13 Fun Activities I Use To Improve My Mental Health (+ Free Mental Health Journals)!
Last Updated on 01/02/2023 by Nicky
13 Fun Activities To Improve Your Mental Health
With everything going on in the world, it is not surprising that you would be searching for fun activities to improve your mental health.
That’s why I am going to share with you 13 fun ways you can find relief from your anxious and intrusive thoughts without ever leaving your house.
These are coping techniques that have worked for me when I’ve dealt with anxiety.
Here is what we will cover is very simple:
- Why you shouldn’t have shame when seeking help with anxiety
- 13 Fun Mental Health Activities You Can Try Today
Let’s get started!
Oh yeah, and this post contains affiliate links to great products that will help you in your health journey. I will get a commission if you decide to buy from these links but I’m only recommending products that I feel confident about and from companies that I trust like Amazon and others. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Why You Shouldn’t Feel Shame Over Your Mental Health Struggles
Anxiety is something that I have been plagued with greatly and it still hasn’t completely left me yet.
And I know that I’m not alone.
I assume you or someone you love is dealing with anxiety and you’re looking for ways to help them.
The trouble is, sometimes we are too ashamed to admit that we need help. But we’ve got to stop telling ourselves this lie.
Think about it.
The world is much more demanding and complex than our minds are capable of handling.
The truth is, we weren’t designed to handle all of the mental stress and strain that many of us are under, without help.
Yet many times, we will ignore the anxiety and depression that overtake our lives due to stigma or a whole host of reasons.
We say to ourselves I’m okay, it’ll be alright, I’m fine when mentally it couldn’t be further from the truth.
I’m going to ask a question I already know the answer to.
If you had a broken arm, would you just say, well I’m okay, and go on to work?
Or would you go to the doctor or emergency room?
I’m thinking most of you would opt to call 911 or if you’re feeling heroic perhaps you would drive to the hospital.
But bottom line, you would get help.
Another way to think about it is this…when you’re in physical pain that is a symptom of something being broken in your body.
When you are anxious that’s a symptom of something being broken in your mind.
If you wouldn’t ignore physical pain then don’t ignore mental pain either (which is what anxiety is).
And it could be that you aren’t necessarily dealing with a chronic type of anxiety but instead, you might be feeling nervous about an upcoming event, like public speaking.
It doesn’t matter what the reason for your nervous energy or anxiety is.
You can use these 13 different ways to help you calm your nerves and relax no matter why you feel anxious.
It’s time to conquer anxiety and heal your mind.
Want to read this post later? Save it to your mental health Pinterest boards!
13 Fun & Healthy Activities To Improve Your Mental Health
1) Go for a walk or run.
Actually, it doesn’t have to be a run.
I don’t run.
I’m actually a big advocate of walking which I talk about in this article (it helped me lose 50 pounds).
In fact, walking is said to help alleviate symptoms of anxiety (Source).
It could be a Pilates session which I also love and have seen results from.
And fun cardio workouts like those at BeachBody are also great ways to stave off anxiety and depression.
I know starting a workout regimen played a big part in me reversing my depression.
Exercise, especially walking like I talk about in this post, is an effective way to burn off that extra stress.
2) Declutter your life.
Clutter adds to your anxiety (Source).
Tidy up your environment and notice how much better you feel. I know it may not sound like fun but I promise…decluttering is an excellent way to some physical activity and boost your mental health at the same time.
Having a lot of clutter or having a dirty house is one of the most overlooked anxiety-inducing culprits.
I know I instantly feel better once I look around my house and I see all the rooms are tidied up and straight.
A cluttered house is a cluttered mind is what I always say.
Just start with the rooms and areas in which you spend the most time if it feels too overwhelming for you to do the whole house at first.
Include your personal space at work, too.
I talk more about decluttering in this post: What You Need To Know About Decluttering When You’re Depressed & Don’t Know Where To Start (How-To Guide)
3) Declutter your brain.
