A Useful List of Activities to Promote Mental Wellness: Costing Less Than a Coffee

As part of my healing journey, I made a list of the activities that provided me with moments of light on dark days.

Some of these are small, easy steps you can take in the right direction to aid in positive association.

So, let's get into it, here's a full list of tried and tested ventures that improved my overall Mental Health and could help you too:

Walking / Running

Making it a priority to move consciously every day, even if it was only to stand outside my front door on bad days, kick started the motivation I needed to strive for more.

Making Walking a priority was extremely beneficial to both my mental and physical well-being as it slowly and securely helped build confidence in my own abilities.

At my lowest point, focusing on getting through the day 5 minutes at a time was a coping mechanism I relied on. Walking was a great way to help me do that.

Knitting/Crochet/Macrame

I decided to try and find a hobby I genuinely enjoyed. Within 10 minutes of sitting down to focus, I'd learned how to hand-knit a headband. I felt euphoric...

Being able to see your own progression and the feeling of accomplishment when learning new skills is something I’d never experienced before, it felt amazing.

For a short while, whenever I’d feel extremely anxious or not present; spending an hour knitting or crocheting would help to ground and calm the tide inside.

Below are links to super quick tutorials that can help you to learn a new skill today:

Knitting: https://sheepandstitch.com/how-to-knit/

Crochet: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aAxGTnVNJiE

Hand Crochet: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lNsp4WN7_2M

Macrame: https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=FFMwbmVUwrU&feature=emb_logo

Writing

As you can probably tell, writing became my saving grace. I do truly understand that there is no one size fits all when it comes to healing but writing feels so expansive to me because there is no limit to what you can create.

Writing is like bringing the drawing board of the brain into the physical and it never ceases to amaze me how much knowledge and information the human brain is able to comprehend and retain.

Writing has boundless potential, from fact to fiction, journaling to writing letters, manifestation to severance, the list seems endless. I always found myself oversharing when it came to posting on social media,

Vocabulary gives meaning and is incredibly adaptive in creating revolutionary conversation. Expanding your vocabulary allows the space to explain what you truly mean to say. Discover the language of emotion through Brene Brown's Atlas of the Heart. Start opening doors by expanding on what it means to be human.

Drawing

I don't think I possess any natural talent except that of divine connectivity. Drawing is a skill I don't naturally have. Wanting to create something that visually represented what was going on in my mind was something I wanted to do my entire young life.

Later in life, drawing helped me to understand and integrate the quote "Find what makes you happy and do more of it."

DIY Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the action of intention attached to a scent resulting in a fundamental change to the belief system through energetic resonance. I believe the healing properties of essential oils combined with our energetic frequency, result in experiences that affirm the intention you initially set.

In other words, if you don't genuinely believe that Aromatherapy (Oils, Incense etc) have healing properties, they will never work for you because it is the resonance of belief that enhances results.

It is an enjoyable experience learning about resources you can use to benefit from Aromatherapy, creating combination scents and recipes are activities that could keep you interested for a lifetime. Not only is this practice a great way to ensure you are surrounded by beautiful, uplifting fragrances, it's also a fantastic way of shifting stagnant energies.

Some other things I like to do aside from diffusing oils are making bath bombs, face masks, moisturisers and body scrubs. Making these things are simple, do not require much material and used with intention have the ability to change your state of mind. I will link below a simple tutorial:

How to make your own aromatherapy tools:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ETpVF5pFs

Link to Aromatherapy Diffuser with Oils Kit: https://amzn.to/3tyRYCZ

Meditation

It is my firm opinion that meditation has the ability to change your life. Connecting to the silence within allows you to make sense of the chaos going on around you.

Connecting through meditation allows you to ask the questions that are truly important. Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? How do I tackle the game that is life?

I have heard people say, and experienced myself, those thoughts and feelings when you sit to meditate for the first time, your mind wanders despite trying to control your awareness. When this happens, it can feel impossible, like connection is not meant for you and so you stop. Then subconsciously storing the belief that 'I can't do that' or 'meditation is not for me'. The thing is, this is exactly the door you should be knocking.

Let me explain...

When you notice your mind wondering or swerving from the present moment, simply observe yourself with acceptance and understand that you are human and this is normal. With practice, you will gain a new perspective over your awareness and the racing thoughts will eventually begin to slow down.

We understand 5% of the Universe, let the unknown fill you with excitement and aspiration.

Recommended Youtube searches: Jason Stephenson, Michael Sealey, Mooji, Aubrey Marcus*

Excavating Rocks

This one may sound a little out there, I must admit. However. Being open to new experiences unlocks excitement within the mundane. One of my favourite things to do these days is taking walks around our local nature sites in search of beautiful elements that I can take home, cleanse, research and utilise.

