Mental health is vital to overall wellness. Check out these mental wellness activity ideas you can use to make sure yours stays on track. We all need to nurture our mental well-being on a regular basis. Mental health is an important part of the wellness wheel.

women doing tai chi in the park

Mental wellness tips

There are several things you can do to improve and keep your mental health intact. Make sure to get plenty of sleep. Sleep is the foundation for all mental function and not trying to nurture your sleeping time can be a slippery slope. The average adult needs 8 hours of sleep although everyone is different.

Focus on positive things. Instead of dwelling on every negative situation, try to enjoy small things that are positive. Take a nature walk, pick a flower, smell the roses, and feel the breeze. Any small thing you enjoy will improve the outlook of your mind.

Practice kindness. Try a random act of kindness for a stranger. Give someone a break. Do more than is necessary. Smile at people. Let them go first. Complement them. Whatever you can think of to uplift others. Do it and you’ll feel good about you.

Exercise. Cardiovascular health leads to reduced anxiety, elevated mood, and emotional stability. Make sure you have a regular workout routine.

Find a way to reduce stress. A glass of wine, (not 10), essential oils, a lavender pillow, laughing with friends, watching a good movie, listening to music. Do you like to soak in a warm bath? Do you like hiking? What about petting a dog? What helps you unwind? Do that.

Remember to breathe. Deep breaths in and out can help mental health immensely.

woman enjoying working on a plant

Mental wellbeing activities

A mental wellness activity is not a cure for mental illness, but it can help you maintain good mental health. If you feel like you need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you broke your leg, you could see a bone doctor and have it set. If your mind is sick, seek medical attention! There’s no shame in it but it can be detrimental if you don’t.

Daily mood tracker:

Get a journal and record your moods daily. See if there are any ups and downs that you can find a reason for. Maybe in the future, you’ll be able to head them off.

Record thoughts:

Grab a piece of paper and make a worksheet of your thoughts. You can keep them in a binder and work on ones that need more attention. For instance, if your thought is, I hate my job. Write down what specific things you hate about your job and across the page, record what specific things you like about it.

Ask yourself, what if this isn’t a problem? We need a job to live. We have to pay our bills. So having to go to work isn’t really a problem. Getting to go to work is a blessing. If you’re upset about a task you’re facing at work, ask yourself what would happen if it weren’t a problem. Could you just handle the task and have a great day?

Think about right now. Don’t worry about what happened at work yesterday or what will happen tomorrow. Right now you know, you have a paycheck coming, you have tools you need to work on what you’re doing, and you are about to make it to your lunch break. Don’t lose today worrying about the future or the past. Just be in the moment.

Get active:

Yoga and Pilates are both proven to improve a range of mental health problems. They fight anxiety and fatigue as well. Try some yoga for beginners today.

Host a charity event:

Being a giver helps the receiver and the giver. Find a worthy cause and plan something to help them out. It can be collecting supplies or funds and giving it to them, making a donation yourself that you worked hard on, or just be a part of an event they are already having. They always need volunteers to further their cause.

man talking to a counsellor

Mental wellness programs

If you are looking to improve your mental wellness, find a mental health program in your area. You can google it and find which are available near you and then check out the reviews.

You can also find mental health support online. There are online counseling services and other help for people. There will be something available that is the right fit for you.

Your mental health is far more important than you probably realize so do yourself and everyone else around you a favor and take good care of you. Then you can be there more for others as well as you find your healing path.

You are so worth it! Your job may even provide some help for free. Many do. Just please remember, if you don’t take care of yourself, no one else is going to do it for you. It’s up to you.

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Laughter is good medicine, so let’s have a joke for our next mental wellness activity today. What do you call a pig that does karate? A pork chop. Bah ha ha!