How to add & implement mental health goals to your daily life

Written By Rachel Ann

As a life coach, every month is mental health awareness month in my world…but I go extra hard in May because - May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Woooooot - I love this month of knowledge, education, and empowerment!

Bringing awareness to mental health is huge y’all

In a world where money, looks, and other superficialities are considered most valuable, it’s a real win for something as transformative as mental health to take up a whole month. And as women of color, there are even more barriers we have to overcome to tune into our wellness - unhealthy cultural norms, societal pressure, systemic injustices, generational trauma…the list is long and a lot to handle. And therefore, the process of learning and maintaining our health can be a lot, too.

But have no fear - since I love sharing helpful tips and I love this month, I figure there’s no better way to celebrate than to share 4 of my favorite mental health tips. They’re easy to add to your daily life y’all, I promise! For those of you interested in feeling less stressed daily, understanding your body more, wanting to share a supportive tip with a friend in need, or just plain curious about how other people maintain their wellness, you’ll especially love this list. :)

Set the tone with music

I just wrote about this in an article featured by Emotional Intelligence Magazine, where I talk about setting your mindset each day in the morning. I’m sooooo not a morning person, so when I tell y’all this is quick and easy, trust me that it truly is. I start off listening to a song to set the mood for the day - if I want a relaxing day, I’ll listen to an instrumental. If I need energy, then I’ll listen to something more upbeat (and have a coffee).

Pro tip: play it on repeat while you get ready!

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is great and also really hard, so that’s why it’s called practice! When engaging in mindfulness, you’re tuning into your body’s signals when you’re experiencing something and allowing that to help you respond. That way, your response is likely to be healthy and more effective! If you’re in a work meeting and your shoulders start to feel tense, then ask yourself what’s going on - is the meeting boring? Aggravating? Stressful? Once you figure out what you’re feeling, then you can decide what to do - stay in the meeting, grab some water, or turn your Zoom camera off for a few minutes. When you respond from knowing what your body is saying, you’re more likely to give it what it needs. And then your body will thank you!

Pro tip: the more you do this, the easier it gets. Stick with it!

Share gratitude

The old adage is right with this one - when you want to feel appreciated, share appreciation with someone else. I’m still trying to figure out the science behind it, but I think it has something to do with reciprocity; when you thank someone for helping you with a project, they’ll likely find something to thank you for right back. When someone takes the first step and breaks the ice, then we feel comfortable to do the same thing. So go ahead and break the ice! There’s a good chance they’re waiting to appreciate you.

Pro tip: make it a goal to thank one person each day!

Implement coping strategies

Creating coping strategies is great, but a lot of times we stay there and don’t go on to the next step of implementing them. It can be scary to change your schedule, add a boundary, or take action to protect yourself, so give yourself some grace throughout the process. Coping strategies help you stay present and respond to your needs in a healthy way that doesn’t disrupt what you’re doing. With some patience, practice, and reflection, you’ll find the most effective ones for you!

Pro tip: different stressors may require different techniques, so test out a few to see what works.

At the end of the day, remember that you’re capable of managing and understanding your mental health. It’s yours, so take time to explore and nourish it. Your wellness is worth working for! And, with these tips it doesn’t have to be so hard. :)

Need more support? Lemme help you sis:

Rachel Ann
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