17 simple things that helped real people improve their mental health big time
Never underestimate the power of a simple tweak.

We're all in this together.
It seems safe to say that all of us would like to improve our mental health in one way or another. Or at the very least, protect the sanity we currently have against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
However…figuring out exactly how to do that can feel overwhelming. It can be easy to assume that unless you’re waking up two hours every morning to perform deep meditation, going to therapy twice a week, reading all the self help books and throwing every single one of your devices away, it won’t make much of a difference.
But people from all walks of life do make great strides in their well being simply by incorporating consistent habits. Recently, Dependent_Bit_8333 asked folks to name some lifestyle changes that "massively improved” their mental health. None of the answers were complicated. But they all are pretty profound in their own way.
Check them out below.
1. "De-emphasizing the importance of my every thought. Most human thoughts are nonsense. I question every single negative thought, and every single one so far has turned out to be bullshit. No joke. It’s a game-changer."
We are not our thoughts.
"I came to this practice by reading Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie, mostly. Both reference great spiritual leaders throughout human history (Jesus, Lao Tzu, The Buddha, Ramana Maharshi) who all point to this notion as a path to end suffering. There are many contemporary writers who also point to the same truths (some mentioned here)."—u/JaxMema
2. "When I stopped being in a hurry. Urgency is a trauma response and, with current American culture focused on everything happening immediately, it's easy to lose yourself to being in a hurry."—u/rahyveshachr
3. "Taking care of plants and watching them grow, it gave me a sense of responsibility and they also purify the air!"—u/snoopyluva
4. "Writing!! You don’t realize how much is ruminating up there until you take pen to paper. Been writing pretty much daily for almost a decade, an outlet that’s very near and dear to my heart."—u/lukyspeed14
5. "People severely underestimate what a tremendous impact sleep has on your day, productivity, and mood. If only I'd realized this in my teens."—u/ComprehensiveGap3773
Sleep? I don't know her.
"6. 'Staying in the present' instead of letting the mind obsess with past and future."—u/ComputersWantMeDead
7. "Being the 'bad guy,' also known as prioritizing yourself. Having been a chronic people pleaser, I was constantly drained and taken advantage of. There is no escaping that some people will be disappointed with you, the question is, will you be disappointed in yourself? The right people in your life will be happy when you are, it's simple but it took me way too long to realize."—u/keeepre
8. "Leaving a toxic work environment."—u/badatboujie
9. "Learning to love myself. A few years ago, I was in a very low spot with my self-esteem, and I wanted to be better. My therapist and I talked a lot about treating myself like I would a friend. It sounds cheesy, but I started writing compliments to myself on post-it notes in the morning and placing them on a mirror. It didn’t take too long before I started to believe them. It’s amazing how being nice to yourself and giving yourself grace can really improve your mental health."—u/SeaTonight4033
For some of us, self love take a lot of effort. But it's so so worth it.
10. "Reducing clutter and your general volume of possessions helps a lot."—u/ashoka_akira
11. "Removing toxic people from my life. It's amazing how much your mental health can improve just by removing someone who brings nothing but negativity to your life."—u/crazylittlemermaid
12. "Walking. That shit is legit."—u/baylonedward
Such and underrated activity.
13. "The 'what ifs' were consuming me. I was losing my mind thinking about problems that haven't happened, and may never happen. This little quote from Bill Burr put a lot into perspective for me: 'You're going to be fine; and even if you're not going to be fine, isn’t it better to just exist thinking that you’re going to be fine? And when it’s not fine, then you can just fuckin handle it. There no sense to ruin right now, right?'"—u/MaritimeRedditor
14. "Creating. Especially making something with my hands."—u/thankyouforecstasy
Time to break out the finger paints.
15. "Going. The f*ck. Outside."—u/coilovercat
16. "Having a routine. No matter what my schedule is for the day, whenever I’m in a routine of getting up, getting dressed, and taking a shower, I’m in a good place."—u/elmatador12
…and least, but certainly not least,
17. "Never trust how you feel about your life past 9 p.m."—u/Lyra_Kurokami
Be well out there, folks.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.