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.
“The abuse expanded over time. My mother could be incredibly kind and would have given Martha Stewart a run for her money. The problem came when her mood and personality would flip on a dime, her eyes in slits, and I would be beaten, almost to the point of blacking out, for what reason I couldn’t understand.”
Struggled with:
Abuse
Childhood
Depression
PTSD
Suicidal
“I finally came to grips that if I ever wanted to succeed, I would need to acknowledge my ADHD and get help. This was around the same time my son was diagnosed, and we started treating him. I talked to my doctor and started taking medication again. After a few weeks, I noticed a difference. I was finishing tasks, I was proactive and productive.”
Struggled with:
ADHD
“When my post-traumatic stress (PTS) started to develop, I felt something that I’d never felt before in my life. I started having vivid nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks that were constantly bringing back the trauma.”
Struggled with:
Abuse
Anxiety
Childhood
Depression
PTSD
“Oftentimes males are super hesitant to open up to strangers about their feelings and what they’ve got going on in their life. Yet, I took the approach of I need the help and this person is here to help me and this was one of the best things I could’ve done.”
Struggled with:
ADHD
Anxiety
Childhood
Depression
Panic attacks
“I was so often told to leave my relationship and my job, and indeed that was what I was longing to hear deep inside, but I was somehow attached to the toxic relationships. They had become my ‘safe zone’ – the unknown was more scary than staying with the pain.”
Struggled with:
Miscarriage
Panic attacks
Stress
Helped by:
Mindfulness
Self-improvement
Treatment
“Physical activity calms the mind, creating a clearer state to confront and address your problems. It’s a common tendency to do the opposite when we’re depressed: lying in bed, staying inactive. But it’s crucial to break this cycle.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Breakup
Depression
“There were constant thoughts that I wasn’t good enough. If my own parents could leave me, and I wasn’t enough for them to stay and want to be part of my life, despite all my great accomplishments, anyone can and will.”
Struggled with:
Anger
Childhood
Self-sabotage
Suicidal
“Something that I wish I had known earlier in my mental health journey is that my mental illness does not need to define me. I stopped using the phrase ‘I am Bipolar/BPD’ and instead I say, ‘I have…’ I did this when I noticed how overidentifying with my diagnosis was hindering rather than helping me.”
“I began medication, which can be a bit of a taboo in the wellness and yoga worlds. A lot of people believe you can ‘heal’ yourself through diet and meditation. But I had been trying that approach my whole life and though I definitely had periods where my anxiety was lessened, this was a point where I needed way more help.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Postpartum depression
Stress
“At my worst moments, post-college, I think I truly hated myself. Again, to the outside eye, I was high-functioning, but I was making really poor decisions. I was cheating on my boyfriend at the time, partying for all hours, and doing anything I could to escape my reality.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Eating disorder
Miscarriage
Negative body image