :-) You can learn- it helps.
That voice is my voice, and it's not in my head, it's out loud and everyone can hear it.
Mine isn't loud inside my head. It's deadly quiet and absolutely convincing and has made my life a living hell.
It's not you. If you can observe it and know it's there then it's definitely not you. Does this voice sound or say things like anyone you know? A parent? An old teacher? Have you tried addressing it? I named my nasty voice which helped me....her name is Rhonda and she mean as hell
Load More Replies...It's all about finding that balance between periods and exclamation points. Maybe throw in a smiley face.
But there are so many smiley faces out there! How do I know which one to use?!
Load More Replies...If it makes you feel better, for every minute I didn't text back, my anxiety increased to unhealthy levels :)
Made considerably worse by when I finally do send a response and then have to wait an eternity (6 minutes) for their answer.
Load More Replies...im like this with sympathy tests, someone i know had to go to the hospital with an elderly parent who took a bad turn and i was thinking "how do i respond to this without sounding fake?"
So true!!! Yesterday I was texting my friend, and I had a mini panic attack from my phobia, and then I apologized to them, and they replied with this super nice message that I just didn't know what to say to.
If you ask me how I’m doing I feel like I’m not being honest if I don’t start telling you about my current biggest struggle. Got forbid I trick you into thinking I am doing well. Oh, you think my baby is cute? Well, she doesn’t eat and I cry twice a day! But thanks, I also think she is cute!
I hate people who don't complain. OK, I don't hate them. I have a couple of friends who feel like they have to be like this. But it's exhausting and disingenuous. The relationships always feel a little forced. Girl, I know you're an anxious mess, I just had lunch with you. Tell me what the hell is going on.
Of course, memes such as the ones shared by 'How Mental' are funny and all, but Dr. Firestone believes people who are looking to improve their mental health on a day-to-day basis can begin with identifying and challenging their adaptations and defenses that she mentioned earlier.
"We can try new, more vulnerable behaviors, and take a chance on having a different outcome," she said. "We can develop a sense of inner security over time, challenging our beliefs about how relationships go. To start to identify our patterns, we can look back over past relationships, talk to friends about what they have observed, and look for our role in why things have been difficult."
"The idea is not to blame ourselves ... but rather [to practice] self-compassion [and] develop an understanding of how you are getting in the way of getting what you want."
I live in the UK. Distinct lack of racoons. It doesn't feel like squirrels would cut it. Badgers are a vague equivalent but kinda ploddy. That said, they can be pretty aggressive and have massive claws. We've recently reintroduced beavers in the UK, but I don't think there's enough of them to form an adequate defence. Oh god, this has completely thrown me. How am I going to defend my cave?!
I hate every day in this stupid society. At the bus stop, a man chose to wait on the other side of the road. My neighbour started gossiping about him, how he distances himself from people. Maybe bc they are unkind gossiping idiots! How can people be so stupid and incapable of seeing their own fault?
Not seeing Dune 2 on open night or a 60th was how I lived this weekend. I chose to get out of London and have a weekend of football 6 league below arsenal, enabled apathetic eating and dog cuddles trumped.
Honey Badgers. Totally mental and will take on lions. Do not need tiny swords or shields. Also don't need you so maybe not....🤣
Hey, *Tyler*! It's called "idlin' " & it's really good for your brain, heart & soul! Not laziness.
Some of us never learned who we were because we were too busy surviving childhood. We collect Squishmallows now
Wait??? Is that why I'm in my 40s with a frozen themed bedroom??....
Load More Replies...me. I was this person quite a lot as a kid. I wish I could go back in time and hug child me, letting her know that her despair wasn’t her fault and that God had her back, as did many other people, even when she didn’t believe it, because what she saw was connected to her abusive earthly father.
SOme of never learned how to be a child. We had to be the parent and care for our siblings while our actual parents played video games, watched TV, and stayed in their rooms.. I never had a childhood I was too busy playing housewife, getting yelled at and degraded. They wonder why I want to move out the second i hit 18. My only regret is never standing up for myself 17 now and I'm barely making it through life. Constant thoughts of dying, 16 attempts and scars littering my arms and chest. I wish i had someone step in and help us.
Happiness is a travel, not a destination. Once u got it u'll get bored of it in no time and feel lost cuz u don't have a goal. So u sabotage it.
"I believe finding someone you can trust and talk to is almost always helpful," Dr. Firestone added. "To my mind, if you want to improve your mental health, therapy is an excellent vehicle."
