Over the years, I’ve formed habits and rituals to help me manage my mental health. They could be viewed as my menu of self-care practices. However, they’ve really become something more; they are ‘must do’ well-being strategies. As I’ve discovered, if I go more than a few days without them, the dark clouds gather.

My morning routine

For me, it is all about how I start my day. You feed your body probably three times a day. How do you feed your mind and spirit? I want to ensure I start my day with a well-nourished heart and soul.

Treating the senses

I like to treat all my senses as I soothe and nourish my mind, body and spirit. I usually light a candle or a stick of incense. This sets the tone, telling me that this is ‘me’ time, a chance to turn in, and tune in.

I’ve been a fan of the App InsightTimer for many years now. It’s a free resource with thousands of meditations, pieces of music and talks. So I’ll usually have my ear phones in and something gentle playing.

Spiritual reading

I’ll usually start my self-care practice by reading a short passage from a spiritual text. My go-to books include – ‘Change your thoughts, change your life – living the wisdom of the Tao’ by Wayne Dyer.  A Course in Miracles,  or any book by Eckhart Tolle.

Move & Stretch

Yoga is a key component of how I manage my mental health. I started practising yoga in 2018 after a cancer diagnosis and it has enriched my life no end. Some mornings I’ll follow my own routine, other mornings I’ll follow an online video, usually Yoga with Adriene.

Journaling

Another regular element of my morning self-care practice is journaling. I’ll ‘write things out’ to ‘right them out.’ I’ll capture my fears, but also the advice I’d give myself. I’ll often ponder how would ‘love’ respond to challenges I’m facing. Over the years I’ve also used my journal to capture what I call those universal winks, the moments of serendipity, the evidence that proves the sentiment of my favourite quote by Rumi that ‘the universe is titled in my favour.’

Meditation

The fourth pillar of how I manage my mental health is meditation. Whilst meditation is about quietening the mind to open the heart, it’s virtually impossible not to have thoughts pop into your head, because that’s what the mind does. But the key is to witness those thoughts then to bring your focus back to your breath, or to the instruction if it’s a guided meditation. I view my quiet time in meditation, as my meeting with The Boss – God, the Universe, Divine Wisdom, Source. And it’s not a meeting I want to cancel!

Mix it up

In the summer months, I’ll add an early morning walk into my routine. I’ve also found that going to the gym is not just good for my physical health, it’s good for my mental health too. As someone who is quite introverted, I know it also helps me when I reach out to others, because sometimes a good laugh with a friend is the best tonic.

Self-love is the foundation

The foundation of my morning routine and how I manage my mental health is self-love. Now that’s easy to say, but what does that mean? Self-love is being in a committed relationship with the person you see in the mirror. Patiently, we learn to embrace all aspects of ourselves, our inner child, our lonely soul, our fears, our hurts, our overreactions and the full spectrum of emotions we feel. Like all our relationships, the one with ourselves will evolve. In life, there is always the possibility of being rejected by others, but by investing on our own well-being, in proactively managing our mental health, we’re no longer rejecting ourselves.

If you enjoyed this article, you might like to tune into the podcast episode where I speak in greater depth on this topic and share even more of my do’s and don’ts when it comes to managing my mental health.