How to Build a Good Mental Health Routine
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with your everyday life. Whether you’re paying bills, grocery shopping, working, cleaning your home, shopping, exercising, getting enough sleep, eating well, or parenting, it is completely normal to become discouraged. It can feel impossible to get everything done while taking care of your own mental and physical health.
Routines can really help our brains organize our daily responsibilities and be more efficient. It makes it easier for us and our families to get all the tasks done we need to without having to think too hard about them.
So how can we build a good mental health routine? Check the steps below.
1. Get enough quality sleep
We can’t emphasize enough how important getting not only enough sleep, but quality sleep is to your mental and physical health. Disrupted sleep can contribute or worsen mental health symptoms.
In a study done by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2021, it was concluded that from a pool of almost 275,000 participants that people who averaged 6 or less hours of sleep a night were 2.5 times more likely to experience frequent mental distress.
If you’re looking to increase the quality and duration of your sleep, try avoiding caffeine after 3 p.m., making your bedroom a quiet, clutter-free space, and keeping the temperature in your bedroom around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Set times for going to bed and waking up
On top of getting enough quality sleep, another way to build a routine that fosters positive mental health is to wake up at the same time every day. This makes it easier to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning.
If you tend to be a night owl, set an alarm for a realistic time for you to go to sleep. You can also set an everyday alarm in your phone for whatever time you want to wake up in the morning. Make sure you build in enough time to get ready and have breakfast without feeling stressed or rushed.
3. Dress for the day
Another great way to jumpstart your morning is to get dressed and ready for the day – even if you don’t have plans or aren’t leaving the house for a few days. If you put on a nice outfit and make yourself look good, you’ll most likely feel more motivated to accomplish your daily tasks.
With working from home becoming more popular, it’s almost to convenient to stay in sweats or pajamas all day. However, this can tell our brain that it’s okay to relax and take it easy. Good hygiene can contribute to positive mental health.
4. Exercise daily
Exercising daily can feel like a daunting task, but don’t fret! There are plenty of ways to exercise that don’t involve spending hours in the gym. Taking walks, going for hikes, biking, swimming, and playing sports are all great ways of incorporating physical activity into your daily routine.
Exercise reduces stress hormones and produces endorphins, the result of which improves our mood and foster relaxation. According to the CDC, adults should get an average of 150 minutes of moderate activity and two days of strength training a week. You can break up this activity to 30 minutes a day, or workout every other day. Find what works best with your schedule and stick with it. Consistency is key.
5. Use a to-do list
To-do lists are a great way to segment and organize all of our daily tasks. When we have a long, scrolling list of responsibilities in our brain on replay, it can become overwhelming to try and complete them all. Writing them out on paper is a great way to help us visualize what we need to get done.
Setting goals helps us narrow our view, which can make us feel more in control of the moment and long-term tasks. Set some time aside in the morning or night to write out your goals for the following day. At the end of the week and month, take a look at your past goals and take note if you achieved them.
There are plenty of ways you can implement strategies and techniques into your daily routine to help foster positive mental health. If you implement changes across your routine and still aren’t feeling better or noticing any surplus of motivation, it might be time to seek help from a therapist.
If you or someone you love needs help building routines or are struggling with mental health, please reach out to us. Our team of therapists is here to provide support and guidance. We look forward to connecting with you.
