28 Tips, Techniques, and Good Habits to Maintain Your Mental Health

Your mental health is arguably the single greatest asset at your disposal. When your mental health suffers, so too can every other aspect of your life — your relationships, family, career, finances — even your physical health.

It’s not to say you need to feel happy and positive every single day. That’s impossible and unrealistic. But it is important to have a number of tools, modalities, and strategies in place to help support your mental health — and in doing so, build your internal strength and resilience to life’s many challenges. 

Luckily, there are near-countless ways to strengthen, balance, and optimize your mental health. Some require little effort at all, such as playing your favorite upbeat music to shift your mood; and some require a longer-term commitment of time and energy or financial investment. Whatever the investment is — physical, emotional, or financial — the most important thing is that once the investment is made, you’re one step closer to strengthening your foundations. All these things will help you work toward a life of balance, peace, and better connections (with yourself, and all those around you).

To get you started, here’s a list of our top 28 tips, techniques, and habits for improving and maintaining your mental health. 

1. Spend time in nature — at the beach, in a local park, or on a hike
2. Listen to calm music or binaural beats
3. Establish clear boundaries with yourself and others
4. Move your body regularly — go to the gym, dance at home, walk around the block, or try some gentle yoga
5. Meditate (even five minutes a day will have a huge impact on your mental health)
6. Eat a balanced diet and try to limit processed food — focus on whole foods and fresh ingredients
7. Limit your alcohol intake
8. Journal your feelings — Morning Pages are a wonderful way to do this, or simply commit to writing a few sentences each night before you go to bed
9. Get enough sleep 
10.  Limit “screen time” and turn your phone off at least one hour before bed
11.  Manage your social media — unfollow or block people, accounts, and businesses that aren’t serving you
12.  Know who to turn to for the support you need — some people are better at offering emotional support than others
13.  Practice naming your feelings out loud as they arise (“I feel angry”, “I feel joyful”, I feel disappointed”, etc.)
14.  Try EFT — the Emotional Freedom Technique (a form of energetic acupressure that’s beneficial for clearing blockages and healing)
15.  Speak with a licensed therapist
16.  Explore new things with your partner — hobbies, interests, and new forms of physical connection
17.  Rather than try to create a new daily schedule from scratch — choose two or three small acts of kindness you will commit to for yourself each day, such as drinking three glasses of water, meditating for five minutes, or reading a few pages of your favorite novel
18.  Practice mindfulness — intentionally notice “at the moment” how things look, smell, feel, hear, and taste
19.  Allow yourself at least one hour per week to do something purely because it brings you joy
20.  Declutter and clean your home, or the room you spend the most time in
21.  Learn something new (there are millions of hours of free educational content on the internet!)
22.  Spend quality, intentional time with your children or pets
23.  Set your phone to “Do Not Disturb” if you’re feeling overwhelmed
24.  Make time to connect with the people who love and support you
25.  Ask for help when you need it 
26.  Spend a few minutes each morning planning your day, and complete the most pressing tasks first
27.  Address the issues that are worrying you the most — book the appointment you’ve been avoiding, have the tough conversation, or sit down with an accountant and assess your finances
28.  Be intentional about the mainstream media you’re consuming, and allow yourself space from programs that create feelings of stress and worry

Creating space in your life to care for your mental health takes time and practice. It’s not something that happens overnight. But by giving yourself this gift, you’ll be able to show up for others — and yourself — in your full, healthiest, and happiest capacity. 

Begin Individual Therapy in California: 

If you are ready to make lasting changes in your life, we can help! Our therapists are trained to provide individual therapy for adults living in the Sacramento Area or online in the state of California. You can begin individual therapy in Fair Oaks, CA or Roseville, CA by following these easy steps:

• Reach out to the Relationship Therapy Center and schedule a free 20-minute phone or video consultation to learn more about codependency treatment,
• Meet with one of our skilled and compassionate therapists
• Begin individual therapy and get help reaching your mental health goals.

Other Services offered at The Relationship Therapy Center:

In addition to individual therapy, Our Sacramento area counseling clinics located in Roseville and Fair Oaks, CA are pleased to offer a variety of mental health services. Our couples services include: Couples Counseling, Counseling after infidelity, sex therapy, co-parent counseling, family therapy, divorce counseling, intensive couples retreats, and premarital counseling. Our individual therapy services include anxiety treatment, therapy for children, teen therapy, depression treatment, codependency counseling and individual relationship counseling. Our therapists offer online counseling in California to treat a variety of mental health concerns. Please reach out to our Sacramento area therapy office to learn more about the many ways we can help you or your loved ones.