Managing one or more chronic mental health conditions is a full-time responsibility. If you push this to the bottom of your priorities, it will be extremely difficult for it to ever improve significantly.
But since you have a life filled with other responsibilities, your time, attention, energy, and resources are probably already spread thin. The good news is that taking care of your mental health doesn’t have to mean carving out hours in your day. Small, consistent actions can make a difference.
Think about the short moments in your day when you’re between tasks—waiting for an email, standing in line, or sitting in your car before heading inside. These moments are like spare change. One penny might not do much, but when you gather them all, they add up. The same is true for small mental health practices. Using just one or two minutes in these moments to do something positive can have a real impact over time.
Here are 5 things you can do to improve your mental health even if you have just 5 minutes.
Stretching and Posture Work
One of the easiest ways to start is stretching or checking your posture. Depression can weigh on your body, making you slouch or feel physically compressed. Over time, this affects how you feel about yourself and can even create physical pain that makes depression worse. A simple stretch or straightening your posture for a minute can help counteract that. It doesn’t need to be complicated—just moving with intention can make a difference.
Breathwork
Breathwork is another simple but powerful tool. When you’re struggling, your breath can become shallow and fast, reinforcing feelings of stress and anxiety. Taking a minute to slow it down—deep inhales, slow exhales—helps shift your nervous system into a calmer state. You don’t need a complicated technique; just slowing and deepening your breath is enough to make a difference.
Practicing Gratitude
Practicing gratitude, even briefly, can also help. Depression can make it hard to feel joy in the things you logically know you appreciate. One trick that helps is being specific. Instead of a broad statement like “I’m grateful for my health,” try something like, “I’m grateful that I had a good meal today” or “I’m thankful for my warm bed.” The more specific, the better—it makes gratitude feel real rather than just a forced exercise.
Recognizing Your Accomplishments
Recognizing your own accomplishments is equally important. Most of the things you push through in a day—ignoring an impulse to procrastinate, resisting a bad habit, getting out of bed when it felt impossible—go unnoticed by others. But they matter. Taking even a minute to acknowledge what you did right today can shift how you see yourself. Instead of focusing on what didn’t happen, you’re giving yourself credit for the effort you put in.
Connecting with Others
Finally, connection is key. Depression is isolating, making you feel invisible. Sending a quick message to a friend, even something simple like “Hope you’re doing well,” can remind you that you’re not alone. You don’t have to dive into a deep conversation—just reaching out in any small way helps break that feeling of disconnection.
These small actions might not seem like much in the moment, but over time, they add up. If you take just one minute every waking hour for something positive, that’s 97 hours a year dedicated to your mental health. That’s powerful. You don’t have to do it all at once. You don’t have to be perfect. Just using the little moments you have can move you toward feeling better.
I go into more detail about these steps in this video.
-Scott
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