3 Easy Steps I Took for Mental Health

We all want to take steps for better mental health but sometimes life gets in the way, we get busy, or just feel overwhelmed. Sure, it looks nice when someone practices yoga or makes healthy green smoothies every day on Instagram, but sometimes it’s hard just to get out of bed.

When reality hits—I haven’t slept, my to-do list continues to grow, my house looks like the Tasmanian Devil swept through it, and I have forgotten to buy groceries all week—I find it difficult to pause, breathe and take some time to myself. 2020 and 2021 were honestly a blur, and I’ve started to take steps to action better habits for my mental health in 2022.

There is seemingly endless advice for how to improve your mental health, and you probably have heard most of those ideas. However, putting them into practice can be quite challenging. Take “make healthy boundaries” for example. It sounds great on paper, but after I’ve said no three times, it’s just exhausting communicating my boundaries one more time.

Here are some very easy steps (no gym equipment or journals required, I promise) that have helped me stay more present and aware of my mental health:

1. Practice Gratitude

   • I know you know this one. We all know this one. It seems so incredibly easy, but I truly forget about being grateful when my mind is so full. When the world is falling apart, there is always something to be grateful for. To make sure I end my day on a positive note—no matter what kind of day I’ve had—I go to bed thinking of three things I am grateful for. I’ll list basic things like toilet paper or hot running water to more personal things like my niece’s laugh or learning something new. End your day with practicing gratitude, and you’ll see why it’s been proven to help reduce stress and make you happier.

2. Get Grounded

   • Studies have been shown that being in nature increases dopamine and serotonin. Even having your hands in the soil has a similar effect as an anti-depressant. Even more, studies have shown taking a walk in nature versus a city area resulted in more serotonin production. With spring arriving just around the corner, getting into nature will be much easier. Go outside barefoot, put your hands in some dirt, and take a big deep breath for your mental health.

3. Set a timer … for your mind

   • This one might seem a bite more challenging, but with a little practice it’s just as easy as the first two. When something particularly stressful happens during your day, (per perhaps you receive some disappointing news) and it becomes extremely hard to get your mind back on track, How do you stop your mind from thinking about that thing? The first emotion you feel isn’t always the truth, (an example would be a perceived offense) but that doesn’t make the feeling any less real. So, when you feel a little overwhelmed, when you really do not have time or space to feel that emotion, set a timer. A five to ten-minute timer to feel all the feelings. Let it out, write about it, think about what you are feeling, what the triggers were, why you feel this way, how life is not fair sometimes, all the things and then… stop. Once the timer is up, tell your mind you are done with those emotions for now and that you will make space later to process them at a more convenient time or when you have more energy mentally and emotionally.

Like working out, building your emotional and mental health takes practice, patience, and perseverance. It’s difficult, it can feel awkward, and it can be exhausting. But creating habits of mindfulness and mental health will have benefits for years to come—especially when stressful events arise. 

And of course, none of this advice takes the place of your physician's. These are simply small steps that I found helpful in tandem with therapy and medication.