"If you are struggling with your mental health, feeling depressed or anxious, or find yourself using unhealthy coping strategies, therapy may be essential and even life-saving," the psychologist said, highlighting that seeking mental health treatment is a sign of strength, not weakness.
For me it’s Monday. Don’t want to mess up my weekend.
Load More Replies...My therapist basically told me I’m very self aware but I do the stupid thing anyway, and never was a truer word spoken.
This is exactly how I feel but unless you experience the type of mental illness we have you will never understand. It's literally like being jailed with a person you hate but that person is you. You watch and scream down do this and the other side of you gives you the finger and does what it wants anyway.
It's like you are watch yourself and screaming don't do this it will end bad but the other part of you gives you the finger and goes ahead with what ever distructive thing they want to do in the moment. Bipolar is hard to live with
Nah I get chest pains that make me afraid I'm having a heart attack, then when I dont die I realise it was just a panic attack again.
Try hanging blackout curtains in one room then adding a bed with a fluffy blanket and TV and preventing everyone except pets from entering. Edit to add fluffy blanket, almost forgot an important step there
You've heard of "man cave" and "she shed". Friends, allow me to present the "comfort cove".
Load More Replies...Bugger that. Get in on this comfort zone. I can Live, Work, make money and have fun here.
Mmmm.... no. There no such thing as a *correct* reset for depression, as there are many different factors that can cause it. Staying out in sunlight may improve it for a while, from "I want to kill myself" to "I would like to sit down here until I die"..., but it won't "reset" it. It's a serious illness that takes years to cure, if you are lucky. If the solution were as simple as spending a day in the sunlight there would be no depressed people and no suicides due to depression.
Load More Replies...Sometimes it works for a little while, if you do it right (in a room with blackout curtains and a bed with a fluffy blanket and your pets, TV optional)
My literal nervous habit is laughing and smiling. I do it when I meet new people or large crowds. It took therapists several years to even get to the point that they understand there was a problem and my autism diagnosis didn't happen until my late twenties, not completely because of that but in part.
I win. I didn't get my autism diagnosis until I was 58. Then everyone.just expected me to fix myself.
Load More Replies...I'm good at smiling through the pain, most people think I'm an extrovert if they only see me casually. Only my wife knows how depressed I am, and I fool her a lot too. Of course, that makes the random tears hard to hide.
Mine is drowning inside being the go to person for sage advice I don't adhere to myself.
Help this is me. My family thinks I’m one of the most bubbly people they know, but my best friend is like “ma’am, you have ✨depression✨”
You really don't make mistakes. It's only a mistake when others think it was wrong. You yourself only learn from mishaps.
'I will be nice to myself... Even though I don't deserve it or appreciate it! Ungreatful swine!"
futhermore, I will never balance the wins and the fails. Just the fails
Don't be sorry because you are sad. There could be different reasons to be sad. Whatever reason you feel sad don't ever be sorry.
I cannot forgive bc I, despite all the abuse, somehow can treat people right. If I can, then everyone also can but they don't want to. They prefer to be selfish, so they don't deserve my forgiveness.
I don't "forgive or forget". I just move on, and concentrate on my evil plan for taking over the world and outliving my enemies 👍
Load More Replies...Also, you have the right not to forgive if you don't want to, or if you are not ready. You are not a bad person if you refuse to forgive. Just make sure you process your experiences and feelings and do what's best for *you*. It doesn't matter who the person is, even your close family, it's your choice.
Forgiveness is not something anyone deserves. You do it for yourself, not for them. I heard an ancient proverb many years ago….’holding on to anger is like holding a burning coal with the intention of throwing it at someone. The only person getting hurt is you’. It has served me well!
Some people, when you tell them you forgive them, just take that as permission to hurt you again.
I can accept the things I cannot change (other people) and change the things I can (my perception).
Yeah, sis and I did, too, but our cousin has two or three, so unfortunately those genes are continuing anyway.
Load More Replies...Brother was diagnosed with PTSD bc of difficult childhood. I'm a woman, so my diagnosis is adjustment disorder and histrionic disorder. I'm being told I'm dramatic while discussing dramatic situations.
That is absolute bull****. Patriarchy strikes again
Load More Replies...Yes! And that gave my 80 year old father permission to self diagnose. We congratulated each other, forgave each other for years of hurt, and when he died I felt nothing but joy that I had such a loving father.
Put half of yourself inside and the other half outside and see if that cancels each other out.
I think that goes back to our caveman days. After the others left us alone in the cave.
