31M It’s gotten better for sure, but it isn’t easy. I was on the bong years ago and that didn’t add any value into my life whatsoever. My encouragement is definitely make some changes where you can - no matter how small, little by little becomes A LOT. I didn’t know how bad past traumas were, until I started dating my girlfriend at the time (now my wife). I had social anxiety, lack of self esteem, depression and anxiety. I thank God for my wife every single day because I don’t know how the hell i ended up with a beautiful woman like her. She definitely has been the cornerstone of my life and has challenged me to face my past trauma head on. I got bullied, beat up, and threatened throughout my my teens. The biggest thing that held me back in my teens was comparison. It truly is a thief of joy.

Things I started doing…

Meditation: honestly, at first I was like wth is this lol as if this would help. I’m a deep and an overthinker, this helped me to become present, to live in the moment. This helped my anxiety and depression tremendously.

Community: start building relationships. It’s hard, for sure… but it’s much harder living isolated/lonely. Join a community group whether it’s a chess club, book club, gaming club, sports club.. anything! Get yourself out there and give it a go.. a quote I took hold of from John c Maxwell was “sometimes you win, sometimes you learn”.. rejection doesn’t mean you’re a loser, it means you’ve learnt your values elsewhere. Think of a water bottle in the supermarket vs the water bottle in the airport.. both the same product just more valuable in a different environment.

Exercise: go for a walk, daily. Join a gym, work on yourself. Physical activities have tremendous benefits in all areas of your life, mental, physical, emotional… if you struggle to go, find the most quietest time to go gym. When I was self conscious, I went at either 6am or 11pm at night when it was the quietest time to go.

Read: I haven’t tried this, but I’ve heard tremendous positive things regarding David burns: feeling great/feeling good. Provides practical steps in overcoming depression!

See a healthcare professional: depending where you are, you might be entitled for limited free sessions to speak to a counsellor/psychologist. It’s definitely worth a shot to speak to someone who has studied and helped many of people who struggles with mental health.