Mental Health Without the Bullsht – Entry #8

IMPORTANT NOTE: I am NOT a mental health professional. If you need help, I STRONGLY encourage you to seek it, and you can start here. This series of blog posts is me candidly sharing my deeply personal experiences with you (with some tears along the way).

Tired of Hearing the Same Damn Advice?

“Just go outside.”
“Drink more water.”
“Have you tried yoga?”
“Think positive!”

Look, I’m not knocking fresh air or hydration—but when your mind’s falling apart and your soul feels like it’s bleeding out, that kind of advice hits like a band-aid on a bullet wound.

Let’s talk about what real help actually looks like.
Not just feel-good fluff. Not toxic positivity.
I mean the tools, people, and habits that actually make a difference when you’re in the shit.

What Doesn’t Work (At Least, Not Alone)

Let’s start with the stuff that’s overrated, overhyped, or just incomplete:

1. Social Media Therapy

Inspirational posts. Mental health memes. “Check on your friends” graphics.
It’s cute. It’s shareable. But likes don’t equal healing.

You can’t TikTok your way out of trauma.
You can’t repost your way into recovery.

2. Toxic Positivity

“Everything happens for a reason!”
“Just be grateful!”

Shut up.

Sometimes things suck.
Sometimes pain has no silver lining.
Sometimes real help means sitting in the dark with someone—not trying to light it up prematurely.

3. Over-Reliance on Quick Fixes

Caffeine, weed, booze, busywork, hookups, binge-watching, endless scrolling…
These numb you. They distract you. They’re not the problem—but they’re sure as hell not the solution.

What Real Help Looks Like

This is what’s actually helped me—and what I’ve seen work for others who are doing the real work:

1. Therapy (With the Right Therapist)

Not all therapists are created equal. Some suck. Some save lives.

The right one?
They challenge you, call your BS, guide your healing, and hold space when you can’t hold it yourself.

And no, it’s not always easy. It’s uncomfortable as hell sometimes.
But that’s where the growth is.

2. Medication (If You Need It)

There’s no shame in balancing your brain chemistry.
You’d take insulin for diabetes, right?
So why is an SSRI or ADHD med treated like a moral failure?

If it helps you function and reclaim your life, it’s not weakness—it’s wisdom.

3. People Who Don’t Need You to Perform

The real ones.
The ones who don’t need you to be “on.”
The ones who can handle your silence, your mess, your bad days.

Find them. Keep them. Be one of them.

4. Boundaries Like Your Life Depends on It (Because It Might)

Protect your time.
Protect your energy.
Protect your f**king peace.

Boundaries are self-respect in action. Stop waiting until you’re burned out to set them.

5. Movement (Not Punishment)

I’m not talking about hitting the gym like a maniac to “fix” yourself.

I’m talking about moving your body to stay in it.
To release. To ground. To reconnect.
Walk. Stretch. Dance. Hit something (legally). Breathe.

6. Stillness and Silence

Turn the noise off sometimes.
Not everything needs a distraction.
Sit with yourself. Listen. It’s hard, but it’s real.

Bonus: Other Stuff That’s Helped Me

• Writing shit down (even when it makes no sense)
• Laughing with people who get it
• Turning off notifications
• Doing one thing instead of fifty
• Petting my dog like it’s therapy (because it is)
• Admitting I’m struggling—before I crash

Final Thought

Real help isn’t shiny. It’s not always Instagrammable. It’s not quick or easy.

But it works.
And it’s out there.
You’re not too broken.
You’re not too late.

Just stop chasing gimmicks and start giving yourself what you actually need.

Healing isn’t cute.
But it’s possible.
And it’s worth it.