Across all of our Australian and international studies, these are the five activities that we kept pinpointing as being the most important ingredients for good mental health.
These are actions which give us a sense of accomplishment, joy or satisfaction.
They are things we love to do – but we do these less when we feel stressed or down.
Healthy thinking is about treating ourselves (and others) with respect.
Our thinking can become destructive and self-critical when we feel stressed or down.
Having a goal or a plan keeps us motivated and gives us something to look forward to.
When we feel stressed or down we tend to think about the past or our current problems, and not the future.
The routines and tasks we do automatically, like going to sleep, and waking up at the same time, set us up for the day.
Stress and low mood can make it hard to keep our healthy routines.
Regular contact with people we love and value can make us feel connected.
When we feel stressed or low we tend to withdraw from others.
