20 Tips to Help Improve Your Mental Health

Are you tired of feeling stressed out, worn out or burned out? Do you wish you felt more positive, productive and energetic, but don’t know where to start?

Here's some good news: No matter what you’re going through emotionally, you can take steps to feel stronger and more hopeful. Try these tips to build resilience and improve your mental health. Many of them are free and easy to do without even leaving your home.

1. Get Enough Sleep

If you’re having a hard time, not getting enough sleep can only make things feel worse. One of the best ways to take care of your mental health is to get enough sleep each night, which means keeping a regular sleep schedule. A major sleep study found that people who got the right amount of sleep for their age, around seven to nine hours for most adults, or seven to eight hours for most older adults, were more likely to flourish — meaning they experience optimal functioning in most areas of their lives.¹

2. Practice Mindful Meditation

In difficult times, it’s easy to get pulled into the future or the past. Mindfulness meditation is a way of drawing your attention back to the present with a nonjudgmental mindset. Daily mindfulness meditation has been shown to not only make people feel better but also positively change the emotional centers of the brain.²

3. Incorporate Physical Activity

If you want to feel better quickly, try getting your body moving as often as possible. Exercise is associated with a reduction in symptoms such as depression and anxiety.³ You don’t have to become a triathlete to benefit, either. From walks to jogging to dance fitness classes, there’s an option for you.

4. Eat a Healthy Diet

You know that healthy food is good for your body, but did you know it’s also good for your mind and emotions? Studies have found significant associations between what you eat and how you feel. Healthy diets rich in fruits and veggies and lean proteins were associated with better mental health.⁴ Additionally, micronutrients, such as vitamin B6, vitamin D and magnesium, are associated with improving symptoms of depression.⁴

5. Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated isn’t just necessary to quench your thirst — adequate hydration also makes sure that your brain is working at its most optimal.⁵ Dehydration can bring a host of health problems, including reduced cognition, which can negatively impact your mental health.⁵ So keep your favorite insulated water container handy.

6. Set Realistic Goals

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have something big or significant on your plate. Try to break things into achievable steps and simple goals to boost your productivity and experience a sense of satisfaction.⁶

7. Limit Screen Time

Electronic devices may bring entertainment and education to your life, but they can also lead to a deterioration in your mental health and even your sleep quality.⁷ Limiting the amount of time you spend in the digital world may help improve your mental health.⁷ You can replace scrolling with one of the many tips on this list, like exercise or spending time with friends, as a screen-free break.

8. Cultivate Strong Relationships

Strong relationships aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential to positive mental and physical health. In fact, connection with others is known as a social determinant of health that imparts numerous benefits.⁸ Whenever possible, say yes to events, outings and time together with people who make you feel loved and supported.

9. Learn to Say No

Setting boundaries is vital for mental health, and this can take many different forms. It might mean saying no to a personal or work request. It can mean asking someone to respect an emotional, physical, mental or even time-based boundary. Most boundaries begin with you communicating clearly what you need or want, or what you will or won’t do, and then staying strong and consistent in your response.⁹

10. Practice Gratitude

In a gratitude practice, you focus on the positives of your life, no matter how small. This might look like a morning journaling session, a moment of quiet, grateful reflection at the start or conclusion of each day or expressing gratitude out loud to another person. Positive reflections of this kind can improve your mood and help you see all that’s good in your life.⁶

11. Engage in Hobbies

If you’re feeling low, now might be a great time to take up a hobby — that is, something you do for fun, not related to work. Research shows that hobbies help people feel better through a variety of mechanisms, including psychological and social. From puzzles to rock collecting, baking to painting, find a hobby that fits your interests, as people with hobbies tend to have a greater sense of happiness and life satisfaction.¹⁰

12. Seek Professional Help When Needed

Not all mental health issues can be overcome without help. If you’re struggling, seek support from a mental health professional — a therapist, psychiatrist or doctor — to help you through a tough time. Some professionals may combine different forms of talk or cognitive therapy with antidepressants as part of a treatment plan to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.¹¹

13. Limit Alcohol and Avoid Drugs

Misuse of substances such as alcohol and other drugs, including legal ones such as cannabis, poses threats to mental health, no matter your age. While some people may be able to practice moderation, others are more susceptible to developing substance use disorders. The safest bet for your mental and physical health is to limit, and even avoid, alcohol and drugs that aren’t needed to treat a health condition.¹²

14. Take Social Media Breaks

Since limiting screen time is associated with improved mental health, it’s no surprise that taking a break from social media can have the same effect.⁷ Social media is known for aggravating feelings of self-worth through comparisons and negative social interactions.¹³ Plus, getting off social media can encourage people to get together in person, improving social connections.¹³

15. Practice Deep Breathing

Breathing is essential to life, and it’s no wonder that it’s associated with vital bodily functions that promote positive mental health. Breathing helps regulate blood pressure, calms the sympathetic nervous system (thus reducing stress) and encourages metabolic balance. If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take a series of long, slow, deep breaths.¹⁴

16. Break Your Routines

If you’re feeling a little stagnant or stuck, bring curiosity into your life by seeking out new experiences, investigating new places or trying to meet new people. Take the advice of an earlier tip and pick up a new hobby. Changing your routine can freshen your perspective and your mood.⁶

17. Volunteer Your Time

Helping others through volunteering can be a powerful mood booster. Research finds that volunteering is associated with reductions in depression and anxiety and increases in relaxation and positive feelings.¹⁵

18. Focus on Positive Self-Talk

It’s a human survival skill to pay more attention to the negative than the positive, but it’s a habit that can harm your mental health. Learn to talk more kindly to yourself, and reframe any negative thoughts. This can include practicing self-compassion, challenging ideas that you know aren’t true, trying out daily affirmations and focusing on your strengths, to name a few.⁶

19. Improve Your Environment

Your living space can have a big effect on your mood and well-being. If your home is currently cluttered, crowded or in any condition that’s not uplifting or enhancing your well-being, making simple changes might go a long way toward improving your overall mood.⁶

20. Schedule “Me” Time

If you’re a busy person or someone who always puts the needs of others ahead of your own, don’t forget to make time for yourself to relax or do something fun. Go to the movies, get a pampering treatment or just spend some quiet time with a book and a favorite beverage.⁶

The Takeaway on Improving Your Mental Health

Taking care of your mental health doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple habits — like getting quality sleep, staying active, connecting with others and reaching out for professional support when you need it — can significantly improve your resilience and overall well-being.

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Author Bio

Jordan Rosenfeld has been freelance writing for 21 years about finances, health, education and more. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Billfold, Good Magazine, GOBanking Rates, Daily Worth, Quartz, Medical Economics, The New York Times, PayPal, The Washington Post and more.