7 Good Mental Health Habits to Continue in 2023

I love making New Year’s resolutions. (Here’s a list of my past New Year’s resolutions: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022). This year, however, I decided to set the goal of continuing some good mental health habits I started in 2022.

The first group of my good mental health habits concerns food. I’ve posted a lot about my struggles with overeating, and I continue to fight against that sin in my life. Overeating, for me, is a spiritual issue. I understand the ideas behind methods such as intuitive eating, intermittent fasting, and diets like keto and paleo. None of this matters, however, if I choose to continue to eat foods I shouldn’t eat according to a specific diet, past when I’m full, and during times when I’ve said I’d prefer not to eat. I’ve also learned that the more restrictive the method or diet, the more guilt I’m going to feel about not following it even though I say I’d like to, and the more I’m going to overeat to assuage that guilt. And, I’ve learned that making small changes in my eating habits, towards self-discipline, biblical self-care, and thankfulness, can mean big changes in my life.

The second group of my good mental health habits concerns stewardship, with a focus on how I take care of my mind and body together.

The final of my mental health habits concerns creativity and community.

My Good Mental Health Habits 1-3: Thankfulness

First, I eat sweets at only one time of the day. I don’t eat my treats at the same time every day to allow for different life events, and I do eat as many sweets as I would like to at that time. I also enjoy every bite that I take. If I feel like I want something sweet before or after I’ve decided I’m going to eat my treats, I react with thankfulness. I thank God that I can look forward to enjoying something sweet later in the day, or I look back at what I’ve already eaten and enjoyed and thank God for what he’s given me. “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 118:1)

Second, I eat at set times of the day. If I allow myself to graze throughout the day, all I can think about is food and more food and what I’m going to eat next. Eating at set times of the day helps me keep my mind focused on other things, such as tasks I need to complete around the house or creative projects on which I’d like to work. Sometimes I do need a snack around 3 o’clock, especially if I eat lunch at school–my lunches are typically smaller then. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Third, I do like to eat a small snack after dinner sometimes. Especially during the warmer and lighter months, when I take walks with Luna after the kids go to bed, I get hungry in the evening. One of the worst habits I’ve developed over the years is eating while watching TV. If I do need a snack before bed, I eat it, get ready for bed, cozy up under a pile of blankets, and watch something fun and compelling. I don’t mindlessly consume food and entertainment, but I try to give my full attention to eat one, and I find that I enjoy them both more when I do. I also sleep much better when I don’t eat right before I go to bed. I love this quote about discipline from Elisabeth Elliot’s book Discipline: The Glad Surrender:

“Discipline is the believer’s answer to God’s call. It is the recognition, not of the solution to his problems or the supply of his needs, but of mastery. God addresses us. We are responsible–that is, we must make a response…Discipline is the wholehearted yes to the call of God.”

Do I always follow these guidelines? Nope! They’re my good mental health goals; sometimes I achieve them, sometimes I don’t, but God’s grace is sufficient for me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

My Good Mental Health Habits 4-6: Stewardship

Fourth, over the summer I started exercising again. Exercise helps keep my mind clear and wakes me up in the mornings when I feel sleepy and want to just sit on the couch. I’m a natural morning person, but unless I have specific motivation to get out of bed, I still struggle to get up early, even though I feel better when I do. Exercise, and the podcasts or music I get to listen to while I exercise, give me the motivation to get up early in the morning and begin my day well. I know how best to take care of the body God gave me, and I pray he’ll continue to give me the strength to do just that. “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27)

Fifth, I try to keep my hands and my mind busy. This means using my time well and asking myself, “How can I organize my time in a way that honors God?” I don’t plan my days down to the second, but I do use this planning sheet to help me manage my time and to make sure I can accomplish the things I’d like to accomplish. If I do find myself with downtime, I try to fill that time with hobbies, of which I have many. Crocheting, baking, cooking, hiking, writing, reading, ukulele, singing, drawing, coloring–my list is long and varied. As far as keeping my mind busy, I tend to go through most of my days on auto-pilot. This can be good in some ways; I’m thankful that I don’t have to think through every activity I do, such as loading the dishwasher. I know that I put the silverware in the silverware tray, the plastic dishes on top, and the ceramic dishes on the bottom. This can be bad in many ways, however. If my mind isn’t engaged with what I’m doing, I can’t use every moment to glorify God and take every thought captive to Christ. “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b-14)

Sixth, I try not to ‘scroll’ any websites, including Facebook, my WordPress reader, and shopping online. The more I scroll, the more I disengage from what’s happening around me. For me, scrolling produces mindlessness, which is the opposite of what I need to serve God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love my neighbors, including my husband and children, as myself. (See Luke 10:25-28.)

My Good Mental Health Habit 7: Community

Seventh, I’m an incredibly social person by nature. I do, however, go through times in which I feel overwhelmed and tired, anxious and sad. These are the times that I’m less likely to contact friends and family, but they are also the times when I need community the most. I try to see my extended family at least once a week. I do a Bible study with some of my close friends from church and participate in as many church activities as I can. The kids and I also enjoy getting together with friends from school. Finally, I love talking with my writer and songwriter friends. Art and community go hand-in-hand; as you build up one, you build up the other.

In order to serve God well, I must be thankful and a good steward of the time, resources, mind, and body God gave me. Your good mental health habits may look different from mine, but I hope reading about mine helps you cement yours. May we glorify God in this new year in our habits, our thoughts, our actions, and our hearts.