3 Small Lifestyle Habits that have Boosted my Mental Health in a Big Way
Friends, I’ve been going through it. Travel, heartbreak, even a recent ICU stay (I’m ok, and it was good for the plot…kinda).
I’ve been reflecting a lot on the good and the bad lately, and I’ve decided to be grateful for all the sadnesses, because sometimes it takes something drastic to push you to make the right changes in life.
While I am starting to feel more and more ready to make big changes, I’m also taking time to romanticize and honor the small things that have made life better lately.
I know some of these may seem basic. But, I swear, they’ve helped a LOT.
Is it actually these things that have been making me feel better? Or, is it just that it’s something new? Honestly…who cares. If it works, it works, and a win is a win.
1. using a facial toner
I used to use the Witch Hazel Toner from Target daily, but I ended up hearing from somewhere that it wasn’t good for your skin, or maybe I just started to notice that I was breaking out.
Whatever it was, I ended up abandoning a toner altogether. Truthfully, I abandoned skincare altogether. Like, not even washing my face anymore. It was bad, for a long time.
I’ve recently added a toner back in and am making myself use it 1-2 times a day (I’m also requiring myself to actually use face wash —> toner —> moisturizer —> sunscreen every. day. Because I’m in my 30s and it’s time to get. it. together. Yusra.). I feel SO MUCH BETTER. I don’t know why, I won’t pretend to be a skincare expert, but my face feels fresher, smoother, glossier, and better taken care of.
I use this toner: Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Face Toner
2. Wearing blue light blocking glasses
In the words of my eye surgeon when I asked him about blue light glasses, “some people like them, some don’t. It’s up to patient preference.” In doctor speak, that typically means “it’s BS” or “it’s one big placebo.” I don’t care, I love a good placebo. Like I said before, whatever works. I’ve been noticing more and more headaches lately, and I have also noticed feeling better when wearing my blue light blocking glasses.
This might sound odd, but I also notice that wearing the glasses makes me feel more secure. Almost like a barrier between myself and the rest of the world. I feel the same way when I wear sunglasses or a hat when I’m out and about. It’s like building a socially acceptable anxiety fort around my face.
Plus, I think they look cute on me!
3. Journaling, but only when I need to
The whole I reason I started this blog and my Instagram were so that I could avoid traditional journalling. I found it to be a chore, a bore, and a quick trip to a hand cramp.
Lately, I’ve been keeping my bullet journal with me. This has my daily schedule, weekly and monthly goals, doubles as a scrapbook for my 2024 travels, and has everything else my brain needed to dump at one time or another.
Whenever I feel a strong uncomfortable emotion, I sit with it for a moment, ask myself why I’m feeling what I’m feeling, and then if the moment does not pass, I open my journal and write out exactly the way I’d talk to myself or a friend about the issue.
I’m honestly surprised at how well it’s been working. I always thought that keeping a diary meant ruminating on issues rather than moving past them, but I think that was only true when I was forcing myself to write. Now, I write to let go, but I also write to remember and reflect.
You can use any old journal, notebook, your phone, the back of a restaurant menu. I use this dotted journal from Hemlock & Oak.