Honouring World Mental Health Day, Rebecca Muller* asked members of the Thrive Global Community for the ways they countered stress and burnout.
On World Mental Health Day earlier this month (10 October) we at Thrive Global took a moment to reflect on the habits and rituals that help us protect our mental health and stay resilient.
After all, if the past couple of years have taught us anything, it’s that our mental wellbeing is just as important as our physical wellbeing.
With small steps, we can take action to live with less stress and more joy.
We asked our Thrive community to share with us the different steps they take to boost their mental health and stay resilient. Which of these tips will you try?
“If I notice that I am feeling a little anxious or a bit stressed, I will do box breathing.
“This is four counts on the inhalation through my nose, hold for four, four counts on the exhalation through my mouth, and then again hold for four, and repeat.
“This breathing technique stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which entices our body’s relaxation response.”
— Candice Tomlinson, coach and hypnotherapist, Sydney, Australia.
“As the owner of an online business, I spend a lot of time on social media, which can easily become bad for my mental health when I spend too much time online.
“One of the easiest ways I’ve found to stay resilient, besides turning it off, is to block out my online time in my calendar and stick to it.
“Doing this simple step not only protects my mental health, but it’s also so empowering. I’m choosing how much time I spend online and protecting my mental health.”
— Heidi Medina, digital marketing strategist and business coach, Portugal.
“When I wake up, I recite 12 things I’m grateful for. It is a wonderful way to start every day.
“The things can be big or small. It can be: ‘I’m grateful my son is sober for four years’, or ‘I’m grateful I have a washer and dryer in the basement’.
“Then, I stretch and practice meditation for a few minutes.”
— Bonnie Esposito, retired and part-time customer service officer, Minneapolis, United States.
“My absolute favourite mental health practice is to start my day as gently as possible, relaxed, allowing myself a few moments to fully wake up.
“I make a cup of coffee and bring it back to bed and tell myself: ‘You don’t have to do or think about anything else until you’ve had this cup of coffee’.
“The coffee wakes me up physically, feels kind, and helps me feel mentally prepared to face the day.”
— Marijke McCandless, writer, workshop leader, playfulness instigator, Las Vegas, United States.
“Meditating regularly helps me reset in stressful moments and keeps my resiliency muscle strengthened so I can navigate any challenges that come my way.
“Every day, as soon as I finish my breakfast, I sit and meditate.
“It helps me to start the day from a place of ease where I feel calmer and more focused.”
— Charlene Gethons, mindfulness coach and psychotherapist, Toronto, Canada.
“At the end of my morning shower, I slowly reduce the temperature of the water and make it progressively colder and colder for the last minute.
“For the last 10 seconds of the shower, the temperature is maximum cold.
“The cold brings me sharply into the present moment and it’s a potent reminder that we can do hard things even when there is struggle.”
— Eimear Zone, author and coach, Santa Fe, United States.
“One of the ways I take care of my mental health is scheduling counselling sessions anytime that I find myself spiralling back into workaholic tendencies.
“It helps to have an objective person who isn’t tied to the problem at hand to be able to help me unpack it.”
— Karisa Karmali, fitness trainer, Ontario, Canada.
“As soon as I feel myself reaching my emotional and mental limit, everything becomes tight and tense.
“So I take the time to remind myself that I’m blessed.
“I’m blessed that being stressed and overwhelmed with emotions – not threatened, not sick, not in immediate danger – is a gift. It could all be so much worse.
“So every day, in a little journal, I express in writing the things for which I’m most grateful in that moment.
“The shift in perspective has a transformative power on stress that I can feel emotionally, mentally and physically.”
— Tricia Sciortino, Chief Executive, Charlotte, United States.
*Rebecca Muller is a senior editor and Community Manager at Thrive Global. Her previous work experience includes roles in editorial and digital journalism. She is on instagram @rebeccabmuller.
This article first appeared at thriveglobal.com.
