Doing small things every day for your wellbeing can help to protect your mental health. Research shows looking after your wellbeing helps you move further away from languishing and closer to flourishing.
Below are 20 ideas to inspire you. We also encourage you to make your own list of things that help you to thrive.
Please note: these are not designed for anyone experiencing distress. If you are in distress, please reach out to a mental health professional or tap the life ring in the top right of the Groov app.
From revisiting an old hobby to getting creative in a way that works for you (painting, dancing etc), remember to take time to do something just for fun.
Did you know that you’re special? Well, you are! And you’re allowed to celebrate that fact too. Reflect on all the good parts of who you are by feeling thankful, being proud of your achievements, and setting personal goals. This is wonderful for your wellbeing.
A lot of us put an incredible amount of pressure on ourselves to get everything right. We have expectations of performance that we would never put on anyone else, and if we don’t match up, then the negative feelings creep in. There’s a difference between wanting to do well, and perfectionism, and it’s important to distinguish between the two so you don’t spend too much time dwelling on things that don’t actually require 110%.
Breathing can be powerful, especially when it comes to anxiety and mental health. And it offers a really quick, simple way to take control of how you’re feeling. Even just one minute a day of deep breathing can be beneficial to your mental wellbeing, and once you’ve got the hang of it, you can build up from there.
It’s no surprise that being constantly bombarded by bad news every day takes its toll. So to counter that, find ways to consume more good news on a daily basis.
Sleep is important for wellbeing. And meditation can be beneficial, too. So what about sleep meditation? Here’s one you can try.
Walking is free and oh-so-good for your mind and body. When we feel busy and overwhelmed, adding one more thing to the list can be stressful – so here are a few ideas on how to naturally incorporate more walking into your day.
Our brains are pretty good at focusing on problems – probably because they are hard-wired to try and solve them for us! But all of that ruminating on negative stuff can get a bit tiring. Try switching it up to focus on what you appreciate about life.
Nature is glorious. And by spending time in it, you can reap all sorts of wonderful benefits, like lowered stress levels, improving your creativity, building relationships with others and even feeling more optimistic about the future.
One way to get the buzz of feel-good hormones oxytocin and serotonin is doing something kind for someone else, be it for a stranger or loved one.
Our brains love learning new things! But fear of failure often holds us back. We say ‘give it a go anyway’, and here are some ideas to get you started.
When everything seems impossible, narrow it down to just doing one thing (DOT) to help move you forward. It’s about achievement in small, bite-sized pieces, in a way that will improve your mental wellbeing in the here and now.
There’s all sorts of weird and wonderful ways to add a ‘Do’ into your daily life. From taking a course, to working on a puzzle and listening to podcasts about things that interest you, giving your brain a bit of a workout is great for your mental health.
What’s life without enjoyment from time-to-time? It’s important to prioritise enjoyment on a regular basis – it boosts your mood and also helps you to cope better with stresses and strains.
Moving your body in a way that feels good to you is another way to protect your mental health. Blast some music in your headphones and get walking to the beat, or find a friend who wants to stretch while having a chat. There are plenty of fun ways to move each day.
As humans, we’re wired for social connection and interaction. Without it, well, life can be a bit sucky. There are many wonderful ways to connect, so just do what works for you. Aim for quality over quantity, and never underestimate the power that comes from connection through giving back.
In the busyness of our modern lives, finding time to chill each day is really important for our wellbeing. It could be about finding small rituals that help you to ‘switch off’ for five minutes (like standing outside and deep breathing), or watching an episode of a favourite TV show. Discover more ways to chill.
We mentioned deep breathing above, but box breathing is another technique you could try to help reduce stress and move yourself out of the ‘flight or fight’ mode that many of us find ourselves in on a daily basis.
Switching your internal narrative to one of genuine kindness is not easy, but with a little practice, it’s possible – and it feels oh-so-good! It is about putting all self-talk through the ‘friend test’. If you wouldn’t speak a certain way to a friend or family member, then try not to speak that way to yourself.
Write down what's worrying you, identify what's within your control and what's beyond your control. This exercise helps you to release your worries and make an action plan, helping to reduce anxiety and freeing up some mental space for you to carry on with your day.