Load More Replies...I have wistful dreams of becoming a travelling adventurer but merely being out of the country on a work trip sent me into an anxiety spiral.
Yes! Traveling is both physically and mentally stressful. And when you get there you have to learn where everything is, which adds more stress. Then all the crowds of people at tourist locations are trying to scam you or pick your pockets. Travel is best viewed from home.
Load More Replies...Yes, your mind, but specifically the part that creates entire worlds and storylines that you can dissociate to (that's normal, right??)
Um....have you thought of being a writer? Cos no as far as I know that's not normal and sounds like an incredible gift!!
Load More Replies..."with caffeine and anger, all things are possible". Words to live by.
I can't take the medication because apparently it will worsen my anxiety.
There's a non-stimulant medication for ADHD, Strattera (atomoxetine) which in many studies actually improved or made no difference in anxiety levels. It might be worth discussing with your doctor.
Load More Replies...How I wish caffeine didn't make my migraines horrific instead of just cruddy. Really should look into getting that diagnosis and be properly medicated. Not like I don't already rattle from the number of pills I take
I know medication doesn’t work for everyone with ADHD and that’s alright, but finding the right one was life changing for me. It took a couple years and a lot of trial and error, but it was worth it. School and life in general is noticeably easier now and most things don’t feel as overwhelming as they did before.
Guilt and shame are two of my closest companions. They show up over the least little thing and eat me alive.
Does this work in the future? Like, thinking about something could happen because you didn't do something today? If yes, this is how my ex-husband got me to marry him after I said no, I wasn't interested.
Yea I thought I had done that already, turns out I was wildly incorrect
Mine is fifteen minutes of my therapy light to reduce the depression and twenty minutes of Transcendental Meditation to shut off my mind.
Load More Replies...Can you get me a deep, slow breath with your eyes closed, and your hands on a very solid but clean surface... No, it's not for me.
My stomach. The back of my throat. The front of my throat. My lower back. My heart. My lungs. My hands. WHY IS IT EVERYWHERE, YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE A MENTAL ILLNESS GDDMIT
Mine is in my heart. Minding my own business, my heart suddenly says “Adrenalin! I’m king of the world!!”
Same like my anxiety goes right for oooooo you're in trouble!!!
Load More Replies...But sometimes all the voices need to quit showing up unannounced to the party.
Load More Replies...They're on to something here but not quite on-point for me, where it's more like "you realize that your mental health issues were the inevitable outcome of societal realities that meant that it was impossible for you to ever be happy. Why bother trying to excel in a society that has no place for you?" But that's just me. I've done pretty well just coasting and killing time, but sometimes find myself rooting for the downfall of society and humanity. But I do wish that we weren't taking the entire ecosystem down with us.
Yes but wasn’t it up to those same people to care for/about your mental health?
Don't worry, someday you'll reach an age where you don't care about approval anymore.
Oh, long since. But only because I've made peace with the fact that I'll never be worthy of approval, anyway.
Load More Replies...Oh yeah! Parents: Never congratulate your kid on being Smart, getting high I.Q. and such. Instead, praise them for hard work and completed projects. I was twelve when I got the standard school IQ test, and I was the 'smartest' kid in the school. Lots of praise for nothing I'd done, just existing. Ruined my work-ethic and I tanked in first-year Uni. Being Smart is useless unless it's linked to Action.
We can have a sequel called 'do you really like me?' I'm very excited for this new venture! My life will be easier
I would have starved if I hadn't discovered flavored potato chips ten years ago.
Load More Replies...Omg. Did this at the beginning of the week.Been living on popcorn and oatmeal while the freshness leaks out of my healthy choices.
We don't have goldfish crackers in my country, so for a moment there I was very confused and disturbed.
Load More Replies...Yup. I isolate when depressed, so when I lost my brother, my Mom, and my dogs...my friends finally stopped talking to me.
Load More Replies...You've got a bad therapist. Sorry you experienced all that. I was on cognitive - behavioral therpay, and to say it changed my life, would be understatement - i would commit suicide without it long time ago
Load More Replies...Don't ask if I'm happy, you know that I'm not, But at best, I can say I'm not sad. 'Cause hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Whenever someone says "don't worry about ...", they are ALWAYS talking to themselves.
Why do BP polls bug the s**t out of me just by existing? What is wrong with me?
They’re trying to foster engagement despite the fact that we already engage with each other. It’s dumb.
Load More Replies...Why do BP polls bug the s**t out of me just by existing? What is wrong with me?
They’re trying to foster engagement despite the fact that we already engage with each other. It’s dumb.
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