Mental Health and Wellbeing: 5 Practices That Will Change Your Life

Mental health and wellbeing—man, those words hit me hard some days. I’m sitting here in my shoebox of an apartment in Chicago, rain pounding the window like it’s mad at me, and my coffee’s cold again ‘cause I forgot to drink it. Typical. I’m thinking about how I got into this whole mental wellness thing, mostly ‘cause I was a total trainwreck a few years ago. I’ve been blogging for a while—couple hundred posts, some were straight-up garbage, but a bunch got shared like crazy on X. These five mental health and wellbeing practices? They’re not fancy, I’m not perfect at ‘em, but they’ve kept me from losing it. Let’s get into it, I guess.

Why I Even Care About Mental Health and Wellbeing

Okay, so picture me in 2019: working a crap retail job, eating ramen that tasted like sadness, and acting like I was “fine” while my brain was basically a Tilt-A-Whirl on fire. I’d scroll X at, like, 2 a.m., seeing people post about their perfect lives—yoga at sunrise, green smoothies, whatever—and I’m over here like, “I can’t even find my other shoe.” You ever feel like you’re just… failing at life? That was me. I didn’t even know mental health and wellbeing was something I could actually do something about. Thought you were either chill or a mess. Then my friend Jess—she’s the best—dragged me to a yoga class where I legit fell on my face during some pose I still can’t pronounce. Mortifying, but also kinda the start of something.

Mental wellness isn’t just about not being sad. It’s about not wanting to yeet yourself into the void when life gets weird. These practices I’m gonna talk about? They’re not some influencer BS. They’re stuff I’ve tried, screwed up, and stuck with. Some I found on blogs like Tiny Buddha, some from random X posts, and some from just fumbling through life. Here’s my deal.

1. Journaling: My Hot Mess of a Notebook

Journaling sounds like something your 8th-grade teacher made you do, and I was not about it at first. Like, really? I’m gonna write my feelings? But during the pandemic, I was stuck inside, losing my mind, so I grabbed a cheap notebook from Walgreens. Spilled coffee on it day one—classic me. Started scribbling whatever: what I ate, why I was mad, how I was secretly freaking out about everything. It’s a disaster—half the pages are doodles or rants about my neighbor’s terrible taste in music (who listens to EDM at 7 a.m.?). But it’s my disaster.

Journaling’s huge for mental health and wellbeing ‘cause it gets the chaos out of your head. You know those thoughts that just keep circling like a bad pop song? Writing ‘em down is like telling them, “Okay, you’re on paper, now shut up.” I read somewhere—maybe Psychology Today—that it cuts stress and helps you figure out what you’re feeling. My journal’s a mess, with coffee stains and random grocery lists in the margins. Don’t try to make it cute. Just write. It’s like venting to a friend who doesn’t talk back.

2. Moving My Body (Even When I’d Rather Not)

I’m not a gym person. At all. Last time I ran was in high school ‘cause I missed the bus, and I’m pretty sure I pulled something. But moving your body does wonders for mental wellness, and I don’t mean you gotta lift weights or whatever. I started with walks around Chicago—earbuds in, some chill lo-fi playlist, just wandering. One time, I got lost in Lincoln Park and ended up petting some dude’s dog for, like, 20 minutes. Dog’s name was Pickles. Absolute legend. That day was the best in forever.

Moving—like walking, yoga, or dancing like nobody’s watching—pumps out endorphins, which are like your brain’s version of a warm hug. I saw some X post saying even 10 minutes a day can make you feel better. I’m not great at it—sometimes I skip a week and feel like a lump—but when I do it, I feel good. My tip? Do something you don’t hate. I tried running (hard pass), then found dance videos on YouTube. Now I’m flailing around my living room to bad pop music, and it’s honestly kinda fun.

3. Mindfulness: Trying Not to Freak Out All the Time

Mindfulness sounds like some hippy-dippy nonsense, right? I thought so too. Like, what, I’m supposed to sit there and “be one with the universe”? Nah. But after a day where everything went wrong—spilled coffee, missed a deadline, fought with my roommate over who left dishes in the sink—I tried a meditation app ‘cause I was desperate. I was terrible at it. My brain’s like, “Focus on breathing? Cool, let’s think about that time I tripped in front of my crush in 9th grade.” But I kept at it, like five minutes a day, and it’s helped my mental health and wellbeing big time.

Mindfulness is just noticing what’s happening without overthinking it. You can do it anywhere—on the bus, eating pizza, whatever. Apps like Headspace are nice, but YouTube’s got free meditations too. It’s not about having an empty mind; it’s about not letting your thoughts run you over. I still get distracted—my cat jumping on me mid-meditation is a whole vibe—but I’m way less stressed than I used to be.

4. Talking to People (Even When It’s Awkward as Hell)

I’m an introvert, so talking to people feels like climbing a mountain in Crocs. But being alone too much? It’s a mental health and wellbeing killer. In 2021, I went weeks talking to nobody except my barista (Mike at Starbucks, you’re the real MVP). I felt like I was disappearing. Then I started sending dumb texts to friends—memes, random stuff like “yo, remember when we got kicked out of that diner at 2 a.m.?” It’s small, but it helped.

You don’t need some deep therapy session. Text a friend, send a stupid GIF, or just say hi to someone at the store (unless you’re in a big city, then maybe don’t). There’s science about this—social stuff boosts oxytocin, which calms you down. I’m still weird about it. Last week, I accidentally sent my boss a dog meme meant for my sister. We laughed, though, and now we’re kinda cool. Life’s weird like that.

5. Saying No (Without Feeling Like a Jerk)

This one’s my favorite ‘cause it’s so freaking hard. I used to say yes to everything—extra work shifts, helping friends move, going to parties I hated. Thought it made me a “good person.” Nope, just made me tired and cranky. Learning to say no has been a game-changer for my emotional health. Like, last month, my cousin asked me to help paint her apartment. I was like, “Love you, but I’m swamped.” And guess what? Nobody died.

Setting boundaries is a self-care practice that saves your sanity. It’s not about being mean; it’s about not burning out. I still feel guilty sometimes—Midwest nice is real—but I’m working on it. Start small, like saying no to your aunt’s weird Jell-O salad at Thanksgiving. You’ll feel like a badass.

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