Need Help Mental Health Monkeys

I’ve put a bit of thought into how to handle my own anxiety over the years. These are the best ways to improve mental health on your own:

1. Exercise. I couldn’t tell you why precisely, but exercise does wonders for your underlying mental state neurobiologically speaking (I.e endorphins). On top of that, it can have a lot of psychological benefits - you’ll feel better about yourself / more productive, and it can be a good distraction from thinking about the things that make you anxious. If you don't have a lot of time, try to just get 15 minutes of cardio in. Even 5 minutes is better than nothing.
2. Cognitive behavioral therapy. This is essentially the practice of looking at the thought patterns and action patterns that trigger your anxiety, and challenging them or changing them. For example, lets say you constantly have imposter syndrome at work. You can systematically challenge those thoughts. What is the evidence you are an ‘imposter’? Even if you were an ‘imposter’, do you really stand to lose as much as your anxiety implies, or are you letting your imagination run wild? CBT provides a framework for implementing this. Its simple, but effective.
3. Meditation. Some people dismiss this right away as too spiritual / new age, but meditation is really just the practice of learning to control your attention. It gives you a means to observe your anxiety rather than getting lost in it - like having a raft on top of rough water instead of flailing about in the water itself. If you’re interested in this, I recommend a guy called Sam Harris - he gives a modern take on meditation without losing some of the deeper / more interesting things that can come out of practice.

None of these things are a magic bullet, but are rather ways to make 5-10% improvements over time. For some that can get up to 85-90%, but like everything else, mental health takes effort, and practice. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by expecting to be able to resolve your anxiety overnight - I've done that many times and it only leads to more anxiety.  

I will add a huge caveat to all of this to say that these are good ways of dealing with mild / moderate anxiety on your own. If you’re having  panic attacks in the middle of the night, its likely best to talk to a professional.