Habits to Improve Mental Health (And Bring Balance to Your Life)

By Lauren Rose Correa, February 20, 2025

Habits to Improve Mental Health - Woman sitting by water

When it comes to mental health, it’s important to lay a foundation of healthy habits in your life. Busyness takes over, and we think that the more activities we can cram into our schedule, the better we are doing. Our fear of missing out can get the best of us sometimes, and we start to feel like we need to participate in every church activity, have tons of friendships, work long hours, and hardly take a moment for ourselves. We often overlook these habits to improve mental health, and this contributes to a sense of overwhelm.

A few years ago, some mental health issues stopped me in my tracks and forced me to slow down and evaluate the quality of what I was allowing to enter my life. I learned how to rest (not just physically, but mentally). Additionally, I learned how to prioritize the activities and relationships that matter and ditch ones that are taking up my time without adding value to my life.

Our friendships, our church activities, our jobs, our hobbies, and our time for rest all need to be in order so that we can live full and healthy lives. Here are a few habits to improve mental health that will bring balance to your life.

Think Quality vs Quantity in Friendships

I once believed that I needed lots of friendships to be relationally fulfilled. I had a lot of friends, but truthfully I was the most lonely that I had ever been. My struggle with mental health issues led to the loss of a significant number of friends. At first I was upset about this, but I now I find myself the most relationally fulfilled that I’ve been in years – and only a few new people have entered my life.

I realized that having the right people in your life is much more important than having lots of people. The friendships I had before were shallow, and these friends didn’t stick around when things in my life got tough. Today, I have only a few close friendships, but they are high-quality, precious relationships with people whom I know will be there for me no matter what.

Having lots of friendships can drain us rather than energize us. Instead of being all things to all people, focus on praying for and supporting your closest friendships and your family. Maintain fewer but higher quality relationships and make an effort to really be there for those people.

Only Get Involved in Church/Ministry Activities That Are Important to You

We are often pressured to become involved in lots of activities at church. This includes everything from volunteer work, to events, to worship team, to Bible study. As great as church is, it can become something that drains us of our time and energy if we let it. Ask yourself this: are you participating in something because you genuinely feel called to do it, or because you feel guilty if you stop? God doesn’t motivate us using guilt – he wants us to enjoy our ministry and be energized to do it.

Instead of volunteering for everything, decide on one (or a few) things that are really important to you. Focus on giving your best effort to those activities. Also, consider the fact that your form of ministry could be an activity that doesn’t involve church, and that’s okay. I have attended churches that really emphasized volunteering at church as being absolutely necessary. However, I don’t think it’s meant for everyone.

Make Time for Hobbies

When our lives get busy, our hobbies can fall to the wayside. However, it’s crucial to make time for the things you love to do. Hobbies are good for both spiritual and mental health. For me, I’m in my element when I’m decorating my home. When my mental health was struggling, my creative outlet of decorating was an important coping mechanism for me. I began to realize just how much creativity can bring healing and balance into your life.

Your hobby could be anything from a sport that you play, to painting, to writing. God gave you the thing you’re passionate about for a purpose, so make time for it! When you do the things you love to do, you are bringing glory to God.

Make Time for Rest and Reflection

Over the past few years, I’ve truly learned the importance of rest – and by rest, I don’t just mean sleeping! Rest is about more than catching some zzz’s at night. It’s crucial that we give ourselves time to unwind by leisurely reading, watching tv, taking a walk, and most importantly, spending time in reflection. Reflection is something that you can do while taking a walk, lying in bed, or relaxing on the couch. Reflection can even be expressed through journaling.

What is reflection and why is it so important? Reflection is when you spend some time thinking about the things in your life and why they matter to you. Ponder the activities you do and what value they are adding to your life. Think about yourself and what steps you could be taking for self-improvement. Think about your friends and family and why you love them so much.

Reflection is important because it often leads us into the practice of gratitude. Being grateful for the things in our lives will improve our outlook, our mental and spiritual health, and even perhaps our physical health. Don’t take the things in your life for granted – thank God often for each and every one of them.

Habits to Improve Mental Health: Which Habits Are Important to You?

Which of these habits do you want to add to your routine? What habits have you found important in your mental health journey? Let me know in the comments!