Finding beauty in the little things is a great way to connect with yourself and the world around you. These elements for example, have been forming for hundreds of thousands of years, the energy they hold is stable and advanced. Humans on the other hand, have weak energetic fields in comparison. When we take for granted the uniqueness of the moments we live in, when we are not aware, we miss out on the benefits of using natural resources such as water, air, soil and other natural structures to enhance our experience of the world around us - whether we know it or not we are influenced and surrounded by these things.

Listening to Podcasts

I have so many recommendations if you're looking to try something new and listen to a podcast to expand your mind. I like visual learning and so tend to watch Podcasts through Youtube. A few creators I would direct you to are Steven Bartlett's The Diary of a CEO, Aubrey Marcus who talks all things spirituality, Fearne Cotton has a brilliant way of humanising emotions and creating spaces that help you to feel seen. I love listening to Jordan Peterson, Joe Dispenza, Mel Robbins and Brene Brown across different Podcasts. The level of authenticity I observed in all of these people gives me confidence in paying this knowledge forward.

Spend some time listening to Podcasts and just see if you feel a difference within yourself. Check out my latest blog post for a full list of recommendations.

Deep Controlled Breathing

I trialled conscious deep breathing so many times before it really worked for me, now it's a part of my daily practice I truly feel it cannot be substituted for anything else. Being aware of your breathing and patterns of breath is a fantastic indicator in stressful situations of what action you need to take next.

You know that gasp you expect to hear when someone drops a glass, or the drop in your stomach when you trip, these are perfect examples of your subconscious mind controlling your breath in order to control your bodily reaction. When we are stressed, our heart rate can elevate and as a natural result our breathing pace will increase. This natural function can be the action you take to relieve stress or anxiety.

I've never been good at remembering numbers so, when I read the many recommended breathing patterns for relaxation I couldn't comprehend or retain any of them. Until one day, I heard a statement , “Breathing in for less than you breathe out will aid in calming your mind and body. For example, breathe in 3, breathe out 4.”

Try it, see how you feel and give feedback, i'd love to hear your story!

Dancing

The wisest doctor I've ever met once said, "You cannot be sad when you are dancing." I genuinely think this one may speak for itself and I can't help but feel like I want to tell you to go shove your favourite song on, dance like no one is watching and be aware of any shift in your emotions. Again, i'd love feedback on your experience with conscious dancing, for me it was a profound experience that requires no words, just feeling.

Talking

As much as i'm an absolute advocate of all of these things we've discussed today, in order to truly begin healing I do believe you need to find some form of a support system and connection. If you are lucky enough to have the support of family and friends, brilliant jump right in and just observe your results. If you feel however, that you lack scaffolding , facing some of the thought feelings and emotions that come up during these experiences requires the attention of people you love because you are deserving of that connection and support.

Finding the right therapist was life changing for me and it really helped me embrace rediscovering myself through things that I enjoy. An online search for specialised therapists in your area can give you a lot more insight into what you're looking for. Shop around and be sure to settle with the one that feels right to you.

Decluttering

Decluttering your space definitely helps to organise your mind. Designating a safe place within your home is extremely useful if you're anything like me and need order to function. When things feel so out of control, I like to focus on making sure the space around me is how it should be. It is important to note however, on days where you don't feel up to keeping your home pristine, never pass judgement on yourself, accept it for what it is. Nothing lasts forever, including mess. .

Decluttering experts you could look out for are The Style Sisters, The Home Edit and Rachel Burditt, that is The Declutter Darling.

Embodying my Highest Self

Through many months of meditation and inner work, I managed to identify my highest self. The core of that being breeds kindness and compassion. I felt what it meant to live as my highest self and by consciously inputting those thoughts, feelings and emotions into my day to day life, the practice has proved invaluable in healing the young me who desperately sought help for so long, going through life feeling misunderstood and different. This experience would involve mapping out the type of days the highest version of you would lead, how would your day usually run? What emotions would you feel whilst doing those things? What thoughts would you be having when you are in these moments? Use these answers to create a blueprint for the road back to yourself, then embody them. I have started to see creators on social media living as their higher selves for 30 days and vlogging the experience. This again is a brilliant way of documenting the process for you to look back on and see how far you've come because by consciously living as the highest version of yourself you will subconsciously change the wiring within your brain. You will begin making new synaptic connections and in turn develop the ability to see the world through multiple lenses.

Note: it takes between 18-254 days to form a subconscious habit.

Getting Dressed

This was such a simple but hugely effective one for me. Getting dressed every day seems like such a natural thing for a person to do, but when you are suffering with mental illness it can be one of the biggest hurdles to climb in a day. As silly as this may sound, I began by pretending to be a sim each morning, I would get up, shower, brush my teeth and enjoy the process of finding something to wear that made me feel good. There were often days in the beginning where completing all of those things felt like way too much to handle, but handling yourself with compassion, acceptance and without judgement on those days is a step in the right direction.