Yesterday was World Mental Health Day – an international day for global mental health education and awareness. Mental health, or emotional health or wellbeing, is just as important as physical health. And perhaps more so, considering the months we’ve been living through lately.

Not everyone has a mental illness, but everyone does have mental health. Everyone has their own threshold, where one person’s thunderstorm can be another’s drizzle. And your mental health resilience may change over time based on certain circumstances or life experiences you go through.

Living in the past or living for the future may also affect your mental health. It can be reliving conversations you’ve had with people, going over what could have been meant or insinuated, or even generational trauma.

Dreaming for the future can inspire some, but can also cause misery to others – constantly thinking of what might happen or guessing what someone might be thinking or feeling can be exhausting. Staying present, actively living in the now, can help with one’s mental health.

Here are a few other things that can also help:

Body

• going for a walk
• stretching
• exercising
• dancing
• spending time outside in nature
• eating healthily
• deep breathing
• sleep
• a relaxing bath
• having a spa day
• sitting in the sun

Mind

• meditation
• reading a good book
• learning something new
• journaling your thoughts or feelings
• listening, playing, or creating music
• listening to a podcast
• singing
• watching a new film
• art: painting, colouring
• switching off your phone and disconnecting
• de-cluttering
• seeking counselling

Soul

• laughing
• talking to someone you trust
• volunteering or helping someone
• setting healthy boundaries or saying no
• creating space for yourself
• stroking your pet
• hugging a loved one
• celebrating little wins
• practising gratitude
• practising self-reflection
• taking a rest

It’s ok to feel lost or hurt. It’s ok to feel your feelings and it’s ok to think your thoughts. We have survived 100% of all our bad days, and we can continue to survive. Take each day at a time. And if that’s too much, then break it down and take each hour or each minute at a time.

Keep going and keep trying – trying is winning, after all. And as long as you’re going in the right direction, it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you’re going. Soon that mountain becomes a hill and even bad chapters lead to great stories.