Here are five daily rituals you can incorporate into even the busiest day to help improve your mental health:

 

1. Set goals — small ones!

By setting small goals, you give yourself something easier to achieve. Additionally, when you do reach these goals, it gives you a great boost of self-esteem and confidence, which can do wonders for your mental health.

 

2. Be accountable

Accountability does not have to be complicated. Tell a few friends that you need a buddy to keep you honest when it comes to your habits. You might even want to consider group therapy with individuals who can relate and motivate. Find someone who will check in with you on a regular basis — and, if necessary, someone who will light a fire under your rear end to get you going.

 

3. Keep a routine

One day you might jump out of bed and be ready to meet the day, while the next you hit your alarm, roll over and sleep until 3 p.m. For some people, it helps to have a routine that makes them happy. Whether it be washing their face, applying a nice lotion or even stretching before getting ready for the day.

Setting up the structure of a routine can be very helpful for your mental health. It can help you slow down on those days when you have a ton of extra energy, and help you pull yourself out of bed on those days when it’s harder. Set a routine for your mornings and another one for your evenings, so you’re getting enough sleep as well.

 

4. Practice gratitude

You probably say thank you to the barista who makes your coffee in the morning, but when was the last time you sat down and truly practised gratitude? Being thankful for everything in your life — the good things and the bad — is a concept that might seem like common sense, but it’s a little harder to understand than you might think.

Try picking up a notebook and start a gratitude journal. Spend a few minutes at the beginning or end of your day writing down the things in your life you’re grateful for. On days when you’re having a hard time or feeling discouraged, go back and read what you’ve written. You might be surprised at the things you find there.

 

5. Face your fears

Facing your fears stops them from negatively affecting your life. Just like achieving your goals, facing your fears gives you that sense of “I did it. I can win.”

Improving your mental health does not necessarily mean taking drastic measures. Every step you take toward improving it, whether that step is big or small, is a step that should make you proud!