WE’RE all guilty of assuming that any effort to be more mentally sound will be a boring slog.
At worst, you might have to endure a miserable early morning run.
At best, you might need to carve out some extra sleep – though perhaps not boring, it might seem like an impossible feat for some.
But in reality, there are lots of small, pain-free tricks that require minimal effort but could have a huge impact on our wellbeing.
The Sunn’s health team share their tried and tested ways to boost your mental health, today.
1. Puppy love
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Alice Fuller, senior health reporter, said: “I can’t stand breathwork, and you’ll almost never catch me doing a guided meditation.
“But sometimes, like everyone, I need to de-stress.
“As the textbook methods don’t seem to work for me, I’ve had to find other ways to look after my mental health.
“One of the biggest winners has been BorrowMyDoggy – a website that connects dog owners to sitters and walkers across the UK.
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“I’m a huge dog lover, but sadly my busy job and small flat mean I can’t currently get one of my own.
“BorrowMyDoggy allows me to look after other people’s pooches for a few hours, which gives me an instant mood boost.
“Puppies bring me joy on their own anyway (I mean, come on, they’re adorable!), but they also get me out into nature and walking – two things pretty much guaranteed to lift your spirits.
“Snuggling a cute sausage dog or cockapoo is scientifically proven to reduce cortisol levels, the stress hormone, in our saliva.
“And other studies have found caring for dogs reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation.“
2. Get Headspace
Isabel Shaw, health reporter, said: “I hate an app subscription as much as the next person.
“But Headspace is one I will never stop banging on about.
“Like most people, I found the beginning of the pandemic a very stressful time.
“A friend recommended I try this guided meditation app called Headspace, and it’s honestly changed my life.
“As someone who struggles with silence, the concept of sitting alone for 10 minutes with my thoughts didn’t thrill me.
“But within a few days of using it, I discovered a new level of calm I had never experienced before.
“Within the app, you can pick from a big selection of guided courses, from managing anxiety and handling financial stress to dealing with regret.
“I’ve tried a few but my current go-to is self-compassion, which I try and do at least 10 minutes of each day.
“It involves Andy Puddicombe, the app’s developer – who might just have the softest voice ever – guiding you through breathing techniques and visualisations.
“I’ve found the best time of day to do it is first thing in the morning, before the day gets going.
“I feel like it clears my head and allows me to go into the day with a more positive mindset.
“I can really notice the difference when I haven’t managed to fit it in, which I think says a lot. My mind feels busier and more chaotic.
“You can download the free version, which includes a few basic guides, or you can pay for the full app, which doesn’t come cheap: a monthly subscription will set you back £9.99 per month, or £49.99 a year.
“But it’s the only monthly subscription – putting Spotify aside – I’ve never regretted forking out for.”
3. Tapping pressure points
Eliza Loukou, health reporter, said: “I don’t really have a consistent routine for boosting my mental health but – by nature of the job – I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along that way that I find useful when I’m feeling stressed and anxious.
“Getting enough sleep really does make the world of a difference for me, but if my thoughts are racing as I’m trying to drift off, I’ll find a five-minute long guided meditation session on Spotify or Youtube to clear my mind.
“After that’s done, I’ll switch to a brown or pink noise playlist on Spotify.
“It’s a bit like white noise but softer and lower-pitched, and the thrum of it in the background really helps relax me and quiet my thoughts in preparation for sleep.
“A few weeks ago I wrote about a technique called self-compassionate touch, which involves placing your hands on your heart and belly and taking deep breaths while directing kind thoughts towards yourself.
“I’ve been trying to give it a go for a few seconds a day.
“Pilates is my go-to form of exercise and I’ve found that making sure I do a couple of classes a week – whether that’s in person or via YouTube – really keeps my stress levels down.
“If I’m short on time, I love switching on a video by Move With Nicole.
“In a recent Pilates class I took, our instructor guided us through a meditation technique called tapping.
“It involves tapping specific pressure points across your body to overwhelm your brain with sensory information.
“The technique is actually pretty well studied and it’s supposed to help relieve anxiety.
“I certainly felt extraordinarily calm and relaxed after giving it a go for two minutes in the class and I’m going to try incorporating it into my routine.”
4. Move your body whenever you can
Lizzie Parry, head of health, said: “I never thought I’d be this person, believe me.
“For years and years, I listened to people say that movement was their therapy and I won’t lie, it made no sense to me.
“All I saw was a lot of pain and no gain!
