Mental health is an interesting term. Not that long ago it felt taboo, a thing spoken about only in terms of illness or weakness. I'm delighted the tone has shifted, and that we now recognise mental health as something intrinsic to the human experience. We all have it, the same way we all have physical health. And much like with our bodies, the best way to look after our minds is to take action.
In the spirit of Mental Health Awareness Week, here are a few simple things I do to look after my own mental health. I don't do them religiously, I don't always get it right, but these things help me.
1. I write things down
This is the biggest one for me. A journal, a scrap of paper, a note on my phone. It doesn't matter. The act itself is what works.
An idea, a problem, a grudge, a flash of anger: once it's down, I genuinely feel the weight come off my shoulders. Keeping things in my head leaves me tense, overwhelmed, uncomfortable. Writing them out, I'm astounded at how quickly I get clarity.
Research from Dr. James Pennebaker, summarised by Harvard Health, found that even short bursts of expressive writing, just 15 minutes a day over four days, were linked to fewer GP visits and lower stress in the months that followed. You don't have to write well. You don't have to keep what you've written. Just getting it out of your head seems to do the work.
2. I try to have real conversations with the people closest to me
Life is busy. We run through it doing the next thing, filling every gap with content or productivity. Stopping to actually talk to my partner, my kids, or my parents, honestly about anything, helps me feel more grounded and less stuck in my own head.
Even a quick check-in with someone else feels good. A short message to a friend I haven't spoken to in a while is usually enough.
The Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest-running study of its kind and now in its eighth decade, has consistently found that close relationships are a stronger predictor of long-term wellbeing than wealth, fame, or even genes. Its director, Robert Waldinger, puts it plainly: personal connection is an automatic mood boost, and isolation is a mood buster.
3. I try to spend time outside every day
I'm lucky enough to live in the countryside. I take the kids to school on a cargo bike (yes, I'm that guy), which means every day I do something physical, get out in the sun or the rain, and face the elements.
Cycling, for me, is almost meditative. It requires so much focus, just to avoid getting hurt, that there's no room left for whatever I was worrying about. That's my own experience. But honestly, a twenty-minute walk does much the same job. I step back, I get clarity on whatever I was tangled up in, and I usually end up happier than when I started.
The Mental Health Foundation, which runs Mental Health Awareness Week, says nature connectedness is linked to better mental health, particularly lower depression and anxiety. During the pandemic, nearly half of UK adults reported that time in green spaces helped them cope.
The best way to avoid overwhelm, in my experience, is to take action.
4. I try to listen to my body and mind
When I'm tired or overwhelmed, I try not to push through. It's easy to default to one more task, one more email, one more thing. Most of the time I'm better off doing the opposite. Going for a walk. Writing something down. Calling someone. Sometimes just going to bed.
The thing I keep coming back to is this: the best way to avoid overwhelm, in my experience, is to take action.
I'm going for a walk.
P.S. If there's something you do that helps, I'd love to hear it. joe@beunspun.co.uk.