10 Gentle Mental Health Habits to Reduce Anxiety And Stress This Year

Anxiety and stress affect so many of us. We often find ourselves constantly plagued with anxious thoughts and worries. We go through our days always filled with this constant stress that just never seems to go away, even when there’s actually nothing wrong.

I certainly know how this feels. I have always been an anxious person. I always thought that this was normal. I thought that everyone felt this way. I thought this was just how life was supposed to be, something we were supposed to learn to live with.

If you feel the same way too, please know that you don’t have to constantly live a life filled with overwhelm, anxiety, and stress. I’ve learned that though we can’t entirely erase these feelings from our lives, we can learn to reduce them and make it easier for us to go through our days.

In this blog post, I will be sharing with you simple steps that we can take every day to help reduce stress and anxiety in our lives. These habits are not complicated, and it’s certainly won’t take so much of your time. The key here is to build gentle and small habits that’ll help support our overall well being. These practices are meant to feel doable, something that you can still do even on your busiest days.

I hope that some of these habits will resonate with you and help bring you some comfort and peace as you move through the year.

Mental Health Habits to Reduce Anxiety And Stress

1. Slow, Deep Breathing

I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times this simple habit has saved me. There were so many moments when I found myself spiraling. I had so many things on my plate and on top of that, I was already facing so many problems.

I was feeling so overwhelmed and paralyzed to the point that my thoughts began to race, my chest started to tighten and regardless of how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to focus on anything other than the panic that was slowly building up inside me.

In that moment, taking slow, deep breaths was my lifeline. I know that this step may seem simple but it can make such a huge difference. It may not erase our anxiety and stress entirely, but it does give us a moment to slow down and press stop on the panic that’s building within us.

That moment can then give us the space that we need to breathe and reset. It may seem like just a small pause but often that small pause is just what we need to gather ourselves, regain control, and remind ourselves that we are safe and that we are capable.

So try this, every time you feel like your thoughts are spiraling out of control, stop and allow yourself even just two minutes to take slow deep breaths. During this moment, try to focus all your attention on your breathing.

2. One Thing At A Time

Are you also guilty of wanting to tackle and fix everything all at once? You’re not alone. I have always struggled with this. When I was navigating one of the lowest points of my life, I wanted to fix all my problems right away.

I thought that if I just pushed myself hard enough to do everything all at once then I could improve my life right away. I didn’t realize that by wanting to fix everything right away, I was adding so much stress and anxiety in my daily life.

I was so overwhelmed to the point that I couldn’t even do a single thing because I was paralyzed by my anxiety and stress. This made me realize just how important it is to give ourselves permission to do one thing at a time.

Doing this doesn’t mean that we are not working hard enough or that we are just being lazy, it simply means that we are giving ourselves the space to move in a pace that is sustainable and kind to our mental well being. A pace that won’t lead us to burn out and won’t mentally and emotionally drain us.

Remind yourself that it’s okay to just tackle one thing. After finishing that one task if you feel like you can do one more, then great, go ahead. But if you feel like that’s all you can do for now, then know that that is perfectly okay. Don’t beat yourself up.

I found that small steady steps can actually be more beneficial not just for our mental health and well being but also for our success and productivity.

3. Limit News And Social Media Intake

It’s so easy to get caught up in all the negativity that floods our feeds. When I hit rock bottom, one of the very first things that I did was deactivate my social media accounts. I knew that I didn’t have the mental strength and emotional capacity to carry any negativity or comparison that social media often brings so I made the choice to step back and protect my mental health.

Now, I’m not saying that you need to do the same. You don’t have to deactivate your social media accounts and shut down the world entirely. You just have to be conscious of the types of content you constantly expose yourself to. The news and social media are often filled with negativity, pain, and comparison traps and it’s so easy to carry that heaviness in our daily lives.

If you feel like you’re constantly drained with everything that you are reading or seeing, please don’t’ hesitate to take a step back. You can start setting small boundaries. Maybe instead of constantly checking the news, you can start by just checking it once a day. Instead of endlessly scrolling through social media, we can do something comforting instead.

Always remember that there is nothing wrong with choosing to step back from anything that drains your energy and destroys your mental peace.

Mental Health Habits to Reduce Anxiety And Stress

4. Create A Worry Notebook

This was something new that I decided to try last year and let me tell you, doing this has made such a significant positive impact on my mental health and anxiety. I didn’t even believe it at first, I honestly thought that this was just nothing but a useless act.

But I was wrong, at first, it didn’t really feel like it was doing something. I would just write anything that was worrying me and just go on about my day. But over time, the act of writing down all my worries and problems, felt surprisingly cathartic. It’s like writing them down and seeing those worries in paper made them more manageable and less overwhelming.

Often, it even made me realize that some of those worries were not even as big as I had made myself believe. Yes, while they may not completely fix all my problems, it does make all my worries and anxieties more manageable. Instead of carrying them in my head all day, I was able to place them somewhere.

This practice is like acknowledging all our worries and anxious thoughts without allowing them to consume all our mental space and energy.

You can start this habit by setting aside a few minutes each day to write down all your worries, anxious thoughts, basically anything that’s weighing you down. You don’t have to worry about structure, spelling, and all those important things. Know that what you are writing is just for you. You are not writing it to impress anyone.

Be sure to bring it with you or keep it somewhere you can easily access so just in case everything starts to feel heavy, you can just take out your notebook and pour your thoughts.

5. Reach Out And Spend Time With Someone You Trust

When we have so many things on our plates or when we’re going through so many problems, it’s easy to isolate ourselves. Often, we even end up putting on this facade to everyone that we are perfectly okay. I’m certainly guilty of this habit.

