Mental Health Tips

My Best Mental Health Tips for You

Hi! These are the books and resources I am always mentioning to people to help them with their mental health! Feel free to share this list with anyone you know who might benefit from it!

It is the culmination of 20+ years of studying on how to improve my own mental health. I hope something here can help you!

I offer these mental health tips to you for free. But if you feel like leaving a donation on my PayPal page here, that would help me reach more people.

If anything in this list has helped you, feel free to tell me at info@mindaid.ca or on social media! And if you have any suggestions to add to this list, please let me know that too!

Remember, your recovery is an amazing accomplishment. Be proud of yourself for what you do every day to get better!

And please stay hopeful. You never know what tomorrow may bring.

There are armies of people around the world working on better mental health treatments for millions of people every day. You never know what they will discover!

Take care, and hang in there...

- Matthew Dickson, www.MindAid.ca

Helplines for 130+ countries, including state/province/region search listings:

https://findahelpline.com

Improve your mindset:

"The Survivor Personality" - book by Al Siebert: https://amzn.to/3Cxaxf4

"Unbeatable Mind" - book by Mark Divine - gives the mental secrets of Navy SEALs: https://amzn.to/3GJeFv8

PTSD resources:

"What Doesn't Kill Us: The New Psychology of Posttraumatic Growth" - book by Stephen Joseph - this book helped me in organizing my thoughts, even though I didn't have PTSD (I had schizophrenia) - it can be used for trauma from non-violent events as well: https://amzn.to/3XfhZmX

Potentially cure PTSD in a matter of weeks with an old blood pressure drug (propranolol) that lets you feel and not run away (it also can potentially work with addiction, as well as heartbreak) - check out Alain Brunet's work and "The Brunet Method":

https://www.sobriety.ca/easing-addiction-memories.htm

https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/alain-brunet

https://healthenews.mcgill.ca/treating-the-pandemics-psychological-scars

https://en.reconsolidationtherapy.com/medias-brunet-method

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/ptsd-and-heartbreak

Improve your people skills:

Counselors say one of the biggest things people talk to them about is the people in their life who are causing them problems. Below are my favourite resources for dealing with people:

"Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion" - book by George Thompson - how police officers deal with people: https://amzn.to/3jWJunh - or see my 4-minute summary of the book: https://matthewdi.medium.com/how-you-can-use-verbal-judo-to-deal-with-people-like-a-police-officer-b547e1bfd638

"Survive the Unthinkable: A Total Guide to Women's Self-Protection" - book by Tim Larkin, foreword by Tony Robbins: https://amzn.to/3IrJ1nf

"How to Survive the Most Critical 5 Seconds of Your Life" - book by Tim Larkin: https://amzn.to/3Cwkytb

"Awkward" - book by Ty Tashiro: https://www.amazon.com/Awkward-Science-Socially-Thats-Awesome/dp/0062429159

Melissa Soalt ("Dr. Ruthless"): www.dr-ruthless.com, www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2012/06/21/being-nice-can-kill-you

"Talk to Strangers" - book by David Topus - how to approach strangers and strike up a conversation with them: https://amzn.to/3GJSu88

"Fair Play" - book by Eve Rodsky - how to stop fighting with your spouse about fair shares of domestic chores: https://www.amazon.com/Fair-Play-Game-Changing-Solution-When/dp/0525541942

Listening resource:

How to be a good listener - my best tips: https://matthewdi.medium.com/how-you-can-tap-into-the-superpower-of-listening-a598346f52b3

"How to Listen: Tools for opening up conversations when it matters most" - book by Katie Columbus, foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales: https://www.amazon.com/Samaritans-Listen-opening-conversations-matters/dp/0857839403

Managing stress/emotions resources:

Beat stress with the "One-Second Pause" Method (I created this): https://matthewdi.medium.com/how-you-can-help-lower-your-stress-with-the-one-second-pause-method-48d00e995ac1

How to balance/regulate your emotions - my best tips:

How to learn how to have hope:

"The Biggest Little Book About Hope" - book by Kathryn Goetzke: https://amzn.to/3JkzzT5

How to love yourself:

