5 daily habits to help improve your mental health
Ayesha Muttucumaru
Wellness
Reading time: 6 minutes
These small (& surprising) additions to your daily routine could provide a helpful boost
When it comes to supporting our mental health, different people have different needs. That being said, introducing healthy habits into our daily routine can make life much easier and go some way to support our overall sense of wellbeing.
But knowing where to start can sometimes be overwhelming. Feeling stuck? The good news is that a few small changes can have surprisingly big results. Here, we speak to mental health experts about the easy, practical things we can do to build stronger self-care foundations, so we can feel better equipped to deal with life’s ups and downs.
Why is maintaining good mental health important?
Looking after our mental health – as we do our physical health – can have far-reaching benefits. According to the World Health Organisation, our mental health is an integral part of our overall sense of health and wellbeing that can help us to cope with the stresses of life, realise our abilities, build relationships and contribute to our communities.
It can affect how we think, feel and act and so finding ways to create positive mental health habits can support our sense of mental wellbeing in both the short and long term.
Getting enough sleep (the NHS recommends aiming for between seven to nine hours of sleep a night) and practising mindfulness (check out our guide to mindfulness for our top tips) are two effective ways to support our mental health on a day-to-day basis, but what other tweaks can we make?
Here are five simple additions to your daily routine that could provide a helpful boost:
1. Add in a gratitude practice
We’ve all heard of a mindfulness practice, but what about a gratitude practice? Research suggests that writing down our daily moments of appreciation could be beneficial for our mental health by helping to prevent us from ruminating over negative experiences.
“It’s such a simple way to turn things around and focus on what’s important in life, so you appreciate what you have and feel happier,” says Dr Jessamy Hibberd, clinical psychologist and author of The Imposter Cure.
“You have a choice in where you focus your attention and you can make a conscious choice to be positive. This means seeking out and noticing the good stuff, rather than dwelling on or predicting the bad.”
It can be great to weave this into your night-time routine to offload mentally before going to bed. “Tonight, think back over your day and remember three good things that happened – things that went well, that you enjoyed or that you were grateful for,” suggests Dr Hibberd.
These could be:
• The everyday things – our relationships, a sunny day, a hug, work going well, a delicious meal, being outdoors, or even a hot mug of tea.
• Small things (for example, time for a coffee or something that made you smile) or of greater importance for you. You’ll probably find it varies.
• Relationship focused – focus our gratitude on people, rather than circumstances or material items can enhance the benefits.
“Note them down: this is important,” says Dr Hibberd. “You may want to get a small notebook just for this purpose, or you can track them using your phone or an app.
“Think about why: for each thing you're grateful for, write down why it happened and why you feel good about it.”
As well as feeling cathartic, noting down your moments of gratitude will give you a record that you can read on those days where you may need a pick-me-up.
2. Use the 1-2-3 self-care rule
If you’re looking for a new life hack to help manage the things you’d like to do during the day without feeling overwhelmed, try the 1-2-3 self-care rule to balance your time in and out of work.
“The 1-2-3 self-care rule helps us focus on the goals that matter, eliminate distractions and create a system for achieving our self-care and career goals,” says Joey Owusu-Ansah, psychotherapist, wellness coach and founder of The K.I.N.D.E.R. Therapist and Kind Kulture Club. Here’s her three-point plan:
1 - What’s the one work-related goal I want to achieve today?
2 - What are the two work-related goals I’ll take on today if I have time?
3 - What are the three self-care goals I’ll achieve today to enjoy my downtime, connect with others and take care of myself?
If you’re wondering how to get the most out of these three steps, Joey recommends:
• Prioritising your goals first, then planning your day ideally the night before.
• Eliminating to-do lists – set short-term daily goals instead. A task on your to-do list is something you have to do, whereas goals are the things you actually want to do.
• Time-blocking all your daily work-related goals, then dedicating time before and at the end of your work day to your self-care goals.
3. Manage your energy
Allocating flexible pockets of time to rest and recharge can help you feel energised and better able to deal with daily challenges. “Take notice of the amount of energy you spend versus the amount of time you take for energy renewal,” Joey says.
A good place to start? She suggests writing down all the activities that energise and motivate you, and trying to incorporate them into the beginning and end of your day.
“Choose one self-care activity to do each morning,” Joey recommends. “Aim for at least 15 minutes a day and time block this activity before you start work. Creating more flexibility in your routine can help you feel less stressed, with more energy and focus to start your day.”
This can also be done at the end of the day. “Choose one self-care activity to complete, preferably around the same time each night,” adds Joey. This can be an easy way to help you feel more relaxed as you wind down at night. “The focus of a night-time routine is to reflect, plan and reset after a full day – remember this time is just for you.”
It can be as simple as reading a book or making a mug of hot chocolate. Try to include more than one thing, depending on how much time you feel you need to recharge your batteries.
4. Find workouts that work for you
The benefits of being active aren’t just limited to our physical health – they also extend to our mental wellbeing.
“There’s an overwhelming amount of research on just how brilliant exercise is for both your mind and body,” says Dr Hibberd. “It works on multiple levels – brain, body, thoughts and emotions.”
The NHS recommends we aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activities a week, spread evenly over four to five days, and incorporating strength activities that work all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week.
When time’s particularly tight, we all know how tricky it can be to meet this goal. So, finding small ways to incorporate movement into our daily routines could be the key for making more sustainable changes, whether that’s chair yoga at your desk or a low-impact HIIT workout you can do in your living room.
“When life feels out of control, it can be good to have a simple activity to focus on and complete that’s under our control and straightforward, and where we can see progress and improvement,” Dr Hibberd recommends. “It gives us a tick in our day, puts us in a better mood and brings a sense of achievement when we complete it.
“Having time in your week that isn’t about work, chores, other people or being productive is important, and success in one area can spill into other areas, increasing confidence, self-esteem and your ability to cope.”
5. Make time to laugh
Nothing feels better than a good belly laugh, the kind that has you gasping for air. And with research indicating that the physical act of laughing, even without humour, could be linked to chemical changes in the body that can help reduce everyday stress and tension, it’s perhaps time for us to take the benefits of laughter more seriously.
“A good giggle changes how you feel physically, mentally and leaves you feeling lighter,” says Dr Hibberd. “It’s a brilliant way to help boost mood, reduce stress hormones, switch off and it’s even good for your brain.
“The mind and body are connected. The brain and body are constantly sending messages to each other and work together to look after you and keep you healthy. So, when you laugh it lifts your mood, changes how you think and invigorates you.”
Whether it’s listening to a funny podcast on your way to work or having a 10-minute phone call with a friend for a rundown on the ridiculousness of the day, try and make time to get those belly laughs in and get your fill of feel-good endorphins in the process.
