"How have you broken a harmful cycle in your life?"

OUR INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS SHARE THE STEPS THEY TOOK TO LEAD MENTALLY HEALTHIER LIVES

With most mental health struggles, it’s easy to get caught up in cycles that seem impossible to break. All of this is difficult work — but it’s work that a lot of us have to actively try to do to lead mentally healthier lives.

Maybe it’s the cycle of generational trauma that you’re trying to work through, the cycle of addiction that you’re working to break, or it’s ending the cycle of depression that continues to weigh your mental health down. But where do you even start? What steps should you take?

We asked our Instagram community: How have you taken steps to end a harmful cycle in your life? If you’re working to end harmful patterns, here are a few perspectives from the IDONTMIND community.

We hope their experiences can help you too.

1

“I imagined a door. My trauma was on one side of the door. I walked through it, and then closed that door and took another step forward.” — @life_of_jazzie

2

“It took a while, but I had to accept that my relationship with my mother did me a lot more harm than good, and I cut all ties with her. Life has not been perfect since, but it was a BIG change for the better.” — @sarareyb

3

“I chose to face my fear of failure and things turned out to be working out way better than all my catastrophic worries.” — @ibtisammy

4

“I accepted that I needed to go back to my parents’ place for a while and accept their help while I recovered mentally. It was not easy because I’ve always been independent, but it was the best choice I could make. It gave me the space I needed to look after myself and take care of myself. Don’t be afraid to change your plans or your path.” — @natalia.lsouza

5

“When I find myself falling into a cycle, I write down what triggers it and how my behavior patterns change. Then when I find myself unconsciously falling back into a cycle, I can look at what I’ve written and use that to break myself out of the cycle.” — @welshdragonu

6

“I try and think of all of the things that will make me forget the negative thoughts. Things like teaching, translating articles, dancing to music, going out, driving, and meeting other people. The best way to break the cycle of negative thoughts is to ignore them and think about more important things in your life that deserve your attention and efforts.” — @mma64827

7

“I cut toxic people out of my life and really take care of my mind and body: Doing what I love and listening to what I need and not what others want from me, or really taking a break and being honest with myself. My mind feels better for it, and I feel better for it. Having little contact with people closest to me was something I didn’t know I needed, but reflection is the best thing I could have done to break any cycles I had that I didn’t want in my life.” — @stay_tun3d_