Your house isn’t the only thing that can be cluttered.
Your mind can also use some decluttering.
Take care of the things that are on your mind.
Procrastination creates mental clutter and stress which is also something I talk about a lot.
Procrastination just leaves you feeling like there is always something hanging over your head.
If possible, try to take care of tasks as quickly as possible, even when you don’t want to do them.
Or should I say especially when you don’t want to do them.
Putting off those things that you don’t want to do just creates those catastrophic scenarios in your brain which of course begets more anxiety (ask me how I know).
I talk more about procrastination in these posts:
SMART Goals For Overcoming Procrastination To Write In Your Journal
15 Positive Journal Affirmations To Stop Procrastinating & Pursue Your God-Given Dreams
Another form of brain clutter is this: trying to remember things.
Find some sort of app that you can do brain dumps into especially with information that you have to access frequently like links or passwords.
My suggestions are Evernote and Trello but you use whatever you like.
Just as long as it can be used to help you remember things and you can take that stress off of your brain.
4) Spend time with your pet.
Pets are great for reducing anxiety.
Play on the floor with your cat.
Take the dog for a walk or play fetch with them.
I love watching and playing with my dog who is completely adorable.
For some reason, pets are like anti-anxiety vaccines so take full advantage of their amazingness.
For a short while, we had a pet fish at work, and even watching him play in the water was calming.
But of course, no pet beats anxiety better than a dog.
Those puppy dog eyes can make you forget many of your problems, even if for a moment.
5) Think about something positive.
Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”
In other words, think about things that are positive.
Don’t focus so much on negative events or possible outcomes.
You’re partially anxious because you’re thinking about something that makes you anxious.
Give yourself a break and think about something else. Here are some positive affirmations you could use in your journal.
6) Eat healthier.
Your diet can have a negative impact on your anxiety.
In fact, changing my diet and eating healthier has also played a big part in my overcoming depression and giving anxiety several punches in the face.
Eating more vegetables and adding more omega-3 rich foods like blueberries and Salmon into my diet has helped as well.
My nutriblast which I make in my Nutribullet has probably made the biggest difference in my anxiety because it decreases my PMS symptoms which means I’m less moody and anxious.
7) Give yourself something to look forward to.
It can be a great relief to have something positive to look forward to (like a trip is for me).
No matter how stressed you are about work, knowing that you’re heading out of town for a couple of days next weekend can take the edge off.
Related: Travel Journal Ideas!
8) Distract yourself.
When I’m anxious, my mind is racing with a million thoughts that just won’t seem to go away. Then I’ll get distracted and not even think about the thing that was making me so anxious.
In other words, when I get busy and caught up in life, I tend to forget what I’m anxious about.
So read a good book.
Re-watch your favorite movie.
Try a new restaurant.
Get involved in a ministry or volunteer.
Just get busy with something other than stewing in your anxious mind.
9) Find a solution.
Maybe you can solve the issue that’s creating your anxiety.
If there’s something you can do to resolve the situation, get busy and do it!
I know this is easier said than done.
I get that.
But sometimes the only way to reduce anxiety is to do the thing that has you all tied up in knots.
10) Take slow, deep breaths.
Your breathing naturally becomes shallow and faster when you’re stressed.
You can counteract a lot of the physical symptoms of anxiety by just slowing down your breaths and increasing the depth.
Make a conscious effort to take slow deliberate breaths with your eyes closed until you can feel your heartbeat slowing down again.
11) Play the name five things game.
One of the biggest parts of being anxious is that we are either dealing with the past or future and freaking out.
It happens but it’s rare that we are freaking out about something that is happening to us right now.
So if that’s your current situation (stressing about something that already happened or something you think might happen), focus on what’s going on around you right now. Bring your mind back to the present.
Look around your environment and name five things you see.
Now, name five things you feel.
