10 Small Yet Powerful Ways to Show Up for Your Mental Health Today
Finding mental wellbeing in small, daily actions
Today, the 10th of October, is World Mental Health Day. A day when we raise awareness of the importance of global mental health, acknowledge our own current struggles and look to a future where mental health problems no longer carry stigma.
This year’s theme is:
Mental Health is a Universal Human Right
We still live in a world where many view mental health as insignificant—less than. We understand how vital physical health is, and the need for doctors, but many still have an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality when it comes to mental health.
Anyone who has suffered from, or had someone close suffer from a mental illness knows how very physical mental health can be. It’s more than just thoughts and feelings. It’s headaches and blurry vision. It’s digestion problems and insomnia. It’s disrupted hormone cycles, high blood pressure, increased cortisol and many other very real, very physical symptoms.
Mental health is hard to understand because it’s not usually something you can see on a scan or through a blood test. But it doesn't make it any less valid. We still know it exists.
But knowing it exists is just the first part of the journey.
UK mental health charity, Mind, put it best when they said:
[Mental Health Day] is a day to raise awareness of mental health problems. But more and more of us are aware of mental health. And so many of us still aren’t getting the right support. Awareness is just the start. Now it’s time to act.
One way you can act is by taking today to really look after your own mental health. It doesn’t have to be anything big or extravagant. The most powerful mental health-improving behaviours are small, repeatable actions, not huge gestures.
In that vein, here are ten small and powerful ways you can be kind to yourself and look after your mental health.
1. Log off of social media for the day
Have you ever gone on Instagram or Twitter (X) and found yourself stuck in a scrolling loop, wasting hours moving from post to post? How do you feel afterwards?
I know for me, and many other people, hanging out on social media is a largely negative experience that drains our batteries and makes us feel anxious.
And almost always, it starts with “I'm just going to check my app really quickly” but ends up taking you down a rabbit hole. It’s what social media was designed to do.
Today, don’t even open the app. You may fear you’re missing out on not being up to date, but trust me, you’re not. The posts will still be there tomorrow and anything that’s actually important for you to know will be fed to you through other means.
2. Send the dang email; send the freakin’ text!
There’s something weirdly daunting about sending a message to someone you’re not super close with. We become overthinkers, questioning every word, punctuation and letter that goes on the page.
We think that the person on the other side of the message is going to negatively judge us for… well existing.
If you have an email you’ve been wanting to send or an old friend you want to reconnect with, let today be the day you put your brave pants on and just do it.
Our minds are overthinkers, but it doesn’t mean we have to listen. It might be scary, and you might feel uncomfortable afterwards, but once the initial fear has passed, you’ll be so proud you sent it. And you should be.
3. Do something active
Exercise and mental health have the worst relationship. On the one hand, exercise is scientifically proven to be highly effective at improving your mental health. On the other hand, when you’re having a bad mental health day, exercise seems like the hardest, most unpleasant thing to do.
And then we find ourselves in a “chicken and egg” situation.
Luckily, in this riddle, it’s pretty clear which comes first. The exercise.
Except… it doesn’t have to be exercise. At least not in the traditional way.
The important thing is to get your body moving. So while you can opt for a gym session, home workout or a walk, you can also:
- Hula hoop
- Dance your ass off
- Do household chores
- Get some friends together for a football game in the park
- Do some light stretching
- Pull out your old Wii and play Wii sport
- Cook up a delicious meal from scratch
- Get intimate with your partner (or yourself)
It doesn’t matter how you move today, but find something that sounds fun and doable, and give it your best go.
4. Text someone just to say hi
When you have a bad mental health day, you might tend toward social isolation. Your inner voice tells you that you’re annoying and no one wants to talk to you, or that you’re wasting other people’s time. I’m probably going to repeat this a lot, but not all of your thoughts are right.
We all know how important connection is to good mental health, so pick up your phone, choose a friend or family member and hit them up with a “Hey, how are you?”
It doesn’t matter what happens next. The important thing is you are sending the signal internally that you’re capable of pushing past your mental blocks to connect with the important people in your life.
