Mental Health Tips: Simple Daily Practices to Support Your Mental Hygiene

The start of a new year can bring a mix of feelings. For some, there’s motivation about a new year or relief after the holiday period. For others, there’s pressure and stress. This is because returning to work, school, study, or caring roles has the unspoken expectation to feel refreshed, motivated, and “ready for the year ahead”.

These experiences are a normal part of everyday life and reflect how closely mental health is tied to life changes, stress, and our world around us. You might notice more tiredness than expected. Wondering what date and time it is. A sense of mental clutter. Or just the feeling that everything is starting again before you’ve quite caught your breath.

This is where the idea of mental health hygiene can be helpful. Not as a new set of goals or resolutions, but as a way to gently look after your wellbeing as life picks up again. Mental health hygiene sits alongside physical health, and recognises the strong connection between body and emotions, as well as mental wellbeing.

What Do We Mean by Mental Health Hygiene?

Mental health hygiene isn’t about “fixing yourself” or achieving more. It’s about simple, practical steps you can take to look after your mental and emotional wellbeing every day. It includes mental health tips that support good mental health, prevention, and balance, rather than control or perfection.

Just as physical hygiene helps prevent illness, small daily habits can support your emotional health, resilience, and recovery when things feel tough. It doesn’t need to be perfect or consistent. It doesn’t need tracking or optimisation. And it doesn’t look the same for everyone. Research and evidence show that individual differences matter, and what supports one person’s mental wellbeing may look different for another.

During periods of transition, like the start of a new year, these practices can help reduce overwhelm and make change feel more manageable. They can also help people manage stress, cope with difficult feelings, and stay aware of their mental and emotional needs.

Why Mental Health Hygiene Matters at the Start of the Year

For many people, stress at this time of year is a normal response to change, not a sign that something is wrong. Stress is part of life, but learning helpful techniques to manage it can support wellbeing over time.

The return to work, school, and routine often comes with:

• Changes to sleep and energy
• Increased demands and expectations
• Less downtime than over the holiday period
• A sense of “catching up” or being behind before you’ve even started

For those in regional WA, the return to routine might also mean navigating harvest schedules, FIFO rosters, or reduced local services after the holiday period. Community, family, and society all play a role in shaping mental well-being in regional and remote areas.

Mental health hygiene helps by creating steadiness, rather than momentum. It’s about supporting yourself through adjustment, not pushing through it. This approach can be especially helpful for people living with mental health problems, anxiety, depression, mental illness, or mental disorders.

Everyday Practices That Support Mental Health

Mental health hygiene is built on practical, realistic strategies. Think of these as building blocks. Each one builds on the other as the year progresses. You don’t need all of them, and you don’t need to do them every day. Small acts practised every day can create long-term benefits for mental wellbeing and physical health.

Start small and add what feels manageable as the year unfolds. It’s important to remember that what works for one person won’t necessarily work for someone else. Do what works for you! Self-care is about choice, flexibility, and taking care of your mental health in a way that fits your daily life.

Boundaries: protect your mental space

As schedules fill up, boundaries can help prevent overcommitment, overwhelm and burnout. Boundaries support good relationships and help manage stress in everyday life.

This might look like:

• Saying no to one extra commitment
• Not checking emails outside work hours
• Building in transition time between tasks

They can also help reduce negative thoughts and support a sense of balance. Boundaries aren’t about being rigid. They’re about thinking ahead, putting in guardrails, and noticing when you’re running on empty and responding gently. This awareness helps identify early signs of stress and supports prevention.

Sleep: aim for “good enough”

Sleep often shifts during holidays and can be challenging to reset. The goal here is supporting rest, not controlling it. Sleep plays a key role in mood, emotions, focus, and overall well-being.

This might include:

• Going to bed a little earlier when you can or aiming for the same bedtime each night
• Reducing external stimulation before sleep, such as scrolling on your phone
• Skipping late-night snacks, like that sneaky piece of chocolate
• Taking a warm shower before you head to bed
• Letting go of the idea that sleep has to be perfect

These practices can make it easier to fall asleep and feel more rested. Even small improvements in sleep can make it easier to manage emotions and stress. Good sleep supports both mental and physical health.

Movement: gentle and flexible

Movement can support mood and energy, but it doesn’t need to be structured or intense. Exercise can be simple, supportive, and connected to nature when possible.

Try:

• A short walk around the block
• Stretching while watching TV
• Moving your body in ways that feel familiar, fun or safe

The aim isn’t performance; it’s about reconnecting with your body and releasing tension. This might even be a gentle movement during a favourite TV show. Movement can help manage anxiety, support positive emotions, and improve energy.

Connection: stay connected in small ways

Connection doesn’t have to mean constantly socialising, especially after a busy Christmas and New Year period. Strong relationships with friends, family, and community support mental well-being.

As you ease into the new year, connection might look like:

• Setting an intention to catch up with friends and family more frequently, rather than all at once
• Joining a group, club or team
• Sharing how you’re really doing, rather than how you think you “should” be
• Picking up the phone for a chat

Talking openly can provide emotional support and strengthen relationships. In regional communities, this might look like a quick chat at the local store or checking in on a neighbour. These moments build a sense of belonging and support within the community.

Small moments of connection can help reduce feelings of isolation as the year ramps up. Connection is especially important for young people and those navigating change.

Downtime: permission to rest

As life speeds up, intentional pauses become more important. Rest helps your mental health and body systems to reset and recover.

Downtime might include:

• Quiet moments without distractions
• Doing something absorbing or calming
• Permitting yourself to stop, even briefly

This could be listening to music, spending time in nature, or simply letting yourself feel calm. Rest is not something you earn; it’s an essential part of taking care of yourself. Rest supports mood, balance, and the ability to cope with stress.

Going With the Ebb and Flow

These practices are not a streak to maintain or a productivity hack. They are flexible techniques that support mental health across daily life.

Some days you’ll sleep well, move your body, connect, and feel okay. Other days you won’t. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed or fallen behind. Mental well-being shifts, and it is normal to feel differently from one day to the next.

Life changes, energy fluctuates, and stress ebbs and flows, especially during transitions like the start of a new year. Take it week by week, and even day by day if you need to. Supporting your mental health is about returning gently, not starting over. This mindset helps people manage fear, uncertainty, and difficult emotions.

When Extra Support Might Be Helpful

While a little stress is common, there are times when extra support can make a real difference. Professional help can be an important part of treatment and recovery.

If you notice any of the following, consider reaching out:

• Ongoing low mood, anxiety, or emotional numbness
• Difficulty functioning at work, school, or home
• Feeling overwhelmed most days
• Withdrawing from others or losing interest in things you usually care about

These experiences may be signs of mental health problems that deserve care and support.

Support Available Through Holyoake

At Holyoake, we provide accessible, community-based mental health support across Western Australia, including metro and regional areas. Support focuses on helping people feel understood, supported, and empowered.

Support options include:

• Individual and group counselling
• Peer support
• Family, carer and community support programs
• Youth and adult mental health support
• Regional and outreach services

Support can also help people manage alcohol use, strengthen relationships, set goals, and build coping skills. If you’re unsure what support might suit you, get in touch. We can help guide you through the options. Finding the right support can help people feel good, regain focus, and move forward at their own pace.

If you or someone you care about needs immediate support:

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7 Crisis Support) – webchat and text also available
• Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
• 13YARN: 13 92 76 (24/7 Crisis Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• In an emergency, call 000

These services are available across WA, including regional and remote areas.

Frequently Asked Questions