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Key Takeaways
- Mental health is foundational and should be actively maintained rather than only addressed when it becomes problematic.
- To take a proactive approach, you should build non-negotiable structure into your day, control unnecessary inputs, get out and move, and create coping strategies that fit you.
- You should also find, discern and prioritize positive relationships. This could mean limiting your network to those who have proven to you they will be there when it matters.
I always like to write an article that coincides with Mental Health Awareness Month to encourage people to reset and think critically about how they are doing. Mental health is one of the things in life that quietly influences everything, from your performance at work to your relationships.
In the most meaningful way, mental health is foundational, yet it often isn’t treated as such. It is only dealt with when it becomes problematic. This is a reactive mindset — and it’s a ticking time bomb.
Moreover, mental health is not simply the absence of anxiety, stress, depression or burnout. It’s the presence of clarity, resilience, problem-solving and ambition. In other words, mental health is not the absence of a fog; it’s the presence of clear skies.
The disturbing reality
I’ve written this before, but it bears consistent repeating: 1 in 5 adults in the United States suffer from a mental health condition. But that statistic does not account for the grey area that many people live in. A person may be “high functioning” on the outside, but dealing with stress, anxiety, fatigue and exhaustion internally. The presence of these symptoms slowly erodes effectiveness, but worse, can destroy a person mentally and physically.
While these symptoms are often inevitable, the issue isn’t that they exist. The issue is when there is no proactive management of them. When that happens, the following results:
- Decision-making slows
- Relationships deteriorate
- Productivity declines while actual work hours may increase
- Sleep decreases
- Physical health deteriorates, sometimes catastrophically
- Permanent and irreparable solutions start to seem logical
In the best-case scenario, you end up in survival mode and not “thrival” mode.
Many people, especially leaders, push through these emotions. Conditioned to be “strong,” they compartmentalize and delay, which can work — until it doesn’t. This strategy doesn’t eliminate the problem; it actually builds it brick by brick. Over time, it becomes harder to unwind the damage that has been done, exacerbating recovery times.
The better approach is a proactive one that seeks to maintain a healthy baseline.
5 strategies that have helped me
Maintaining your mental health is a constantly moving puzzle. There is no cure-all. But there are strategies that can help. The following is a non-exhaustive list that has helped me. Please note, I’m not a doctor, and this is not professional health advice. It’s merely the result of trial and error over time.
1. Build non-negotiable structure
Unstructured time can lead to stress, anxiety, distraction and a lack of production. When your day lacks clarity, the gaps get filled with noise and unnecessary emotion. Creating structure can help resolve these issues. Some things I do include:
- Starting my day at the same time every working day and making sure I sleep more when it’s a non-working day
- Creating a daily routine that includes both eating routines and exercise
- Limiting my unnecessary meetings and calls as much as possible — there is little that’s worse than a pointless and elongated Zoom
- Taking vacations and not feeling guilty about it
- Creating checklists for what I want to accomplish in a day — with this one, remember that if you accomplish one thing every day, that’s 365 new accomplishments for the year. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Structure can reduce your cognitive load and make you feel far more in control of the situation. It does for me.
2. Control unnecessary inputs
This one is simple. What you put in is often what you get out.
Limit the attention you pay to superfluous social media — I don’t do Facebook or TikTok. I don’t post to Instagram, but my algorithm is now set to the point where it’s almost all humorous. So maybe I’ll use it to laugh for a few minutes a day. Otherwise, LinkedIn is the only social media environment that I live in.
Avoid negative people and conversations. They don’t solve anything.
You should also void constant notifications — turn off the Apple Watch or Garmin pings. You’ll get to the information when you need to.
3. Get out and move
This one is 100% non-negotiable. If you want to stay mentally healthy, stay physically healthy. It can be as intense or relaxing as you see fit. But get out and move. For me, when I bike and play hockey, those are the only two times my mind is completely clear of the clutter and noise. The key is consistency. Movement resets your baseline. But also make sure this doesn’t become an unhealthy obsession.
4. Create coping strategies that fit you
I obsessively tried meditation and breathing exercises. They drove me insane and contributed to, rather than lessened, my stress. Mindfulness apps were worse. Interestingly, I found steam showers work well for me. But that doesn’t mean meditation and breathing won’t work for you. Find your strategies and stick to them.
5. Find, discern and prioritize positive relationships
Mental health doesn’t live in isolation. It’s inextricably tied to connection and relationships. But not all relationships are positive, which means expanding your network endlessly is not necessarily the solution. In fact, it can often mean contracting your network and limiting it to those who have proven to you they will be there when it matters.
A simple rule of thumb I use: “If I were in real trouble, would I call this person and would they show up?” If the answer is yes, that’s a real, positive relationship. If the answer is no, are they just sapping unnecessary emotional bandwidth?
A note on seeking help
Mental illness is “illness.” You would see a doctor if you were ill. There is no compromise here. If you need help, ask for and get it. Drop the stigma. You wouldn’t “tough out” a serious sickness.
Mental health is not a short-term project. It’s an ongoing discipline. You don’t “solve” it. You maintain it.
And like any discipline, it compounds. Small, consistent actions lead to meaningful long-term outcomes. The inverse is also true. Happy Mental Health Awareness Month.
Key Takeaways
- Mental health is foundational and should be actively maintained rather than only addressed when it becomes problematic.
- To take a proactive approach, you should build non-negotiable structure into your day, control unnecessary inputs, get out and move, and create coping strategies that fit you.
- You should also find, discern and prioritize positive relationships. This could mean limiting your network to those who have proven to you they will be there when it matters.
I always like to write an article that coincides with Mental Health Awareness Month to encourage people to reset and think critically about how they are doing. Mental health is one of the things in life that quietly influences everything, from your performance at work to your relationships.
In the most meaningful way, mental health is foundational, yet it often isn’t treated as such. It is only dealt with when it becomes problematic. This is a reactive mindset — and it’s a ticking time bomb.
Moreover, mental health is not simply the absence of anxiety, stress, depression or burnout. It’s the presence of clarity, resilience, problem-solving and ambition. In other words, mental health is not the absence of a fog; it’s the presence of clear skies.
