Mental health is a fundamental part of being human, yet it’s surprisingly easy to slip into patterns that quietly erode emotional and psychological resilience. Often this isn’t intentional, habits shaped by constant connectivity, social media, and the pace of the digital world can gradually increase stress, comparison, and overload. As a result, caring for mental health today requires more awareness and intention than ever before.
To help you with your mental health, this article takes a look at the common pitfalls and habits that can negatively impact your mental health and what you can do to better support yourself.
Neglecting self-care
Self-care is often the first thing that is neglected in today's hustle culture. Everyone is too busy and prioritizes other things or people over themselves. Whether it is work commitments, family responsibilities, or just day-to-day distractions, emotional and physical needs are often overlooked. The other problem with self-care is that it is often seen as this luxurious thing with bubble baths and spa trips. However, this is far from the truth. Self-care is actually about learning and meeting your basic human needs, and nurturing your mind and body. Failing to prioritize self-care can lead to anxiety, depression, and burnout.
Things like sleep, nutrition, exercise, and relaxation are important to your well-being, and if these aren’t looked after, you can drain your mental resources and easily get burned out. This creates a cycle, as when you are not functioning optimally, it becomes a lot harder to manage your emotions, regulate yourself, and cope with everyday challenges.
It is, therefore, vital that you make time for self-care. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy; it can just be a few minutes per day.
Avoiding professional help and going at it alone
A huge problem with mental health struggles is how hard it can be to ask for help. Many people hesitate when it comes to asking for help because of the negative stigma attached to mental health or asking for support, and out of fear. The idea of seeing someone new and opening up about all the bad stuff can be extremely overwhelming, especially in a society where mental health issues are played down or misunderstood. But when you try to go at it alone, you can often worsen the situation and struggle more than necessary.
Support can look different for everyone. It could be that you need to surround yourself with trusted friends and get creative with hobbies and art. This can be excellent for your mental health. For bigger struggles, it might be that you seek the support of a therapist or a rehabilitation centre for substance struggles. When you seek support from a professional, you can identify underlying issues that may be causing your distress, as well as positive coping mechanisms to help you regulate your nervous system and build your resilience.
Overloading on technology
Society today revolves around technology, and you could even argue that it is now a prerequisite to participating in society. People are always connected, whether they are trying to or not. Checking emails, scrolling social media, binging Netflix, the use of technology today is excessive. This can have a detrimental impact on your mental health and well-being.
When you spend too much time on screen, it can lead to depression, anxiety, and feelings of isolation. Social media has major consequences for your mental health. Not only can you get addicted to the dopamine hits of likes and notifications, but it can also leave you feeling left out or inadequate. When you have a constant stream of information and content in front of you, it can be extremely stressful and quickly lead to burnout. Many people try to use social media to relax, but it is having the opposite impact.
It is important to learn your own habits and behaviors, and start to set boundaries around your screen time and how you use technology. Having screen-free days can be very helpful, as well as curating better social media feeds for yourself. When you change your habits around technology, you can help to restore balance, improve concentration, and support your mental health and wellbeing. When you are less dependent on technology, you are more in control of your life and happiness.
Mental health is extremely complex. There is no right or wrong thing to do, but there are certainly habits and behaviors that are going to impact you more than others. Consider these pitfalls and what you can do to help yourself.