Changing These 10 Habits Will Improve Your Mental Health

When it comes to mental health, unfortunately there are no quick fixes. But the good news is that there are plenty of habits you can change that will improve your mental wellbeing. Some of the most common habits that impact people’s mental health are errors in the way we think, known as schemas, cognitive distortions, or simply thinking errors. 

Schemas are irrational ways of thinking that can fuel anxiety, worry, stress, OCD, and depression. But by better understanding these thoughts and the effect they have on your mind, it’s easier to call yourself out and counteract those thoughts. 

Here are some of the most common thinking errors and some things you can do to kick those habits. 
 

Labelling

It’s easy to make judgements based on things we experience and the way they make us feel. But if you accept that judgement as fact, rather than being able to differentiate between your judgement and what actually happened, it can cause low-self esteem and lead to feelings of anxiety. 

Example: You see a photo of yourself that might not capture your best angle, and you think to yourself, “Geez I’m ugly.” 

Try this instead: Accept that everyone has plenty of photos they don’t like because cameras don’t always produce an accurate representation of the way things look in person.

Catastrophising

This is a pretty common way of thinking, particularly for people who experience anxiety or OCD. Catastrophising is when you blow things out of proportion in your head, and jumping to conclusions, even if those conclusions are extremely unlikely.

Example: “If I don’t hand in this assignment on time, I’ll fail this subject. If I fail this subject I’ll have to repeat it and my life will be completely ruined.” 

Try this instead: Ask yourself if you KNOW that’s going to happen. If you don’t, there’s no point in worrying about it because it hasn’t even happened, and it most likely won’t. Sure, in an ideal world, you’ll hand in the assignment when it’s due, but realistically, you’re only going to miss out on a few marks. So missing the due date by a couple of days will barely affect your marks in that subject, and it definitely won’t ruin your life. 

Fortune Telling

As you can probably guess, fortune telling is when you predict that something negative is going to happen in most situations. In reality nobody has any idea how anything is going to pan out, so we might as well just go along for the ride, and see what happens.

Example: At its most simple, fortune telling is thinking, “If I try, I’ll fail”. But it can also come in the form of predicting other outcomes. Maybe you have something to tell a friend that you don’t think they’ll take well and you predict that “If I tell them, they’re going to hate me forever”. 

Try this instead: Put your thoughts on trial. Take note when you find yourself predicting something before it happens and write down that prediction. You’ll see just how many times those predictions don’t come true, and you’ll be able to train your thought patterns to avoid fortune telling. 
 

Emotional Reasoning

One of the most important parts of mindfulness is being able to differentiate between emotions and the truth. Just because you’re embarrassed, doesn’t mean you’re an idiot. Just because you’re scared, doesn’t mean something bad is about to happen. 

Example: You feel guilty for cancelling plans with a friend and convince yourself that your friend is upset with you because of that guilt. 

Try this instead: Recognise your feelings for what they are – feelings. The way you feel doesn’t dictate reality, so don’t let it dictate your perception of reality either.

Mind Reading

Nobody can read minds. That’s a fact. I know, I test it daily by thinking rogue things on purpose just to see if the people around me react to it. So why do we convince ourselves that we know what other people are thinking? We assume that people are feeling a certain way, or thinking certain things based on something they have done or said.

Example: You notice that your friend is acting a little different to usual, so you assume they’re upset at you and you start thinking back to your recent interactions wondering what you did to make them upset. But in reality, they just had a big day at work and are feeling a little bit stressed, so all your worrying could have been avoided. 

Try this instead: Check in to see how they’re feeling. Chances are, the way they’re feeling has nothing to do with you. On the off chance that they are upset at you, it’s far better to tackle the issue head on with a conversation than to leave it festering while you both try and guess what each other is thinking.
 

Mental Filter

Ever notice that you only take note of things that go wrong, rather than when they go well? Sometimes we convince ourselves that things are bad because we filter out all the positives and dwell on the negatives. 

Example: You’re playing a sports match and have a really good game, but you make one mistake at the end. Instead of having a balanced perspective and remembering how well you played for most of the game, you give yourself a hard time for making an error and convince yourself you aren’t a good player. 

Try this instead: For every negative thought you have about yourself, tell yourself to think of two  positive things you’ve done. This will help you to develop a more balanced mindset because you’re recognising the things you’ve done well to counteract negative thoughts.

Black and White Thinking

It’s easy to forget that success is a spectrum, and instead fall into the trap of thinking that if you aren’t perfect, you’re a complete failure or vice versa. Black and white thinking often appears in the form of either thinking you can do no wrong or you're a complete loser with no in between. 

Example: Every time you have a good day at work, you tell yourself you’re the best employee in your workplace. But when you have a tougher day you convince yourself that you’re useless and letting your company down. 

Instead: Accept that life is filled with grey. Catch yourself out when you use terms like “always” or “never” when you’re describing your actions or things that have happened to you because these terms fuel black and white thinking.  
 

Disqualifying the Positive

When you do something well, but you tell yourself it was just luck or a fluke, you’re disqualifying the hard work and skill needed to succeed. 

Example: You scored a really high mark on a test you were worried about. Rather than giving yourself credit for your hard work and the effort you’ve put in, you convince yourself that the mark was a fluke and you won’t do well in the next test. 

Try this instead: Celebrate your wins! Success is always worth celebrating because you put hard work into achieving it. It’s also important to be mindful of the journey towards that success, and being mindful of the effort you put into things so won’t discount it when that work pays off. 

Using the Word “Should”

Just to be clear, I’m not saying you need to cut the word “should” from your vocabulary completely. But when it comes to saying “should” in the self-critical sense, that’s something worth working on. Using any self-critical words when we’re thinking is really dangerous because it places the blame on ourselves and makes us feel guilty.

Example: Saying “I should have known better,” or “I should never have done that,” or “"I should be able to maintain my studies while being social and making it to the gym” when you’re struggling to keep up a busy schedule.

Try this instead: Replace “should” with “could” or “want to”. For example, “I could do things differently next time,” or “I want to develop a schedule that doesn’t leave me feeling burnt out."
 

Overgeneralizing

Overgeneralizing is the habit of making exaggerated negative conclusions based on one experience. 

Example: You slip up and say something that doesn’t go down well in a group sitch and tell yourself that you always say the wrong thing and can never have a normal conversation. 

Try this instead: Remind yourself of how many conversations you had that day that went well. It’s important to keep perspective and remember that one negative experience doesn’t cancel out the countless positive experiences. 

If any of these thinking habits ring true to you, you’re defs not alone. Schemas are super common and everyone experiences them to different degrees. But if it’s something that you’re struggling with in everyday life, it might be worth looking into professional help. 

Psychologists are trained to help you pick up on thinking errors and overcome them. If you’re interested in starting therapy, start by seeing your GP and talking them through how you’re feeling, and they will refer you to a psychologist if they feel like you’ll benefit from that. 

If you need mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
You can also reach the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 or chat online.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.