When it comes to mental health, there is a plethora of misinformation floating around on the web. People selling self-help programs and books want you to think that your problem is simply a lack of willpower. Medical professionals want you to think that your issues stem exclusively from chemical imbalances. Random internet ranters want you to believe society is at fault and everything is rigged to create misery, so it doesn’t matter what you do. All of these people are wrong to a degree. A lack of willpower, chemical imbalances, and ridiculous societal norms are all symptoms of a larger problem. That problem is that we are living in a way that is harmful to our mental health.

The structure of the workforce, smaller and smaller family units, lifestyles that demand sitting for eight hours a day (yes, that was a jab at the education system), “health” food that makes us sick, junk food that makes us sicker, toxic chemicals that cause hormone imbalances are slathered all over everything we touch and eat and breathe, and a medical system that suggests medicating away feelings of discomfort rather than addressing the problem that is creating the discomfort all mingle together to produce a population that is struggling.

The good news is that there are countless simple things you can do to radically improve your mental state. Just because something is common does not mean that it is normal or okay. You don’t need to accept feeling stressed or anxious or depressed or completely out of control of your life.

Stop Using Fragrance Products

This tip sure is simple, but man, it can get hard. It turns out that fragrance is an ingredient that can mean a lot of things, but in particular, it means a chemical that alters your hormonal balance. Any product that has fragrance in it, be it a perfume, deodorant, candles, cleaning products, or beauty products, is harming your hormones. Since your hormones regulate your mood, energy levels, appetite, libido, sleeping habits, and fertility cycles, this can wreak havoc on your mental health, and by extension, your life. Out of balance hormones cause skin problems making you feel self-conscious, motivation problems making work more difficult and less rewarding, resulting in poorer work performance, relationship problems due to irritability and lack of patience, financial problems due to erratic emotional spending, and weight problems due to cravings for junk food. Look for fragrance-free options and steer clear of anything labeled “scent-free” or “unscented,” as this often means more fragrance was added to cover up the scent of the product.

Talk To Real People

Humans are pack animals, and when we’re not interacting with other humans and our bodies aren’t picking up on pheromones around us, our bodies decide that we’re not going to survive. We evolved in a symbiotic way, meaning those of us who worked with other people and had lots of people around thrived, whereas those of us who went off alone died. Yes, technology and modern conveniences mean that we’ll keep living, even if we’re not interacting with other people, but our bodies don’t know this. Talk to people in person. Meet people if you don’t like the ones you already know. Friendship and falling in love are vital elements of human health. One of the fastest ways to drive someone insane is to put them in solitary confinement. It’s considered one of the most effective torture methods. Really think about the implications of that.

Acknowledge Your Good And Bad Feelings

One of the worst things that ever happened to the mental health movement was positive thinking. Yes, thinking positive help if things are mostly going good, but you’ve had a bad afternoon. In more serious situations, thinking positively actually means repressing negative thoughts and feelings. This can do way more damage than good, as every feeling you have is a part of your being trying to care for another part.

For example, anger is often a reaction to the feeling of being threatened. If you ignore that feeling, you might be putting yourself in mental, emotional, or physical danger. Even if the thing you feel threatened by isn’t actually dangerous, ignoring feelings of danger is only going to result in anxiety. If a child was scared, would you tell them simply to ignore it? No, you’d offer a hug and maybe a snuggle or a friend to face the fear with. Think of each feeling that arises as a guide, even the ones that make no sense at first. Social anxiety can be a terrible burden, but if you listen to it, you might discover that part of you is trying to protect yourself from social embarrassment. If you negotiate with your social anxiety, you might discover there are other precautions you can take to prevent feelings of humiliation in a social setting, like not drinking or not hanging out with that one friend that always makes you feel like you said the wrong thing. Emotional regulation is the opposite of repressing emotions. Never tell your feelings they’re stupid or unwarranted. You feel that way for a reason. Address the reason.

The above tips are all simple adjustments to make in life that can drastically improve your mental health. Again, don’t ever let someone tell you your feelings are not valid. If you’re feeling them, they are.

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What do you want to be when you grow up?  Does this seem like a silly question? Are you thinking, what? I am already grown up. What is the purpose of this question? But think about it, every year can bring a new answer as you grow and change. Does it seem like the older you get, it is harder to know what you want to achieve in your life? So, if someone asked you this, would you have to stop and ponder your life?

As a child, you wanted one thing. As a teenager, you wanted something else. Then you reach your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and so on, and every year it changes. So, ask yourself, what do I aspire to be? Kind of like asking the question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Read this article out loud to yourself every day. Make any necessary changes to the aspirations and things you aspire to become to fit your needs. By knowing what you want to become, achieving your goals and dreams are within your reach.

