We have interviewed 75 people who have overcome struggles with the help of self-improvement. These stories show that self-improvement is one of the most powerful ways to overcome struggles of mental health.
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I’ve interviewed 75 people who have been helped by self-improvement, and here are the top 5 struggles that these people have overcome:
In our many years of publishing helpful mental health content, we always received questions from our readers about specific situations. While we have a lot of helpful tips to share on how to be happier, we simply can’t offer advice for every situation.
That’s why I’ve set out to interview folks with every type of mental health struggle. My job as an interviewer is to categorize these interviews and present them in a way that is most helpful to our readers.
“So now I’m still having migraines and nerve pain, have been removed from my job and friends, was ordered to not contact anyone from my unit, my future livelihood was at risk, and my leadership was only willing to try to remove me from sight. This lasted for almost three years.”
Struggled with:
Chronic pain
Depression
Stress
“I remember the moment I looked in the mirror and felt like a complete failure. I had tried everything possible and nothing worked. I was at a dead end. I thought that something must be so horribly wrong with me that no one had any answers or solutions.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Childhood
Chronic pain
Depression
“Sometimes I look back and think about all the years I spent crying and thinking about how to end the pain, which made me believe that’s how life is. I got to the point where I had no idea what it felt like to feel a little bit of joy or happiness.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Depression
Feeling lost
“I found that practicing breathwork and working on my breathing was more than 50% of my battle. Not breathing correctly caused my anxiety to be triggered easier and with my breathing being shallow, it made it hard to talk at length. I believe this kept me in fight, flight, freeze mode for prolonged periods of time.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Helped by:
Mindfulness
Self-Care
Self-improvement
“Menopause remains one of those delicate topics that rarely finds its way into everyday conversation, especially during dinner. Women are woefully unprepared by the healthcare industry for this stage of their lives, so when something like this strikes you simply feel crazy. I hope to help change that.”
Helped by:
Self-acceptance
Self-improvement
Treatment
“The dual journey of recovering from a traumatic neurological event while also protecting my sobriety has felt daunting, perilous, and isolating. It felt like I’d been just practicing recovery from alcoholism for the past seven years just so that I’d be ready for the big test this year.”
Struggled with:
Addiction
Depression
Stress
Stroke
“My immune system became very weak and I was sick nearly every week. Then, when I did feel better, my resting heart rate was so high I could hardly workout without worrying about my safety. On top of that, I started having issues with anxiety around people and new situations and began having panic attacks at night.”
Struggled with:
ADHD
Anxiety
Panic attacks
“At my lowest points, I was bedbound, completely reliant on loved ones, and unable to perform basic tasks. Too fatigued to walk, make myself food, or do simple jobs around the house. I was heavily medicated and for the most part, in too much mental and physical pain to properly rest or sleep.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Chronic pain
“Closing yourself doesn’t help in such situations. It took a lot of effort to get out of my comfort zone, but I’m glad I did it. I consider myself an introvert, but you do find like-minded people in group events. You just have to push yourself, get out of your room, and be part of these meetings.”
Struggled with:
Loneliness
Stress
Helped by:
Self-improvement
“A man spiked my drink and assaulted me, leading to a diagnosis of PTSD and depression. This event fundamentally changed my life, leading me into a violent relationship and a period of repression and struggle. Despite these challenges, life moved on. I got married, and had two beautiful boys, but then faced another intense period of grief, losing seven loved ones in just a few months.”
Struggled with:
Abuse
Assault
Depression
Grief
PTSD