Daily Habits to Improve Mental Health & Emotional Well-being
Author – Annapurna Thakuria, Counseling Psychologist & Psychotherapist
At 2:17 AM, the only two things lighting up her room were her phone screen and a tablet that was playing something. She kept scrolling through the lives of people she once sat, ate, and laughed with at school. One got a high-paying government job in a big university. One settled abroad. One launched her own business, and damn, it’s doing well. Another one was posting gym selfies and smiling with friends who looked successful.
Meanwhile, she had been lying in the same position for she can’t remember how long, binge-watching a show she was barely paying attention to. Every day she told herself, “Tomorrow would be different.” But it’s been some time now, and every day felt the same. The stress was no longer in her mind now. It somehow leaked and spread through her whole body. Now it showed up as back pain after waking up, knee pain while climbing stairs, constant exhaustion, and weight gain she is not able to control. Sometimes she feels her feet were stuck with strong glue in the same position while everyone else moved way ahead and figured out life except her.
What she doesn’t realise was that mental health and emotional well-being rarely break down in one night. It happens because of the habits we repeat every day. Similarly, healing also takes place slowly, one habit at a time, through small changes daily.
Here are 10 daily habits that can genuinely improve your mental health and emotional well-being:
Practice Self-Care And Self-Respect:
You care for everyone else and often forget to care for your own self. How do you it, you ask?
Simple.
Put yourself first.
Try not to be so critical about yourself all the time. Talk to yourself with kindness; the type of kindness you would want others to speak you with.
You can practice that by speaking positive affirmations about yourself every morning in front of the mirror like:
a.“I believe in myself”
b. “I am doing my best”
c. “I am strong and full of energy”
Try repeating these right now in front of a mirror or with the help of the front camera on your phone. (Don’t forget to do it in private!)
Having self-respect is also very important as it creates a sense of worthiness in yourself. It helps you to prioritize your mental health over seeking validation from others.
It defines your personal boundaries, boosts your confidence and help you make your life decisions better.
So from now onwards try to stop shrinking to make others comfortable, when you don’t want to adjust. Honour your own values and keep yourself first.
Moving Social Comparison To Self-Compassion:
In the digital world of today, where everyone post their life online, social comparison almost feels inevitable.
Everyone uploads their best possible life online and it is only natural to feel a sense of inferiority after comparing their life to yours.
However, redirecting this social comparison to self-compassion can make a good impact on your mental health.
You can try:
- To celebrate every small win of your life. Cheer yourself up for things like, cleaning your laundry, finishing reading a book or even trying a new recipe.
- To note down 3 things you are grateful for every single day. This way you can be reflective towards the good things in your life, which, otherwise, easily gets lost.
- To unfollow or mute accounts that make you feel low.
De-Influencing Yourself From Social Media Influencers:
Remember how you used to tell your parents not to believe everything on the internet? But now, you are the one to believe everything a social media star tells on their page.
Trying to keep up with their recommendation, impulse buying things you regret later, all tends to make us mentally exhausted.
Things were already overwhelming when you tried using every recommended sunscreen, hair masks, and even taking, so called healthy, supplements.
On top of that now there are mental health influencers without proper training and certifications that try to influence you on mental health tips and emotional healing.
So, what can you do?
You can:
- Do a fact check before believing any influencer
- Remind yourself, you do not need everything they claim to be ‘the best’
- Check out pages that are authentic and genuine, and does not cause chaos.
Limit AI Uses To Only Tools:
AI can provide you information in a very concise and organized format, which is great, and you can easily access it from the comfort of your home. However, AI is still a product, a tool, that is designed to help you when needed.
That’s it. Even though it seems accessible, AI cannot replace human.
If you start asking every single question, be it personal or emotional, to a bot, you are trying to seek a connection from a non-living thing.
Yes, it does reply you (almost always in loud affirmations), you might even feel it understands you better.
However, technology cannot replace the human warmth and empathy.
Treating AI as your diary, friend or a therapist will only make it difficult for you to handle things. Growth happens when there are tensions, challenges and also someone to point out our mistakes (something which AI can’t do).
Hence, try limiting the uses of AI for sharing personal pain or making it an emotional healing platform.
Try connecting with a friend, talking to someone you trust (not CHAT GPT again!), or seek professional guidance for your mental health.