For example, “I feel the pencil in my hand. It feels smooth and warm.”
Try to name five things you hear.
Smell the air and describe what you smell.
Smell nearby objects until you’ve described five smells.
Yes, it may sound silly but try it anyway.
12) Dance.
Or sing.
Or jump around.
Do something you don’t normally do.
Anything out of the ordinary can break your pattern and relieve some of your anxiety.
Put on your favorite music and move.
I don’t care if it’s Beethoven.
You can jam to his 5th Symphony.
Bonus points if you use earbuds so you can experience that surround sound!
13) Get help by doing online therapy from home.
Seek professional help.
This ties into what I was talking about earlier when I was saying there is NO shame in getting help with a mind that is not cooperating with you.
I know for certain that I would not be able to share any of my struggles with you if I hadn’t gotten help with my depression and anxiety from a professional counselor.
And don’t worry.
You can do this from home too.
I’ve done counseling over the phone.
But the one that helped me the most was using online-therapy.com.
They are an affordable and convenient mental health tool that you can use to overcome a variety of struggles.
You can choose to talk to a therapist through instant chat, audio chat, or video chat.
Plenty of options to choose from so there are no worries there.
Plus they have worksheets, a journal, and an activity plan.
If you want to learn more about it, you can click below to create a free account.
That way you can explore the dashboard and see if the program is right for you.
Click here to learn more about online-therapy.com
Which One Of These Fun Activities To Improve Your Mental Health Will You Try?
Give your mind and body a break by finding ways to reduce your anxiety.
Avoid the belief that you just have to suffer from anxiety because you don’t.
Do everything you can to find relief without making your challenges worse.
Use all of these tips together so you can make sure you kick anxiety’s butt once and for all!
Download A Free Mental Health Journaling Bundle
We all know how important it is to set aside time for relaxation & self-care. Our mental health depends on it! So if you’re looking for a relaxing escape from the anxieties & stresses of the crazy world we live in then enter your email to access our Renew Your Mind Mental Health Journaling Bundle!
What’s Included In The Renew Your Mind Mental Health Journaling Bundle:
- The Creative Rest Christian Coloring Book: These 5 beautiful coloring pages are accompanied by words of faith and inspiration designed to help you focus on the positive, relax your mind, and dwell on positive Christian affirmations.
- Joy Comes In The Mourning Grief Journal: If you’ve lost a loved one, then journaling is a tool you can use to begin to heal from your loss in a positive and healthy way
- The Stress-Less Anti-Anxiety Journal: This journal has a Count Your Blessings, Quiet Time With God, & Today I’m Feeling… pages as well as a Self-Care To-Do List & A Mini Day & Week Planner.
- 15% Discount code to use on any product in the HAYC store!
Plus I add to this bundle all the time
Just enter your email address below and the Renew Your Mind Bundle link will be sent to your inbox!
If Fun Activities To Improve Your Mental Health has helped you, please share it!
Want to read this post later? Save it to your mental health Pinterest boards!
More HAYC Posts About Mental & Emotional Health
How To Read The Bible To Overcome Anxiety
5 Life-Changing Quotes From Jesus To Overcome Anxiety
5 Genius Ways Proverbs 31 Teaches Christian Women To Be Healthy
Medical Disclaimer: While Healthy As You Can strives to provide the most accurate information, anything you read on this site is purely for informational or entertainment purposes and should NOT be considered medical advice or as a replacement for a doctor’s care, diagnosis, appointment, advice, etc. I am not a medical professional at all. Any information, tips, or ideas that you try as a result of reading this blog is tried at your, the reader’s, own risk.
Mental Health Disclaimer: While I care deeply about your mental health, please know that I am NOT a licensed medical professional, therapist, counselor, social worker, or mental health professional. Any advice here is not to be taken as medical advice or a diagnosis. IF you need to talk to a licensed mental health professional you can use online-therapy.com (affiliate link) or call a mental health hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
