8 Daily Habits That Dramatically Improved My Mental Health
- Aug 1, 2018
- 8 min read
I am certain that these behaviours and habits will benefit you whether you have a mental health problem or not — because of the dramatic difference I saw.
Below are the eight things I now realise I HAVE TO DO in order to be healthy and happy.
1: GET OUTSIDE EVERY DAY.
There are some key elements which have to be included here, in order for it to be effective. It has to be a walk or run, not a drive. It has to be alone. It has to be daytime. No end goal or destination. Not a walk to the shop to get some milk. Just walking for walking’s sake.
For bonus happiness/clarity/calmness, I will walk without anything to listen to. No music or podcasts. No distractions.
I force myself to notice everything I can see or hear around me instead. It becomes a more mindful, meditative behaviour by doing this and although it is intimidating at first (much like meditation), it is a joy once you’re in the swing of things.
I read the following on Austin Kleon’s blog and I couldn’t agree more.
“The demons hate fresh air.”
When I first started to introduce this behaviour, I had to tell myself it would only be for five minutes. This is the only way I could convince myself, possibly even trick myself, into getting outside. It works every time.
Once you’re out, you might as well keep going. Before you know it, half an hour has passed. It is now one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. Sometimes I don’t even want it to end.
Without fail, I am always calmer, more productive and a hell of a lot more creative when I return home.
I try to remember this:
You’ve got to move to still your mind.
2: JOURNAL EVERY DAY.
I can’t explain how this one works but the changes are huge.
It works best for me to do this first thing in the morning, almost as if I am emptying my brain so that it is clear and free to function properly for the day.
I could (and should?) write a whole blog post on just this because I have tweaked and experimented with this one a lot in order to balance it working effectively without it feeling like a pain in the arse to do.
In brief, this is what I write about.
My goals for the day (see no.6)
3 things I am grateful for.
How I’m feeling.
Any creative ideas I have.
Anything I’ve learnt.
I spend at least 5 minutes on this, or up to half an hour.
It is the action and not the duration that matters.
Doing it at the beginning of the day also helps me to feel as if I have achieved something straight away, and this sense of achievement motivates me to do more and approach the rest of the day feeling positive. Silly perhaps, but effective.
3: EAT REGULARLY.
Boring but necessary.
Obvious but easily forgotten.
Especially in this high speed culture we live in and the enormous amount of pressure we put on ourselves.
Did you know that 90% of serotonin is made in the gut?
Nope, neither did I.
I wish my doctor had told me this. It’s insane they don’t once you are aware of this fact.
Anyway. Whatever is going on, nothing is more important than giving your body the fuel it needs to function.
Eating exactly the same thing for breakfast and lunch is crucial for me here. It takes out the decision making – a source of distraction, dissatisfaction and anxiety for many.
Tim Ferris’ research into the most successful people on the planet has shown that a HUGE number of them do the same thing. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.
Have you ever noticed that Mark Zuckerburg wears the same outfit all the time? Well he does. And it’s for the same reason.
'One less decision to make keeps you focused on the stuff that matters.
Of course, healthy food is key. I’m a sugar addict, and I’m working on this. But again, this is something I will write about in more detail another day because I have learnt some pretty incredible and mind blowing stuff on this.
(See the book ‘The Mood Cure’ by Julia Ross if you want to know more!)
4: RESIST YOUR PHONE IN THE MORNING.
Not forever. Not all day. Just a little.
Try not reaching for your phone for just the first hour in the morning.
This makes such a difference to my day that I actually find myself not going near it until 11am.
TOP TIP: Charge it in another room. And switch it off. This means you have to make a conscious decision to go on it. If it’s on your bedside table your sleepy brain is going to forget all this and go straight for it.
“But I need an alarm!”
Nice try. I tried that justification too. Buy an alarm clock. You can get one that does the job for £5 on Amazon.
It really can absolutely kill off my sense of wellbeing if I’m on social media or emails at the crack of dawn. This is for two reasons:
SELF-ESTEEM
We all know that social media has us comparing ourselves and judging other people. Simply put, both of these are extremely negative behaviours and detrimental to our mental health.
Why would you start your day in a way that has even the slightest possibility of making you feel like shit?
Unless you’re an ultra emotionally stable Goddess or God (teach me!) then social media consumption in the morning is going to poison the rest of your day. Whether you like it or not.
CLARITY
You’ve just (hopefully) had a good night’s sleep. Your body and mind is rested and re-charged.
Everything we are consuming on our phones is fighting for our attention and so we are bombarded with endless notifications and an overload of information.
A flurry of notifications causes ‘Monkey Mind’, making you unsettled and much less likely to be able to focus on anything properly or make clear decisions.
Give yourself a chance.
Your group chat will survive without you, your Facebook notifications will still be there and your emails can wait just one hour.
