4 Ways to Cultivate Better Mental Health as a Woman

Here’s a hard truth: Women are way more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues than men are. 

The good news? This doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about it. On the contrary.

By examining the common causes of depression and anxiety in women and countering them with specific positive strategies, we can reduce the risk of these disorders – in ourselves, and those around us.

1. Don’t compare yourself to others

It’s easy to feel you’re not enough if you compare yourself to others who seem to be doing more, but this can take a toll on your mental health. If you start playing the comparison game, remember that your journey is just different from other people’s, and that’s completely okay! 

Focusing on your own goals and dreams will help you forget about what others are doing. By avoiding self-comparison, you can also sidestep feelings of jealousy and insecurity—and instead, focus on working toward your ideal future. 

So, stay focused on your own life, and don’t worry about what others are doing.

If you find yourself feeling insecure, flip the script and tell yourself that the person who makes you feel that way probably had a lot of insecurities they overcame to get to where they are.

You can accomplish incredible things too, in your own time.

2. Forgive yourself

Women often feel guilty about minor and unimportant transgressions in their personal or professional lives. Maybe you’re still thinking about that email you replied to late or that appointment you completely forgot about. 

If so, remember this: It’s normal to make mistakes. Seriously.

If you’re not making any mistakes in your life at all, that probably means you’re not trying new things. It’s usually when you have the courage to push yourself out of your comfort zone that you’ll make the most mistakes. 

But you know what? That’s something we all have in common. We’re supposed to learn from those mistakes, not beat ourselves up over them.

So, learn to forgive yourself more, and you’ll have a lighter mental load to carry moving forward.

3. Find your thing

When we try to be good at everything, we do ourselves a disservice. This is often how women stretch themselves too thin and end up feeling incapable of getting anything right.

So, allow yourself to find your passion, and everything else will follow.

Instead of trying to excel in every aspect of your job, pick one or two areas where you feel you can genuinely contribute—and spend most of your time there. Learn how to find what makes you tick, and your confidence and self-assurance will increase as you get better and more knowledgeable.

4. Don’t try too hard

Trying to do too much too soon can be a real downfall for a lot of people, women included. By expending a lot of effort towards something and expecting significant results too quickly, you risk getting discouraged when things take longer than expected. 

So, stop pressuring yourself to deliver massive results constantly. You are valuable as an individual, regardless of your performance. Remind yourself that having high standards is great, but it doesn’t mean you should beat yourself up when you fall short.

In nature, seeds take time to mature and produce strong plants, and it’s the same way with any kind of success. Things take time to take root and thrive, and that’s okay! Be patient with yourself, and you’ll see great results too.

Bottom line

In today’s highly competitive world, it’s easy to get discouraged and lose sight of how much we’re really accomplishing. So, don’t wait for a promotion or a new relationship to tell yourself how well you’re doing—get into the habit of giving yourself credit when it’s due!

Taking time out of each day to recognize what we are already doing right can help us continue moving in a positive direction. 

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