How to create a mental health self-care routine
Meta Title: How to Make Your Mental Health
Self-Care Regimen Work for You
Meta Description: Discover how to create a
tailored mental health self-care plan to lower stress, elevate mood, and
enhance emotional resilience using effective, science-backed techniques.
Table of Contents
1. Mental Health Self-Care Matters: Introduction:
Why Mental Health Self-Care Is Important
2. Mental Health Awareness and Self-Care
3. The Four Pillars of Self-Care for Mental
Health
4. How to design your PopUp Workout Routine:
5. From Contributing Writer: Val Silver.
Figuring out how and what to do to take care of your mental health every day
can be hard.
6. Weekly and Monthly Mental Health Routines
7. Barriers and Solutions to Making it Happen
8. What You Need: Helpful Tools and Resources
9. Taking Care of Your Mental Health While
Living Various Lifestyles
10. Final Thoughts: Making It a
11. Lifelong Habit
Introduction: Why Self-Care
for Mental Health Matters
Mental health isn’t optional; it’s fundamental
to everything else in life. Your emotional and cognitive state affects your
ability to cope with life’s challenges, make decisions, and feel fulfilled,
whether you are juggling work-life balance, relationships, parenting, or
personal aspirations.
Building a mental health self-care plan is one
of the best things you can do for yourself. It’s not about being perfect or
feeling positive all the time. It’s all about having tools in your toolkit that
encourage inner harmony, resilience, and a sense of peace of mind, particularly
when life is tough.
Read on to find out how you can create a
customizable and significant mental health self-care plan that helps you
maintain your wellness one day at a time.
Mental Health and Self-Care
Explained
What Is Mental Health?
Mental health is the state of your emotional,
psychological, and social well-being. It influences how you:
• Think and feel
• Cope with stress
• Relate to others
• Make choices
But it’s dynamic, in other words, it can get better or worse
depending on several causes, both within and outside our bodies.
What Is Self-Care?
Self-care is anything you do deliberately to
take care of your mental, emotional, and physical health. When we speak of
mental health, it means you engage in activities that help you stay emotionally
balanced, reduce stress, and protect your energy.
Self-care is:
• Preventative (before you burnout is when it's
done.)
• Intentional (something you do with intention)
• Sustainable (you can do it every day)
The Cornerstones of Self-Caring for Your Mental
Health
Building a comprehensive routine is all about including
different systems of support. Consider these as foundational pillars:
Emotional Self-Care
• Expressing emotions
• Setting boundaries
• Practicing self-compassion
Psychological Self-Care
• Managing stress and anxiety
• Engaging in cognitive reframing or cognitive
restructuring.
• Seeking mental stimulation
Physical Self-Care
• Sleep hygiene
• Nutrition
• Movement
Social Self-Care
• Healthy relationships
• Support networks
• Asking for help
Spiritual Self-Care
• Meditation or prayer
• Connecting to purpose
• Practicing gratitude
All five pillars don’t have to be present every
day, but a solid routine will include them a lot over time.
How to Build a Custom Routine
Step-by-Step
Step 1: Self-Evaluate Your
Current Mental State
Ask yourself:
• How do I feel, emotionally and mentally?
• Territorial waters are areas of tension,
creating anxiety and stress for me.
• When do I feel most rooted?
Journaling or conversing with a therapist can
provide some clarity around where you’re starting and what you need.
Step 2: Identify Your Goals
Examples:
• “I want to be calmer and not feel so
overwhelmed.”
• “I would like to lower my anxiety at work.”
• “I wish to build up my emotional toughness.”
Goals provide direction when planning your day
and deciding which tasks to devote your time to.
Step 3: Select practices that
contribute towards your goals
Base your routine on logical, scientifically
proven habits (see section 5). Start small. There’s no need to get it all done
at once.
Step 4: Block and Schedule
Your Time
What doesn’t go on the calendar tends not to
happen. Decide:
• Training during morning, noon, or evening
hours
• Daily vs. weekly actions
• Time frame for each activity (5–30 minutes)
Step 5: Evaluate and Adjust
Record your mood, energy, and stress for 2 to 4
weeks. Notice what works and what doesn’t. Modify your strategy to support the
changes in your needs.