"Love Yourself Like Your life Depends on It" - book by Kamal Ravikant: https://amzn.to/3GNUFHw

How to deal with panic attacks:

"No Time to Panic: How I Curbed My Anxiety and Conquered a Lifetime of Panic Attacks" - book by

ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Panic-Conquered-Strangers-Bear-Hugging/dp/0385549059

How to make decisions with your intuition:

"Five Seconds at a Time" - book by Denis Shackel: https://amzn.to/3AL5yGw

How to be heroic:

"The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life" - book by Todd Herman: https://amzn.to/42j8xBT

The Heroic Imagination Project - https://www.heroicimagination.org

How to deal with hate/criticism:

The "Let Them" Theory:

Mel Robbins: https://www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-70

Candy Valentino: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNthCe4v-R4

"So You've Been Publicly Shamed" - book by Jon Ronson: https://www.amazon.com/So-Youve-Been-Publicly-Shamed/dp/1594634017

How to set boundaries:

"Boundary Boss" - book by Terri Cole: https://www.amazon.com/Boundary-Boss-Essential-Guide-Finally/dp/1683647688

How to do less and slow down:

"Do Nothing" - book by Celeste Headlee: https://www.amazon.com/Do-Nothing-Overworking-Overdoing-Underliving/dp/1984824732

How to use your phone less:

"How to Break Up With Your Phone" - book by Catherine Price: https://www.amazon.com/How-Break-Up-Your-Phone/dp/039958112X

Celebrities who got rid of their phones: https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristenharris1/celebs-who-dont-have-smartphones

How to have fun:

"The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again" - book by Catherine Price: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Fun-Feel-Alive-Again/dp/0593241401

"Laughology" film by Albert Nerenberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0K5Zwrcf0k

Addiction resources:

"Free From Addiction" - book by Morteza Khaleghi: https://amzn.to/3IrKyK1

Potentially cure addiction in a matter of weeks with an old blood pressure drug (propranolol) that lets you feel and not run away (it also can potentially work with PTSD, as well as heartbreak) - check out Alain Brunet's work and "The Brunet Method":

https://www.sobriety.ca/easing-addiction-memories.htm

https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/alain-brunet

https://healthenews.mcgill.ca/treating-the-pandemics-psychological-scars

https://en.reconsolidationtherapy.com/medias-brunet-method

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/ptsd-and-heartbreak

Allen Carr www.allencarr.com - his methods have been used by Sir Richard Branson and Sir Anthony Hopkins

- “Easy Way to Stop Smoking”: https://amzn.to/3WZt1NO

- “Easy Way to Stop Drinking”: https://amzn.to/3GLMZWk

- “Easy Way to Quit Cannabis”: https://amzn.to/3Xbiizh

- “Easy Way to Quit Cocaine”: https://amzn.to/3jVJjsc

- “Smart Phone Dumb Phone: Free Yourself from Digital Addiction”: https://amzn.to/3VXlBZU

- “Eat Yourself Free from Sugar and Carb Addiction”: https://amzn.to/3vNJatD

- “Easy Way to Lose Weight”: https://amzn.to/3vQNOH3

- “Easy Way to Quit Emotional Eating: Set Yourself Free from Binge-Eating and Comfort-Eating”: https://amzn.to/3jZvedl

- “Easy Way to Quit Vaping”: https://amzn.to/3vIzSPF

Music resources:

"The Brain Warrior's Way Music Program" by Dr. Daniel Amen

On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Warriors-Way-Music-Program/dp/B01MSMLH6M

On Apple Music (with sample previews of each song): https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-brain-warriors-way-music-program/1176699629

This isn't official music therapy, but Melody Gardot (https://www.melodygardot.com) is a singer who had neurological damage from a bike accident and then relearned how to sing and perform so that is was easy on her brain. In my worst years with mental illness, there were many kinds of music to which I couldn't listen, music I would ordinarily enjoy. Perhaps her music will be easy on your ears and mind if you have mental illness.