5: TAKE YOUR MEDS ON TIME.
Don’t take any medication or supplements? You can skip this one!
Another one that seems so obvious. I’m frustrated that I’ve failed to remember how important this is because honestly, the physical effects of this are huge.
Simply put, your body responds best to medication when you take it at the same time every day.
Be kind to your body and give it the best chance possible to keep you going at your peak.
For the last couple of months I have been taking vitamins and supplements after some pretty intense research (a post for another day). They did such a wonderful job at giving me the goodness my body either wasn’t getting or able to break down properly.
For something that takes such little time, don’t slip up on it. Build a routine. Put them where you will see them. Get someone else to give you a nudge. Create a bloody big sign if you need to (I’m tempted). Whatever works for you.
6: THREE AIMS A DAY. THREE GOALS A WEEK.
If your mental health is suffering, by a tiny amount or a damaging amount, there’s a good chance you’re putting unnecessary pressure on yourself and trying to do too much.
Prior to learning this technique I was guilty of thinking that being busy equated to being productive and the more I did, the more success I would have.
At the start of the week, decide on just three things you want to work on and achieve by Friday. At the start of each day, with these goals in mind, decide on three things you want/need to do to get you there.
This makes sure that you’re prioritising the most important stuff, cutting out the crap and you’re a million times more focused. Most importantly, the chances of feeling overwhelmed (a HUGE trigger for anxiety) slim down.
I learnt this wonderful and life changing idea from a Skillshare class. The founder of Skillshare, an online learning platform, explains a multitude of ways he has learnt to be both effective and productive. This is just one of them. And it works a treat.
I figured if it works for the CEO of a huge and thriving company, little old me could cut down on my gigantic expectations too.
It is enough.
You are enough.
If you’d like to listen to this class, you can get two months free membership on me by clicking here. Search ‘Real Productivity’ once you’ve joined. It’s a 20 minute class and well worth your time.
7: CREATE.
It’s so easy to forget the things which make us happiest.
And there is nothing which will help you feel happier faster than an activity which puts you in the flow.
Where outside distractions disappear, you lose sense of time and you’re completely and utterly absorbed in the process.
Draw. Write. Play. Doodle. Sew. Make. Design.
It doesn’t matter if you’re good, bad or a superstar at the creative activity of your choice. It is the process and not the finished product which is important here.
You must remind yourself of this constantly, because it’s so easy to forget.
Even as a full time artist, it is surprising how easy it was to neglect the act of creating. Everything else always seemed to scream priority. But the happiness this brings is too important to ignore. So, I very literally schedule in time for creating everyday on my calendar.
Find half an hour in your day (or, of course, more if you can) to devote to creating and watch your mental health improve as a result.
Creating is the cheapest therapy out there and a gym for the mind too.
8: MEDITATE.
The easy way.
Bored of hearing how this will improve your life?
So was I.
Absolutely certain you can’t meditate?
So was I.
Definitely too busy for it?
So was I.
1. Everyone bangs on about meditation for a reason. It works.
2. Everyone (bar monks, perhaps) gets distracted when they meditate. It doesn’t matter. Try your best. Keep going. Start again. It still works.
3. The busier you are, the more you need mediation in your life.
I’m a beginner, but this is how I have managed to get my overwhelmed, unfocused, super busy, erratic mind in to meditation so far:
Try two minutes to start with. Something is always better than nothing.
Notice your breath. All the way in. And all the way out. Repeat.
Move from one sense to another. First, notice every sound you can hear. Move your focus from one sound to another, slowly and carefully.
When I can’t bear the silence, or my brain is just rudely not co-operating, YouTube is full of fabulous guided meditations.
Keep giving meditation a go. There’s so much information out there to help.
Personally I’m not a fan of using apps for meditation. However, I know so many people who have found the HeadSpace and Calm apps absolute game-changers. There’s classes and courses to help get you going too.
Don’t give up. When you crack it, be consistent.
You have time to meditate every single day. No exceptions.
Don’t let that pesky busy bee of a mind convince you otherwise.
So, to recap:
GET OUTSIDE.
JOURNAL.
EAT REGULARLY.
RESIST YOUR PHONE IN THE MORNING.
TAKE YOUR MEDS ON TIME.
3 AIMS A DAY. 3 GOALS A WEEK.
CREATE.
MEDITATE.
Making a clear decision and being very disciplined about implementing these from a set date worked well last time, so I will be doing this again. It’s almost as if it allows my brain to adjust to the routines and behaviours before starting.
I recommend working on behaviours one or two at a time — no more.
Be kind on yourself. Allow your mind and body to adjust. And then continue to add more positive routines in. It’s the only way to make them habits.
Here’s to learning and growing.
Healing and happiness.
And cracking one healthy habit at a time.
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