Mental Health Month brings a lot of advice. Most of it is packed into big, drastic changes like new routines, regimens, things you should be doing, ideally starting Monday. But the things that actually help most of us tend to be smaller and stranger than that.
So we went around our team and asked them a question: what's one small, specific thing you do that genuinely helps your mental health? Not the impressive stuff, but those small, specific habits they actually keep like making the bed, taking a walk with a podcast in their ears, ten minutes of coloring before sleep - these tend to do more for mental health than the bigger routines we mean to start.
And here's what they had to say.
Laia, Designer
"I try to take my baby out for a walk every day and leave my phone at home — it helps me slow down and be fully present. On weekends, I really value getting a full eight hours of sleep, then having a slow morning with my family. We usually make American pancakes together, and that simple routine always resets me."
Vita, Partnerships Manager
"A ten-minute coffee break during the day to color in Lake. A morning coffee run to the local café on the way to work. An after-work walk or catch-up with a friend. A cozy show when I feel a bit down — usually Gilmore Girls or Schitt's Creek. And an everything shower with a full skincare session when I'm feeling stressed or anxious."
Krystyna, iOS Developer
"Vinyasa yoga in the morning, before anything else. Even on the days I don't feel like it, I'm always glad I went. There's something about moving through the same sequence that quiets things down before the day starts. And no Instagram. It's been a while now, and I don't really miss it. If anything, I feel better without it."
Anja, COO
"I installed the OneSec app. It puts a small pause between me and whatever app I'm about to open out of habit, which is usually enough to make me close my phone instead. I've also started unfollowing people who irritate me, which feels surprisingly freeing. And I read before bed now, instead of scrolling."
Goran, CEO
"I removed all the social apps from my phone. That's helped more than I expected. I've also been making a weak attempt at gardening - emphasis on weak, but hey at least I'm out there.."
Dijana, Content Manager
"I take long walks with my dog Larry and leave the phone at home. Disconnecting completely and reconnecting with him and nature. Also, started writing in a notebook. I set the timer for 30 minutes and write whatever comes to mind - turns out I have a lot going on in my head."
If there's a thread, it's that almost everyone, in one way or another, is putting a small distance between themselves and their phone - leaving it at home on a walk, deleting an app, installing one that makes them pause, swapping the scroll for a book. Funny that we all landed there without talking about it.
And then, on the other side of that small distance, there's something waiting: pancakes, a coffee run, a yoga mat, a garden that isn't quite working out.
Maybe that's what taking care of yourself actually looks like, most of the time. No massive changes to your day, nothing ceremonial - just small things that quietly leave you feeling a bit more like yourself.