1. I Am Aspiring not to allow judgment from other people to affect how I feel about myself. I also aspire to no longer judge others. I know in my heart people judge me based on their current level of awareness. Because I know this, it is unfair to judge other people. 
2. I Am Aspiring to believe in myself because I know no matter what happens, I am enough! I will give 100% to all I do. I will focus on past success to remind myself not to give any merit to self-doubt.
3. I Am Aspiring to control my emotions and not allow negative thoughts to control me. If I catch myself thinking negative thoughts, I will push them away. My goal is to focus only on positive thinking.
4. I Am Aspiring to be the authentic me. I have the courage and strength to act based on my own beliefs. I also aspire not to judge other people for their beliefs. I know I can stay on the right track by socializing with like-minded people. I am determined to achieve my destiny.
5. I Am Aspiring not to give anyone the power to ruin my day. When someone says something negative, I will respond with a positive response. Maybe I can help them see things in a different light.If I run into someone who has nothing good to say, I will quickly get away from them. I will close my mind off to people and situations that are not good for my mental health. 

“Within our dreams and aspirations, we find our opportunities.” – Sugar Ray Leonard

6. I Am Aspiring to live in the moment. Since there is no guarantee of tomorrow, whatever I do, I will give my undivided attention. I will fill my heart with gratitude for every moment I have on earth.
7. I Am Aspiring to raise my awareness each day. I know I can only do things based on my current level of awareness. For this reason, I know I must focus on being more aware of other people and things around me to learn and grow.
8. I Am Aspiring to do whatever I need to do to make my dreams come true. I will work harder, faster, and smarter. I will learn whatever I need to get it done. I am willing to learn whatever I must to achieve my goals.
9. I Am Aspiring to control my thoughts. I know that all my feelings come from my thoughts about any situation. If I see something as good, it is. If I see something as bad, it is. Only I can control how I feel about any situation or circumstance.
10. I Am Aspiring to live my life without limitations. I believe that as long as I can see something in my mind, I can make it a reality. I will not allow myself to think I am unable to achieve something because of my limitations. I will stand tall and say to myself, “I Have No Limits.”
11. I Am Aspiring to spend my time doing what I love and bring out the best in myself and others. My goal is to contribute positively to the world. I know I will have more to offer the world if I do what I love. Doing what I love will better serve others and bring out the best in me. I know by doing this, I will bring abundance to my life. When I feel good about myself, I attract love, health, success, and happiness. After all, isn’t that what abundance is all about?

12. I Am Aspiring to practice patience. If someone gets on my nerves, I will focus my mind on understanding their point of view. If things go wrong, I will take a few deep breaths and be patient until the frustration passes.
13. I Am Aspiring to stop worrying. If I have the power to change something, “I will.” If I can’t change it, worrying will not change it. So, worrying is just a waste of my time.  As long as I know this, there is no reason to worry about it.
14. I Am Aspiring to eliminate fear. Let’s take a look at what fear is. Fear is an excuse to procrastinate things I am not sure I can accomplish. When I  have a dream, it can be daunting to work on every day. Sometimes I feel it is impossible. When I face the chance I may fail, I want to stop. I know if I work hard each day and face my fears, I can keep going. I will not allow excuses for why I can’t do it. I will focus on why I can. Just because I may fail is no excuse to stop. I will stand firm and not feel pressured to quit. I will face my fears and achieve my goals.

15. I Am Aspiring to be grateful. I know I have so many reasons to express gratitude for my life. Each day I will take time to focus on everything good happening all around me. I will take time each day to appreciate everything I have and be grateful for my abundance. 
16. I Am Aspiring to be forgiving. I know by holding on to anger or bad feelings towards others, I am only hurting myself. Most people don’t even know I am feeling this way. I am only giving my power away if I do not allow myself to get over it. I am ready to embrace my inner peace by letting go of the past.

I will also forgive myself for past mistakes and use them to learn and grow from and let me know what didn’t work. I will then be open to the opportunity to achieve more and do it right the next time. 

I know that no matter how guilty I feel about past mistakes, it will not change them. I am no longer willing to accept guilt for things that are over, done with, and gone. I can only go on from this current moment and make the right decisions this time.

I will read my list every day and achieve what I  aspire to be. I will find my purpose and become the authentic me I see and feel in my heart.

I will become everything I aspire to be. I will let go of the past and live in the present moment. I will focus on enjoying life and the people around me that bring me joy and happiness.

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