If you were to stop reading this article right now and do a Google search on “mental health hacks,” you will find over 63 million hits. Digging deeper, you will find thousands of articles in the first few pages of your search. “7 Mental-Health Hacks You Should Do Right This Second.” “50 Psychological Hacks for Better Mental Health.” “Mental Health Hacks for Your Brain.”
Looking through this list, I can’t help but feel frustrated. I’m sure some of the articles contain genuinely useful advice to improve mental health and combat mental illness, but calling them “hacks” connotes that there are shortcuts out there to achieve mental wellness.
I used to believe in quick fixes for my mental health. I meditated. I used apps and tried to organize my life. But because nothing worked right away, it only pushed me down further. If these “quick fixes” and “hacks” didn’t work on me instantaneously as insinuated, could I be fixed at all?
Modern mental health is declining
The truth is, hacks and easy fixes only lead to short-term results. Maybe you’ll feel better for a little while, but they won’t help you in the long run. This is common for the many that refuse to see their mental illness for what it is — whether it be depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or any of the other illnesses out there.
Mental health concerns in modern society have been on the rise over the past few years — and the numbers of those facing mental illness are still rising.
According to the ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America), anxiety disorders affect over 40 million adults in the U.S. every year. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that more than 17 million adults in the U.S. have had a major depressive episode.
While anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses that plague our society, other illnesses are also on the rise. Not to mention that a good number of people that face these illnesses don’t report it, or they deny their experiences.
We could spend some good time speculating why this is the case. Is there something in our culture that is influencing mental health negatively? Or do we know more about mental illnesses now?
While there are probably a variety of reasons behind it, the numbers are rising. Hence the slew of self-help articles, books, and videos flooding the internet.
Don’t buy into the idea mental illness is hackable
Let’s face it. Our modern society loves instant gratification. We love fast food, instant searches online, and prime two-day delivery. Marketers and entrepreneurs know this — and they milk it for all its worth.
It’s no different for the articles about overcoming mental illness. Unfortunately, this leads to a lot of assumptions about the scope of recovery. The truth is: You cannot hack your way to real recovery.
It took me a few years of vicious cycles of depression before I learned this lesson. I’ve had several depressive episodes, but it wasn’t until a year ago that I started talking about it. That means for almost three years of my life — I struggled in silence.
That doesn’t mean that I didn’t do anything about it. I scoured the internet, looking for “hacks” and “quick-fixes.” For years, I bounced from one idea to the next, but I gave up after a few weeks with no noticeable results.
Finally, after the climax of my mental illness a year ago, I sought real help. I talked to my family and started going to therapy. My mindset has switched from short-term “hacks” to long-term healing.
Hacking mental health might be more useful for some, but no matter what, it will not bring the long-term relief you want.
Seek long-term healing in 2022
The most significant pull toward mental health hacks is the fact that they’re easy. They promise big rewards for little effort and immediate pay-off for small investments.
I tried this for years. I couldn’t accept the fact that real healing doesn't come easy and does not have shortcuts. It’s a journey.
Thankfully it is a doable journey. Thousands have walked this path before you, and have arrived safely to recovery. Because it’s a journey, you’re going to learn a lot along the way. You’ll be better equipped to navigate through future mental health struggles, and you gain the knowledge required to help others find long-term healing.
Put away the Google searches and start searching for real recovery. Your journey to mental health can start today. Make 2022 a year of healing.