Mental Health Self-Care
Routines for Everyone: Remember these daily activities:
Below, you’ll find scientific activities to practice,
which are small enough to incorporate into your life daily:
Mindful Morning Rituals
• Gradually wake up, without your phone
• Take a walk, drink some water, stretch, or
meditate
• Set a daily intention
Journaling
• List 3 things you're grateful for
• Use prompts like:
o “Today I feel…”
o “What is one grieving self-care practice I
could do today?”
Breathwork or Meditation
• Lowers anxiety, increases focus
• Test box breathing: inhale-hold-exhale-hold for 4 seconds
each
• Start with 5 minutes daily
Mental Detox from Screens
• No scrolling to start your day
• Set social media limits
• Take “digital sabbaths” for a few hours weekly
Positive Affirmations
• Repeat affirmations like:
o “I am grounded and calm.”
o “I have permission to care for myself.”
Nourishment and Hydration
• Healthy meals with ingredients that improve
our mood (omega-3s, B-vitamins, magnesium)
• Drink water regularly
Movement
• Walks, yoga, and dance workouts formalized
• Activity makes you happier, and cortisol levels
drop
Sleep Hygiene
• Consistent sleep schedule
• Keep screens away 1 hour before bed
• Establish a bedtime routine (Read, write,
stretch)
Weekly and Monthly Mental
Health Activities
Therapy or Counseling
• Permission to process emotions in a safe
environment
• Develop coping and self-awareness skills
Social Connection
• Hang out with encouraging people
• Connect with a friend or with a community you
resonate with
Creative Expression
• Paint, write, make music, or garden
• Creativity is an inherent stress-reliever
Nature Time
• Weekly nature walks lower stress and improve
your ability to pay attention
• Even a park bench counts
Reflective Check-ins
• Once a week, reflect
on:
o “What went right this week?”
o “Where did I struggle?”
o “What do I need more of?”
Barriers that are
conventional and ways to break them:
I Don’t Have Time
• Begin with just 5 minutes a day
• Stack a self-care
habit with something else you already do (habit stacking)
I feel bad about taking
time for myself.
• Self-care allows you to
show up better for others
• It’s maintenance, not
pampering
It Doesn’t Feel Natural
• New habits take time
• Confidence comes from
consistency
Mental Health
Challenges
•Self-care is crucial
when it comes to anxiety, depression trauma — but sometimes you need
professional help to go along with it
Resources and Tools for Your Way
Apps
• Headspace or Calm (for
meditation)
• Moodpath or Sanvello
(mental health check-ins)
• Daylio or Reflectly
(journaling and mood)
Books
• Books include The
Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
• Atomic Habits, by James
Clear
• Self-Compassion by
Dr. Kristin Neff
Podcasts
• The Mindful Kind
• Therapy Chat
• Unlocking Us
Mental Health Support
• Crisis Text Line:
Text HOME to 741741
• National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline: 988
• Local therapists or online
services like BetterHelp or Talkspace
Self-Care Mental Health
for Different Lifestyles
For Busy Professionals
• Set recurring 5-minute
resets in your calendar
• Meditate in your car
before you walk into the office.
• Set boundaries around
work hours
For Parents
• Wake up 15 minutes
earlier for some silence
• Engage kids in
self-care exercises (nature walks, music, dance, and art). Listen to music with
your children.
• Seek help if
overwhelmed
For Students
• Schedule your week with
mental health breaks
• Find supportive
communities on campus
• School counseling
resources are useful.
For Remote Workers
• Create workspace
boundaries
• Step outside for
lunch (away from your screen)
• Change your scenery (work from a café or
library at least once a week)
Final Thoughts: Making
It a Lifelong Habit
Setting up a mental
health self-care routine isn’t about squeezing a bunch of extra stuff on your
plate; it’s about reorganizing your priorities so you are at the center of your
life. When your mind is well, every other aspect of life is easier, brighter,
and more meaningful.
Start where you are.
Begin with one small habit. The smallest act of self-care—the most broken
commitment, if practiced consistently, is more potent than the largest
non-action.
Your peace is your
power. You owe it to yourself to prioritize your mental health.
Want More Support?
Are you interested in a printable habit tracker, Mental Health Self-Care Planner, or routine checklist that suits your lifestyle? I can make you a personalized one, too—just ask!
