Five Things I Do Daily That Are Improving My Mental Health
Five habits. No excuses. Here is what I do every day to stay sane
I was questioning my worth every single day. At some point, that became my default setting. Waking up uncertain, restless, hard on myself.
Now I feel calm and composed. I observe my thoughts mindfully. I used to get irritated by them, used to fear them. Now I let them pass the way they come. I understood their nature. They are just doing their job, bringing what is present in the mind to our attention.
That shift did not happen on its own. Here are the five things helping me get better every day.
Cold Shower
I take a 30-second cold shower immediately after I wake up. It has become my morning ritual. Some days before I even reach the bathroom, my mind says to take a break and go with the hot shower today. But the moment I open the tap, my brain automatically turns the handle to cold.
Meditation
I meditate twice a day, once in the morning and once at night before bed, usually for 30 minutes each. The morning session helps me start the day with clarity. The evening one is quieter. It is a chance to sit with the day’s thoughts, let them settle, and reflect on what passed.
10 Minutes Walk
Right after morning meditation, I take a 10-minute walk to feel the fresh air and catch the sun when it is out. I walk no matter the weather, rain, winter, any of it. I witness the changes in nature and feel them slowly and mindfully. There is something grounding about stepping into whatever the day has to offer.
Park
During my working break, I spend around an hour in the park. It is a habit now. Even on busy days I get at least 20 to 30 minutes of sun. The sounds of the water fountain, ducks, birds, children playing, and old people laughing together. It summarises an entire life in an hour. I feel joy just witnessing that span of it. Sometimes I laugh listening to their jokes. Sometimes I smile at a child or wave at them.
15 Minutes Reading
I read every day. I have finished 2 books this month. Some days I do not understand everything, some days I resonate with every word and feel it intensely. Either way it is stretching something in me. The ability to focus, to sit with ideas, to stay curious.
These five habits are helping me stay calm, focused and composed. They are slowly building my self-confidence back up. My mind has started believing that I can do something consistently. That if I put effort into something every day, I can build whatever I want in life.
That is not a small thing. For a while, I did not believe it at all.