Article on Melody Gardot: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/melody-gardots-music-career-was-born-in-pain/article4386508

Eco-anxiety resources:

“Hope Matters” - book by Elin Kelsey: https://amzn.to/3VNjU0Z

“Saving Us” - book by Katharine Hayhoe: https://amzn.to/3vHeLx4

- my summary of the above 2 books on eco-anxiety:

https://matthewdi.medium.com/hope-for-the-planet-how-to-feel-so-much-better-about-the-fate-of-our-future-dba94531a20f

"Don't Even Think About It" - book by George Marshall: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Even-Think-About-Climate/dp/163286102X

New York Times article on Climate Cafes: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/climate/climate-change-anxiety-fear.html

Climate Cafes for youth by Force of Nature: https://www.forceofnature.xyz/climate-cafe

Climate Psychology Alliance North America - how to host climate cafes facilitation courses: https://www.climatepsychology.us/climate-cafes

Schizophrenia resources:

Students With Psychosis - student nonprofit - https://sws.ngo

“Living Well With Schizophrenia” - YouTube channel by Lauren Kennedy https://www.youtube.com/livingwellwithschizophrenia

Avatar therapy in Canada - https://avatar-intervention.ca/avatar-therapy

Anosognosia and getting people to take medication - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXxytf6kfPM,

https://leapinstitute.org

Starting a Schizophrenia Pride Movement - article by schizophrenia advocate Sally Littlefield:

https://slate.com/technology/2023/03/schizophrenia-pride-movement.html

How to support someone with schizophrenia: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLXG5EJxOvnQlnePW84uoT7cI9pVpA5_Q

Confidence for youth resources:

Ray Zahab's impossible2Possible youth adventure experiences: https://www.impossible2possible.com

Jewel's Inspiring Children program: https://www.inspiringchildren.org

Improving mental health and addiction systems:

“It’s Not About Us: The Secret to Transforming the Mental Health and Addiction System in Canada” - book by Todd Leader: https://amzn.to/3k25nBG

Video games to improve your mental health:

SuperBetter - https://www.superbetter.com

eQuoo - https://www.equoogame.com

Films for mental health:

"My Ascension" with Emma Benoit - https://www.myascension.us

"The Ripple Effect" with Kevin Hines - https://www.kevinhinesstory.com/suicide-the-ripple-effect

"Anxious Nation" by Kathy Ireland - https://anxiousnation.com

"Stutz" by Jonah Hill - https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/81387962

"My Mind and Me" by Selena Gomez - https://www.apple.com/ca/tv-pr/originals/selena-gomez-my-mind-and-me

Help for people who are violent:

Alternatives to Violence: https://avp.international/about-us/avp-around-the-world

Seniors and mental health:

How a study in New York showed dancing is best defense against dementia:

https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/smarter.htm

Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health: https://ccsmh.ca

How to become an advocate to help others (and yourself too!):

Get motivation to help others with Martin Seligman's TED talk on how the best predictor of long-term life satisfaction is philanthropy, helping others

https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_the_new_era_of_positive_psychology

"Be Useful" book by Arnold Schwarzenegger: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Useful-Seven-Tools-Life/dp/0593655958

Becoming an advocate can be as simple as adding "Advocate for 'X'" or "Public Speaker" to your bio on your Facebook profile, for example. That's what I did! But having your own blog or website can help even more. You can have a blog or website, or social media, or a YouTube channel all up for free in minutes.

Have your website built for free by "The Free Website Guys": https://thefreewebsiteguys.com/?js=360885 (I am an affiliate for them)

Learn how to share your wisdom, skills, passion, knowledge online and help others with "Click Millionaires" by Scott Fox (with a whole chapter on getting over your fear of doing so, because you feel inferior or you have impostor syndrome): https://www.amazon.com/Click-Millionaires-Work-Internet-Business/dp/1400238749

Physical fitness resources:

The Convenient Workout: Perhaps the Easiest Way to Build Muscle in the World (I semi-created this): https://matthewdi.medium.com/the-convenient-workout-perhaps-the-easiest-way-to-build-muscle-in-the-world-5da00fa1643c

Weight Loss - WeightWatchers: https://www.weightwatchers.com

Weight loss - Noom: https://www.noom.com

Aging and fitness - Dr. Jeffry Life: https://drlife.com/products