Abandon the idea of a fixed “destination” in life and embrace continuous personal growth and evolution, recognizing that challenges and learning opportunities persist throughout all stages of life.
Reduce excessive work or constant busyness, especially if it’s a compensatory mechanism, to create space for processing emotions and truly feeling your feelings.
Cultivate patience and tolerance for differing opinions and feelings, especially in conversations, as the ability to engage with nuance is crucial for healthy communication and understanding.
Integrate scientific understanding with spiritual beliefs by viewing natural processes as divine and interpreting religious texts for their ethical and mystical implications rather than literal truth. This allows for a harmonious coexistence of science and faith.
Engage in introspection and seek spaces where you can express your feelings and experiences, as “getting it out” and having someone hold space for you is a valuable part of healing.
Focus on how you function and cope rather than solely on diagnoses, as over-diagnosis can pathologize aspects of life and may not fully address individual needs for coping and functioning better.
Learn to identify and express anger in a healthy way by exploring how it feels in your body and understanding the underlying reasons for difficulty in expressing it.
Engage in proper meditation practice, even if you’re a slow learner, as consistent effort over time can lead to significant personal growth and new learning.
Practice yoga not just as physical exercise, but as a meditative practice to actively quiet internal noise and voices, deepening your understanding and benefits over time.
Implement proper sleep hygiene practices, such as avoiding TV, eating, or intense workouts close to bedtime, to improve sleep quality and overall well-being.
Seek help to heal from childhood traumas and difficult upbringings, as this can enable you to parent differently and raise self-aware, respectful children who know how to articulate their needs.
Understand the difference between anxiety attacks and panic attacks to better identify and seek appropriate treatment. Anxiety attacks involve heightened physiological symptoms, while panic attacks often include a dissociative component and fear of future attacks can trigger them.
Use mental health diagnoses carefully and avoid hyperbole, as casual self-diagnosis or mislabeling can trivialize serious conditions and lead to inappropriate treatment. Understand that formal diagnoses require specific criteria.
Seek to understand a common vocabulary around mental health and how people react to difficult situations, which can help in navigating personal challenges and supporting others.
Avoid using diagnoses as an excuse for thinking, feeling, or behaving, and instead deconstruct the underlying reasons for your actions and work towards better coping mechanisms.
Recognize that internal resources, combined with proper education and support, are crucial for managing mental health and improving well-being.
Consider participating in 12-step programs, such as Al-Anon, if you grew up in a home affected by addiction or dysfunction, to learn principles for personal growth, self-management, and emotional sobriety.
Practice living “one day at a time” to manage challenges and maintain emotional well-being, focusing on the present moment rather than overwhelming future concerns.
Actively participate in support group meetings and maintain contact with a sponsor (if applicable) to sustain emotional sobriety and prevent a decline in mental well-being.
Strive for a balance between self-care and simply “being” rather than constantly “doing,” to avoid busying yourself even with self-care and to foster a more authentic human experience.
Be aware that addictive behaviors or compensatory mechanisms can shift and manifest in different forms throughout life, often stemming from an underlying “God-shaped hole” or unmet emotional needs.
If you have a compulsion to work, consider seeking an “intervention” or honest feedback from trusted individuals to address this pattern and create space for other aspects of life.
Engage in ongoing psychotherapy and mind-body work to address persistent challenges and promote healing, especially for physical pains that may have emotional roots.
Foster open and honest communication in professional relationships by explicitly stating your desire for direct feedback, even if it’s critical, to improve and build trust.
Be mindful of how the fast pace of the internet and social media may hinder your ability to engage with nuance and tolerate differing viewpoints, and actively seek ways to counteract this conditioning.
Advocate for mental health awareness and access to support, especially for those who lack resources, and strive for nuance in discussions to avoid over-diagnosis or mislabeling.
Utilize the 10% with Dan Harris app for guided meditations, community features, and ad-free access to the podcast, which can help with stress, anxiety, sleep, focus, and self-compassion.