Mental health conditions can be downright debilitating, and many require the help of therapists or medication (or both).
However, there are certain things you can do to manage things like anxiety and depression that only crop up occasionally. Sadly, many people either lack the skills to do so, or they’re simply too stubborn to let go of the bad habits and behaviours that are making them feel worse. Here are some things people who don’t manage their mental health very well tend to do regularly. If only they realised how much better off they’d be if they stopped!
1. Using social media as emotional plasters
Opening apps becomes an automatic response to uncomfortable feelings. Every spare moment gets filled with endless scrolling, using likes and comments as temporary mood boosters. What starts as a distraction becomes the go-to method for avoiding real emotions. The instant gratification only masks the underlying feelings that need attention. Real healing requires facing emotions rather than numbing them with notifications.
2. Turning caffeine into a coping mechanism
Coffee becomes more than just a morning drink — it’s how they power through exhaustion and anxiety. They’re running on fumes, using caffeine to mask their body’s signals for rest. Each cup is a way to push through instead of addressing why they’re so tired. Their body keeps sending warning signals while they keep drowning them in espresso shots.
3. Making sleep optional
Rest gets pushed aside for “just one more” episode, task, or scroll through social media. They wear exhaustion like a badge of honour, bragging about running on three hours of sleep. Their brain never gets the downtime it needs to process emotions and experiences. Eventually, this sleep debt catches up in ways no amount of coffee can fix.
4. Avoiding dealing with problems until they explode
Small issues pile up unaddressed until they become unavoidable crises. Rather than dealing with problems early, they let tension build until it bursts. The fear of confrontation leads to bigger confrontations down the road. What could have been a simple discussion becomes an emotional overflow.
5. Using busyness as a shield
Packing schedules so full leaves no space for uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. Every moment gets filled with tasks and commitments to avoid being alone with their mind. This constant motion becomes a way to outrun emotions that eventually catch up anyway. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is nothing at all.
6. Turning isolation into a comfort zone
Withdrawing from everyone feels safer than risking vulnerability or rejection. Each declined invitation makes the next one easier to turn down. Their world gradually shrinks to the size of their comfort zone. The temporary relief of avoidance strengthens the walls they build around themselves.
7. Making problems into personality traits
They start identifying so strongly with their struggles that healing feels like losing themselves. “I’m just anxious” becomes an explanation for avoiding growth or change. Their challenges become excuses rather than areas for improvement. Identity gets tangled up with the very things holding them back.
8. Treating therapy like a last resort
They’ll try every self-help book, app, and wellness trend before considering professional help. Therapy becomes something for “other people” with “real problems.” Meanwhile, they struggle alone with issues that could be addressed with support. The stigma they carry about asking for help keeps them from getting it.
9. Using food to fill emotional holes
Meals become responses to feelings rather than hunger. They eat their stress, their sadness, their anxiety — or skip eating altogether when emotions get too intense. Food turns into a control mechanism rather than nourishment. Their relationship with eating gets tangled up in their emotional state.
10. Making comparison their daily habit
Every achievement or struggle gets measured against other people’s highlight reels. They’re constantly checking where they stand in relation to friends, colleagues, or strangers online. Their own progress loses meaning without external benchmarks. The only person they’re competing with is who they were yesterday.
11. Turning negative self-talk into background noise
The critical inner voice becomes so familiar they stop noticing it. Each small mistake triggers a cascade of harsh self-judgment. Over time, they start believing these thoughts are facts rather than habits. The voice in their head needs as much compassion as they’d offer a friend.
12. Using shopping as emotional first aid
Source: Unsplash Every bad day becomes an excuse for retail therapy. The temporary high of buying something new substitutes for dealing with feelings. Credit card debt piles up alongside unprocessed emotions. The dopamine hit from purchases masks but never heals the underlying pain.
13. Letting crisis mode become their normal
Living in constant emergency becomes their baseline state. Every situation gets treated with the same high level of stress and urgency. They’ve forgotten what calm feels like or how to operate without adrenaline. Peace starts feeling boring or even threatening after so much chaos.