Keep Your Life Private:
Not every plan of yours need an audience. External validation might feel great but oversharing personal details, plans or even secrets creates pressure and there are chances an outside opinion can cause disruptions.
Imagine you wanted to work on your body and you had plans on going to the gym, a workout routine, trying new things.
You went ahead and announce your goal to your colleagues.
Now you start getting ten different opinions on working out, which gym is best, how taking supplements can be bad, etc. etc.
The initial plan and the determination you had would slowly fade and will get lost in everyone’s opinions and suggestions.
However, if you go ahead unannounced, you get to trust your own gut. You figure out things by yourself instead of listening to every “well-intentioned” opinion.
Keeping your life private is not about secrecy, it’s about maintained personal space and mental peace.
Improve Sleep, Food And Hydration:
Prioritize your sleep because sleep regulates your body. Try not to scroll reels past your bedtime. (I know it’s difficult but you have to try).
Improve your sleep by sleeping before midnight (find a regular time) and waking up as soon as your alarm goes off. (keep only one not ten alarm)
Remember: No using your phone at least 30 minutes before sleep and after waking up.
Try eating proper 3 meals. Balanced meals (not just Maggi). Home cook food is much better than outside food but if you do not have the provision, at least try minimising your junk food intake.
Stay well hydrated by drinking enough water. Try not replacing your daily water intake (minimum 8 glasses) with ‘chai’ or coffee (not even Matcha and Boba!).
Try doing this religiously for at least a month and you will start noticing changes.
Move Your Body:
Stress is not just in your head; it is present in your body as well. Moving your body in any form is an emotional release of your built-up tension.
Here’s somethings you can try:
- Exercises, in the form of home workout, going to the gym and lifting weight, Pilates, yoga and even aerobics.
- Walking 10-15 minutes after every meal. This will not only aid in digestion, but also help in your daily ‘movement’ goal.
- Play your favourite song and move along the rhythm or the beats.
- Doing household chores like cleaning, dusting and even mopping whenever you get a chance.
Remember, physical exercise and mental health is connected. The goal here is to release stress and improve our mental health, so even a little effort can bring good changes.
Respect Privacy In Relationships:
These days relationship anxiety often shows up through phones, passwords and the habit of constant checking.
Respecting your partner’s privacy, including their phone password and social media handles, is also emotional maturity.
Constantly searching clues for betrayal on the phone or on various apps will slowly destroy your own emotional safety first.
See, if they are wrong, you will eventually find out but that constant surveillance is breaking your mental peace.
You would only end up more stressed and anxious if you keep trying to suspect little things and trespass their privacy.
Trusting your partner is also considered one of a good mental health habits.
Practice Journaling:
Remember how I said it’s best to avoid AI as your personal diary?
Well, this is a better and healthier alternative for your emotions. Journaling might sound old school and boring, but a journal becomes a place where your mind pours down thoughts that feel too loud inside your mind. It starts untangling your supressed emotions while you glide your pen and take your thoughts out.
As dramatic as it may sound, journaling your thoughts guide you to being more self-aware and reflective. Maintaining this as a habit can help in your emotional healing journey. You would have something to look back at if needed, along the pages, and try putting your best experience into use.
Now, it doesn’t have to be boring, everyday mundane entries. You could keep it short, enter your gratitude (point number 2-b), and even things you would want someone to listen to.
Many mental health experts consider journaling as an effective mental health treatment.
Learn To Take Breaks:
In this fast-moving world where 24 hours feel less, taking a break can almost feel illegal.
But taking breaks or rest is not laziness. It is how your mind recovers from all the outside noise and pressure. Mental peace, sometimes, come from simply slowing down for a few minutes each day.
Try to take out 10-15 minutes each day to sit quietly, do nothing, just breathe and reconnect your mind and body. Do not use your phone, because that also causes high stimulation and your brain needs to pause.
Even small pauses like this can make your mind feel lighter and less overwhelmed.
You can also try to take short breaks from your social media life every week, at least for a few hours or a day and be more present with yourself, your family, and the real world around you.
Gentle Reminder:
Mental health and emotional well-being are not built through perfection. They are built through small daily habits, repeated wholeheartedly, consistently and with patience.
These are not just mental health tips but small ways of choosing and connecting with yourself again, every day.
If you feel you need more help, you can always opt for mental health therapy. Sometimes, emotional healing begins with something as simple as you deciding that you deserve to feel better too.
