These 5 Little Habits Will Boost Your Mental Health

Subtle ways you can support your mental health on a daily basis

“Wellness is daily.” — Sir John Kirwan

On the days when I find myself really struggling, I remind myself of this quote I read as a teenager. If we want to take care of our mental health, and really our whole health in general, we need to make it a daily practice.

There are so many ways to take care of your wellbeing, and you likely are aware of some of these. However, how often do you prioritize these practices? Do you make time for them every day?

Here are the top 5 subtle but effective ways I have been able to take care of my mental health on a regular basis.

1. Let yourself sleep in sometimes.

I’m all about hustling and working hard on the things that are important to me, but I have also come to appreciate the power of simply taking a morning off.

I love to get up and get going with my morning routine, before diving into a writing session. But three days ago, I let myself sleep in. I woke up and saw the sun streaming through the blinds (which never happens these days, with the sun coming up at 7:30 am at this time of year and me usually being up by 7 at the absolute latest) and I thought, You know what, I’m going to have some coffee in bed this morning.

This simple change made a huge difference in my whole week. I felt so much happier that day, and that sense of wellbeing has been carried into each day since.

Give yourself a break sometimes. Stay in bed until the sun is shining into your bedroom.

2. Get outside. Go for a walk. Go to a park or a forest.

I have recently been embracing the concept of forest bathing, after noticing how my mental health changes depending on how often I get out into nature.

Forest bathing is a concept that emerged in Japan in the 1980s.

The Japanese term is shinrin-yoku, and it is both a physical and psychological practice. It translates to ‘forest bathing’, or, more specifically, ‘taking in the forest atmosphere.’

“This is not exercise, or hiking, or jogging. It is simply being in nature, connecting with it through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. Shinrin-yoku is like a bridge. By opening our senses, it bridges the gap between us and the natural world.” — TIME

It is claimed that this practice can prevent anything from cancer to depression, as well as improving our immune functioning and our quality of sleep.

I think the most important benefit of shinrin-yoku is its impact on our stress and cortisol levels. I think here is where the power of this practice lies.

“Even just 20 minutes can help, though 10 hours a month is even better. If you live in a city, you may not be able to get to a forest easily, but taking off your shoes in the park and feeling the grass will help you de-stress.” — The Guardian

Try to get outside, especially into forested areas, as often as possible. Just being outside can reliably boost your well-being.

3. Take time to sit down and have coffee.

“I make myself a mocha and really sit down and enjoy that. It’s about stopping. I stop 10 times during the day. Mindfulness is staying in the present. The most important thing for your mental health is when you are doing something: stop and do it.” — Sir John Kirwan

Sir John Kirwan, a former New Zealand All Black rugby player, is very wise when it comes to protecting our mental health.

This is such a simple practice, and probably one you already do every day. We just need to turn it into an opportunity to take care of our mental health.

When you make coffee, or tea, or any other drink, slow down and pay attention. Think about where the beans or the leaves have come from, how many hands have touched them. Think about the water and its journey. Smell the aromas when you pour the water.

Then, sit down and pay attention. Feel the warmth of the cup. Watch the steam rising. See what smells you can identify. Close your eyes and take a sip.

This is a simple but powerful practice to bring you into the present moment on a regular basis. Make an effort to be mindful for at least 2 minutes when you sit down with a drink. This simple practice will bring multiple pockets of mindfulness into your day, and your mental health will be much better off because of it.

4. Slow down.

How well do you feel when you are rushing around?

I know I don’t feel happy, nor healthy. Simply allowing an extra 5 minutes in the morning, or leaving 5 minutes early for an appointment, or giving yourself an extra day for a project, can make a huge difference in your wellbeing.

Rushing releases cortisol and gets your body in a fight or flight mode, which is definitely not conducive to wellbeing.

Identify when you find yourself rushing, and see if you can add just a few more minutes to mitigate some of that chaos. Our mental health thrives on slow and purposeful living.

5. Fight against the scarcity mindset.

I believe so much of our unhappiness comes from the scarcity mindset.

How often is your first thought of the day, “I didn’t get enough sleep”?

How often is your last thought at night, “I didn’t get enough done”?

And what about throughout the day? How often do you find yourself thinking, “I don’t have enough time to get all this done, to do the things I want to do, to try a new hobby, to exercise, etc”?

We are immersed in the scarcity mindset.

And it’s detrimental to our mental health.

We need to fight against it.

So, instead of waking up and thinking about how you haven’t had enough sleep, think, “I have had enough sleep.”

During the day, think, “I have enough time to do what I need to do.”

And when you go to bed, think, “I got enough done today. I am enough.”

This practice takes a matter of seconds, and although you may feel silly doing it, and you may think you’re lying to yourself, it will start making a really big difference.

Just being able to wake up and go to sleep knowing you have enough, you’ve done enough, and you are enough, will change everything.

Summary:

1. Let yourself have lazy mornings in bed sometimes.
2. Get outside every day.
3. When you have a cup of coffee or tea, sit down and do nothing else.
4. Allow a few extra minutes so you’re not always rushing.
5. Remind yourself you have enough, you’ve done enough, and you are enough.