5. Go outside
Never underestimate the power of being outdoors. The vitamin D-infused sun rays, the gentle breeze blowing past you, the rain washing over you, bringing you into the present moment.
I understand on a really bad day you don’t want to go outside, but getting that (vitamin) D is essential for your mental health.
Luckily, you don’t have to stray too far from your home to do it.
If you have a garden or balcony, go and spend a few minutes there. If you don’t, go and stand just outside your front door for a couple of minutes or walk to the end of the road and back.
Not only will you get the benefits of the fresh air, but it’s also an important subconscious reminder that the world is bigger than your four walls and that you belong to something bigger and better. Everything always feels worse in your head, getting out of your head for a few minutes makes a world of difference.
6. Laugh out loud
Some days it feels impossible to laugh. The pain dulls the senses. But it doesn’t mean you can’t put yourself in situations where a little “tee-hee” might slip out.
It’s scientifically proven. Laughter releases oxytocin, which is a key hormone for mental wellbeing. It’s the hormone that gives us the warm and fuzzies, makes us feel safe and reduces stress by lowering cortisol levels.
Think of something you ordinarily find funny and turn your attention to it. Personally, I’m really enjoying catching up on Taskmaster New Zealand — it never fails to make me belly laugh.
7. Spend 3 minutes being thankful
Gratitude is always on mental wellbeing lists. But that’s because it works. When you’re in a tough spot, it’s easy to focus on everything going wrong. But taking a few minutes to think about some good things going on in your life can help adjust the inner monologue a little.
Gratitude doesn’t have to be anything big. It can be the beautiful cup of coffee you drank this morning that gave you a little more energy, the soft sheets you slept under that made you feel safe or the big gulp of water that quenched your thirst.
When you start to see what you do have, it helps you feel less alone and less stuck in a box with no escape.
8. Drink a glass of water
In fact, don’t wait until later for this one… do it now. I’ll wait. Done it? OK, good!
Most people don’t get enough water in their day and it means we’re all out here with mild dehydration. And dehydration can cause some pretty bad mental health side effects, exacerbating any underlying symptoms and making us feel any worse.
A glass of water isn’t going to cure your anxiety, but it’s an easy first step to managing your symptoms.
9. Take a nap
Having a bad mental health day is exhausting. It’s like running a marathon without ever leaving your room. And it makes total sense when you think about it. Your body is on edge, you’re feeling bad, and you probably have many of the physical symptoms I listed at the beginning of this article.
A bad mental health day (or week, month, year etc) will drain your batteries quickly. Think of it like a five-year-old iPhone. It never charges properly overnight and then what battery it does charge evaporates at the click of a finger.
So if you’re feeling fatigued, don’t feel like you have to just sit with it. Go to bed (or the sofa) and take a 20-minute nap.
10. Take a mental health day off
We’re all doing our best to manage our mental wellbeing. But everyone has their off days where it all goes to poop. If you’re completely overwhelmed and can’t get your mind and body to calm down, it might be the time to take a mental health day away from work.
Just as you need time to recover from the flu, your mental health needs time to heal, too. So take it!
It’s your right to look after your mental health
Mental wellbeing happens in the small moments of the day. Adding what makes us stronger and taking away the things that pull us back into that dark place.
Don’t try and do everything on this list in one day, pick one or two and focus on them. And please, don’t try to do them perfectly— do them in a way that’s meaningful to you.
There’s no one path to good mental health; it’s just a long series of trial and error until you find what works for you.
And you don’t have to go it alone. Talk to someone if you’re struggling. You don’t have to wait until you’re “bad enough” to seek help for your mental health. If you’re struggling at all, there is always someone to talk to. A loved one, your GP, a therapist… there are plenty of places to turn to for help.
Menta health is a journey, not a destination. Some days are bad, some are good. So take it day by day and most importantly…
In a world where you can be anything be kind, especially to yourself
If you need to talk to someone about your mental health, check out the Mind directory of helplines you can contact.
You’re not alone. There is always someone to talk to. You just need to be brave enough to take a leap of faith.
