There are certain behaviors that increase depression and anxiety. For example, one behavior that can increase both depression and anxiety is rumination. Another example is lack of activity. Isolating and inactivity add to lethargy and anhedonia (lack of ability to experience pleasure). One of the skills to stay mentally healthy is to keep interesting activities in your life.

Interesting activities don’t necessarily need to cost money or be extravagant or time consuming. What are you doing today that interests you? Are you reading a book or magazine? Are you engaging in a hobby? Maybe you find it interesting to have conversations with friends. Schedule a lunch or a face-to-face call! Maybe it’s interesting to learn something new. Online videos offer tutorials in many different subjects and many are free. If you live in a city, there are probably areas you haven’t explored. Maybe you would be interested in visiting different churches/temples of different religions. There may be exhibits at the museums or online tours. If you live in the country, maybe you grow food, hike, or camp out (even if it’s just one night.)

One of the advantages of doing interesting things is that it can help you form relationships. Do you have difficulty in conversations? Doing interesting things gives you conversation material. People are attracted to people with energy and joy. If you’re doing interesting things, you probably have some energy and joy when you talk about those activities. 

Live a skill-full life