I have always struggled with reaching out and asking people for support. I have always assumed that since this is my life, naturally, I should be the only one to fix my problems. Also, one of the main reasons why I refuse to ask for help is that I didn’t really want to burden other people with my problems.

I know that they also have their own problems and I didn’t want to add more weight to what they are already carrying. If you feel the same way too, please know that you will never be a burden to the people who truly love and care for you.

They actually want to be there for you, not just during your good days but most importantly, also during your bad days. Please know that there is nothing wrong with reaching out.

Life is often difficult and we are not meant to carry everything on our own. Often, opening up to someone that we trust is just what we need to feel better and to make our fight less lonely.

6. Give Yourself Permission To Rest

Do you ever feel guilty for taking a break and allowing yourself to rest? For years, I have always struggled with this. I’ve always had this notion that rest is something that I need to earn. I thought that rest would be my reward once I had finished all my tasks and fixed all my problems.

I would constantly push myself regardless of how exhausted and mentally drained I already felt because I always felt that if I allowed myself to step back and slow down even just for a moment then I wouldn’t be able to achieve my goals.

But doing this only did more harm than good. It took so much toll not just on physical health but also on my mental health. This made me finally realize just how important rest is and we should never feel guilty for allowing ourselves to do that.

Our goals should not come at the expense of our need for rest. Rest is something that we all need. It should not be treated as a reward. This year, let’s give ourselves permission to rest and take a break without feeling guilty about it.

Let’s remind ourselves that for us to continue doing our best, we have to honor our needs and listen to our bodies.

7. Move Your Body

It’s easy to take this simple act for granted, especially when we get caught up in our daily routines and to-do lists. I’m certainly guilty of this. I always thought that this was just a complete waste of time, especially when I already have so many things on my plate.

I didn’t realize that often when we already feel so overwhelmed with everything that we are facing, taking some time to move our bodies may just be what we need to recharge and reset. Moving our bodies even just for a few minutes can help release any tension that we have been holding and calm our anxious minds.

Know that doing this doesn’t have to be intense or time consuming. It can be as simple as taking a short walk around the block or taking a few light stretches.

8. Speak Kindly To Yourself

Are you guilty of being your own worst critic? You’re not alone. For the longest time, I’ve struggled with this. I have always been my own harshest critic. For years, I thought that I was doing the right thing.

I thought that for me to be better, I needed to constantly be tough on myself. I would always beat myself up for even the smallest mistake. I would magnify every little flaw I had and I would always remind myself of everything that I wasn’t. I thought that doing this was somehow pushing me to be better and to grow.

I didn’t realize that it was actually doing the opposite. I didn’t realize that by being my own worst critic, I was slowly destroying my self esteem and confidence. I started doubting my abilities. I was always filled with so much anxiety and stress. I turned down so many opportunities because I was so afraid of failing.

It took some time for me to finally realize that being my own worst critic was doing so much more harm than good. I’ve learned that growth and self improvement don’t come from a place of self criticisms. It comes from a place of compassion, kindness, and understanding.

If we give ourselves a safe space to make mistakes and take risks without the fear of self criticism, we allow ourselves the freedom to truly grow and improve. It’s time to stop beating ourselves up and start speaking kindly to ourselves.

9. Repeat Calming Affirmations

I was never a believer in affirmations. For years, I thought that they were just useless. It was during a moment of intense panic that made me realized just how powerful these can be.

I was facing so many problems and my thoughts were racing to all these worst-case scenarios and I started feeling like I couldn’t breathe, during this moment, I started repeating the words, I am safe, I am capable, I will get through this.

I repeated those words for what felt like a long time but it was actually just a couple of minutes and surprisingly doing that helped.

It softened the fear and anxiety that I was feeling and it slowly gave me a sense of control over my thoughts again. Yes, doing this may not solve all our problems but it does give us the clarity to face them. When our thoughts start to race, repeating affirmations acts as a way to ground ourselves in the present moment.

Here are some of my favorite calming affirmations:

I can handle what comes my way.

I am capable, resilient, and safe.

I am so much stronger than I give myself credit for.

My thoughts are not facts.

I am stronger than my anxious thoughts.

10. Let Yourself Cry When Needed

Vulnerability is never my strong suit. I have always struggled with allowing myself to feel my emotions. I have always chosen to bottle up all my emotions thinking that doing this was the best thing for me.

Every time something happens, the very first thing that I would do is to run, not physically but emotionally. I would just pretend that everything was perfectly okay. I thought that if I just continued to do this and bottle up everything that I was feeling then eventually they would all just go away.

But of course that was not the case. It took some time for me to realize that running away from everything that we are feeling only delays our healing. Bottling up all our emotions won’t make them go away. Eventually, they would all just blow up all at once, making it so much more difficult for us to cope.

Letting ourselves cry and allowing ourselves to feel doesn’t mean that we are weak. It doesn’t mean that we are failing or that we are losing control. It simply means that we are human. For the longest time, I have always believed that strength meant holding everything together, regardless of how much pain we are feeling.

But I was wrong. True strength lies in allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. True strength is found in allowing ourselves to cry, break down when needed, and express what we are truly feeling. I actually realized that doing this not only helps us feel better and makes things even a little lighter.

It also opens us up to healing and slowly creates space for peace to enter.

Final Thoughts

Please know that taking care of our mental health doesn’t always require us to make these big and dramatic changes. Often, it is those small daily habits that we choose to do each day that can truly make a huge difference.

As you go through each habit please remind yourself that progress is not linear. There will be days when you feel like you are making so much progress but there will also be days when you feel like you’ve taken a few steps back. During those moments, please be gentle with yourself. Remind yourself that it’s perfectly normal to have ups and downs.

The important thing is that you continue showing up for yourself. Always remember that I’m rooting for you.