Mental Health Habits
Mental health has truly come to the forefront of open discussion during this pandemic as we battle with so many feelings, be they known or suppressed. I count myself fortunate to be in a position where my low points, though painful, did not overpower me.
As a very self-aware person, I can’t help but confront my feelings with immediacy and down to their roots. It’s cathartic and helps me carry around less baggage, although as a mere mortal, I’ve never been truly baggage-free. What has struck me the most about 2021 is that although pandemic life is settling into a familiar routine, I keep needing to dig deeper within for different ways to cope with it. There is no cruise-control possible on the highway towards holistic wellbeing when there is continued unprecedented upheaval of life as we knew it. I realise now, I’ve never had to be so deliberate and reflective to maintain equilibrium as I’ve done these past 18 months.
This made me question what habits have been most impactful and reassuring, in case sharing them with you can be helpful in any way. I’m still experimenting broadly, and find I’m the kind of person who masters a select-few good habits at a time rather than trying to adopt many things concurrently. I’ve experienced that the right new habit at the time it’s needed most, really can change my life. Even if it’s just one change. From this list, Habit #3 and #4 have been the most impactful so far, and if you have time to leave a comment, I'd love to hear what's on your list.
#1 Starting the day with a “power hour”
This is a dedicated slot to do the things that yield joy, energy and focus. Crowd favourites are a combination of exercise, making a healthy breakfast, listening to music, meditation, prayer, enjoying the morning sunshine, saying affirmations….the list is endless. I mix it up weekly or monthly but the concept stays the same. I find having elements of a regular routine provide psychological safety - some things are constant even though externalities I can’t control keep changing. Cheers to starting the day strong!
#2 Productive boredom
Making time to intentionally do nothing…(here’s the tricky part)…without feeling bad about it. Nothing really means nothing, not even using your phone, for at least 30 minutes. This helps me slow down all the over-thinking I’m prone to doing, and to reduce the usually false perception of urgency I attach to issues. Initially it was frustrating, then it became relaxing. Hold on til it gets good!
#3 “Get More” monthly meeting
On the first day of every month, I set aside 30 minutes to review the previous month and plan the month ahead. I look at what progress was realistic given any challenges that arose, and this helps me be kinder to myself yet focused for the future.
It’s a full circle scan of personal and professional topics to align monthly activities with annual goals. Then I think about what small or big changes I need to experiment with to get more of what matters in a better way. Or maybe I realise I’ve been slacking on some bad habits and the session makes me re-focus on fixing them. I often need to work on my sleep quality, staying active throughout the day and screen time! In my case, I regard building the life I intend to have (or at least trying) as a key part of my mental health strategy. When Henry David Thoreau talked about “the vast majority of men lead lives of quiet desperation”, it really made an impression on me.
#4 Narrowing my focus
As a highly empathetic person, I do genuinely try to be supportive and helpful to others. However, there are chunks of time when I retreat from most conversations and social media. It can get quite heavy to be pulled in these different emotional directions such that I need a break to re-centre and narrow my focus to my life and what / whom I’m directly responsible for. I used to feel guilty about it until I considered that continuing without a temporary emotional firebreak was even more distressing!
#5 Scheduled joy
No matter what stage of lockdown we’re in, I am still a believer in snatching joy wherever and whenever I can. Spending way more time at home - though I love and appreciate the environment I've created - brings a sameness to every day. I’ve remained intentional about scheduling weekly activities I know will bring me joy and make me laugh. Pandemic life has limited room for spontaneity in this regard, and so I plan it! It’s important to have things to look forward to, and not just things to fill up time.
Wrapping up
True to my own words, I’ve been narrowing my focus these past 2 months which freed up plenty of time to go down many a rabbit hole. Whilst I was down there, a few books kept me company. These two had strong points to share from a mental health standpoint, in resolving how we relate with self and others at home or at work:
Please leave a comment below with the mental health habits that you’ve been leaning into especially during pandemic life. Are these new habits or established habits that you’re doubling down on?
