What Are the Different Types of Self-Help Activities?

Self-help techniques are designed to aid a person who is trying to make improvements in his or her own life. This may involve overcoming a phobia, adapting to a physical or mental handicap, or simply developing better daily living habits and relationships. Certain self-help activities are designed to improve one’s chances of being successful in such pursuits. Meditation, self-reflection, group therapy, and various other techniques focus on identifying a problem and brainstorming ideas for modifying a behavior or otherwise changing a negative situation. Self-help activities do not necessarily need to be performed alone, and often the activities are heightened when others participate as well.

Self-reflection is the process of analyzing one's behaviors, beliefs, relationships, attitudes, and emotions. This process can reveal the causes of some problems troubling the person. The process involves analyzing oneself honestly and thoroughly, which can be surprisingly difficult; every person has biased points of view regarding themselves, which can make this analysis difficult or even impossible. To make the process easier, self-help activities such as group analysis may help. A person can discuss his or her self-reflection findings with other people to get a clearer understanding of those findings. Fresh perspectives from others can often help the person make better decisions concerning the problem or issue he or she is trying to overcome.

Keeping a journal is one of the most valuable self-help activities, as it allows a person to reflect on past events and emotions long after they have passed. This can help someone identify patterns of behaviors that may be detrimental to daily life, and he or she can then go about changing those behaviors. The journal can be as in-depth or simple as the writer prefers, but a more detailed and organized journal is likely to be more useful. It is important to be consistent with each entry so patterns emerge and become obvious; every detail of a day should not be recorded, but general moods, events, and thoughts should be included.

Other self-help activities may include goal setting, exercising, and participating in group activities. Goal setting prevents a person from feeling aimless; such aimlessness can lead to depression or a relapse into old behaviors or emotions. Exercise improves one's mental and physical function, and can also help to improve overall mood. Group activities ensure the person is developing interpersonal relationships on a regular basis, which is important for developing a support network and ultimately improving mood.