“I’ve always had a gym membership, but I was one of those people who shells out the money month on month without ever really breaking a sweat.
“I would vow to ‘get back into it’, and I would succeed for a few weeks – a month tops – before giving up and finding excuses to skip it.
“Like lots of us, I was fueled by the desire to shed a few pounds, get ‘beach body ready‘ (whatever that really means), tone up and generally look better. Like it’s that easy!
“Everything changed when I slipped a disc in 2017.
I always feel better when I have gone to my local common and sat in a place that I can’t hear or see the city’s traffic, but may come across a bird, dogs or other animal
Vanessa Chalmers
“I’d endured a few months of back pain before rolling over in bed one Sunday morning and feeling the worst pain I’d ever experienced.
“I couldn’t move, and for months I lived in constant agony. My 10-minute walk to work took half an hour, I couldn’t sleep, my left leg went numb, I fell out of the shower, I could barely dress myself and the constant pain left me in tears on a daily basis.
“Eventually, I was one of the lucky ones and I had an operation to fix it. I woke up and the pain had gone… yes, I was aching from my op but the constant agony had disappeared.
“As part of my rehab, I signed up with a personal trainer, desperate to build up my core strength so I never, ever have to go through that pain ever again.
“It was probably when, during the first lockdown in 2020, I was unable to see my PT Will (shameless plug) that it dawned on me that it was exercise and my sessions with him that keep my mental health in check.
“As a health journalist, Covid crept into every waking moment of my work and home life.
“Like all of us, I was overwhelmed, and have never felt anything quite like it.
“When I could finally see Will and exercise again, I had my light bulb moment.
“I get it… and six years on poor Will is still stuck with me. Yes, I’ve never been physically fitter but the biggest thing that exercise does for me is help me mentally.
“It’s my stress relief, it calms me down and it makes me feel good about myself.
“It’s become the most important tool in my mental health first aid kit, along with reading for a bit of escapism, and I now know it’s something I need in my life.
Help in a crisis
- If you’re having thoughts of suicide, are harming yourself or have thought about self-harm it’s very important to tell someone.
- These thoughts and feelings can be complex, frightening and confusing but you don’t have to struggle alone.
- If you can’t wait to see a doctor and feel unable to cope or keep yourself safe, or you simply need somebody to talk to, contact one of these organisations to get support right away:
- Find your local 24/7 NHS crisis line at nhs.uk/urgentmentalhealth or visit 111.nhs.uk.
- If you’re under 35 and experiencing thoughts of suicide, or if you’re worried a young person is thinking about taking their life, visit papyrus-uk.org, phone 0800 068 4141 (9am–midnight, 365 days a year), text 07860 039967 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org.
- If your life or someone else’s life is at risk call 999.
“When I have busy weeks and can’t exercise as often as I would like, I feel the overwhelm build again, I struggle to sleep well and any attempt to eat a healthy diet goes out the window.
“Moving my body, whether it’s a gym session or a walk outside, calms my mind and brings my stress levels right down.
“I have no doubt that were it not for my slipped disc, I would still be that gym-goer, sporadically going and giving up.
“Don’t get me wrong, it takes months of consistent dedication to the exercise cause to get fit and feel that mental weight lift.
“And had my motivations not switched from exercising to look good to a determination to be stronger, I might not have stuck with it.
“While slipping a disc was undoubtedly the worst pain I’ve ever been through, it’s proved to be the best thing that’s happened to me, health-wise.
“Because here I am… that annoying person who can confidently say, movement is now MY therapy.”
5. Keep to-do lists and get on a bike
Sam Blanchard, health correspondent, said: “To-do lists keep me sane.
“I’m a busy person and get stressed when I have a lot to do.
“Writing everything down in separate workday, weekly and long-term lists helps to get it all out of my head and assure me my life is under control.
“I also like to do most of my long bike rides and runs alone and without headphones in.
“A few hours exercising with just the sound of the countryside is my kind of meditation.”
6. Get outside
Vanessa Chalmers, health features editor, said: “My best tip for mental health is to get outside – but most importantly, get outside surrounded by nature!
“I always feel better when I have gone to my local common and sat in a place that I can’t hear or see the city’s traffic, but may come across a bird, dogs or other animal.
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“If you’re a regular to nature and the outdoors, I’d suggest confiding in someone if you need to get some thoughts out.
“A trusted friend should be open to hearing you are feeling a bit down and will have their unique way of making you feel better.”
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